Unmanned aerial systems (UAS) promise to bring more value to agriculture than any other industry, a leading expert said last week at the Iowa Farm Bureau Economic Summit in Ames.

"There’s 10 times more applications in agriculture than any other industry," said Kevin Price, vice president of research and technology development for RoboFlight, a Des Moines company that specializes in aerial imagery. "Eighty percent of the revenue will be in agriculture. This is a game-changer."

Industry projections predict UAS, popularly known as drones, will generate $13.6 billion in economic activity in the first three years and create 100,000...