Drones Take Flight in Agriculture: NASA’s Blue Skies Competition Awards SDSU for Innovative Soil and Tissue Sampling System
The future of farming may be in the sky, according to NASA's Gateways to Blue Skies Competition. South Dakota State University (SDSU) students have soared to first place, winning the 2025 edition of the competition with their innovative drone-based system designed to revolutionize soil testing and plant leaf extraction for agriculture. This victory highlights the growing intersection of aviation technology and the agricultural industry, with drones poised to become indispensable tools for enhancing efficiency, sustainability, and resilience in the face of evolving challenges.
SDSU's winning project, aptly named “Soil Testing and Plant Leaf Extraction Drone,” addresses a critical need within the agricultural sector: automating labor-intensive farming tasks. Their system proposes using drones to autonomously collect soil and tissue samples, providing farmers with detailed nutrient profiles and real-time data about their crops' health. This precision-agriculture approach allows for targeted interventions, optimizing resource allocation and minimizing environmental impact.
Steven Holz, assistant project manager for University Innovation with NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, emphasized the significance of the competition, stating, “This competition challenges students to think creatively, explore new possibilities, and confront the emerging issues and opportunity spaces solvable through aviation platforms.” He highlighted the students' imaginative ideas and dedication as key drivers of innovation.
Nathan Kuehl, team lead at South Dakota State University, expressed his gratitude for the experience, emphasizing that they couldn't have done it without Allea Klauenberg and Todd Lechter, adding, “It’s been super-rewarding for our team to see how far we’ve come, especially with all these other amazing projects that we were competing against.” The winning team got a real prize: internships at a NASA center during the 2025-2026 academic year.
Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University also made waves in the competition, securing a spot as one of the eight finalists. Their “Sky Shepherd: Autonomous Aerial Cattle Monitoring” project features a fixed-wing uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) designed to improve livestock management. Engineered with noise-minimization techniques to avoid disturbing cattle, the Sky Shepherd monitors herd location and health, enabling faster veterinary response times and enhancing animal welfare. 
According to Gus Gatti, a team leader from Embry-Riddle their UAV solution introduces position and health tracking to vulnerable populations that would not have had fast response times to veterinary care under current methods of cattle tracking.
Beyond the winning projects, the Blue Skies Competition served as a platform for students to showcase a range of innovative aviation solutions for agriculture. The competition, sponsored by NASA’s Aeronautics Research Mission Directorate, sought solutions that could be implemented by 2035 or sooner to enhance agricultural production, efficiency, sustainability, and resilience to extreme weather.
SDSU's winning soil sampling module is expected to be ready for beta testing by 2026 and commercial sales by 2027. The leaf tissue sampler is slated for testing in 2025-2026, with potential commercial use by 2029. Visher from SDSU sees the technology as an easily integratable system into the agriculture industries.
The success of the Gateways to Blue Skies Competition underscores the critical role that students and universities play in shaping the future of agriculture. By embracing innovation and leveraging cutting-edge technologies such as drones and AI-powered analytics, the next generation of agricultural leaders is poised to drive unprecedented advancements in food production and resource management.
What other applications of drone technology do you foresee in agriculture? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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