DJI Agras Meets an 82-Year-Old Farmer: China’s ‘Hardcore Grandma’ Proves Age Is No Barrier to Agricultural Drone Mastery

The 15-kilogram battery pack would give most pilots pause. For Dai Shuying, an 82-year-old farmer from eastern China’s Anhui province, it’s just another component she learned to install after watching her grandson operate what she initially called an “iron lump.” Her journey from curious observer to confident agricultural drone operator has captivated Chinese social media, earning her the affectionate nickname “hardcore grandma” and demonstrating that precision agriculture has no age limit.

The Development: Dai Shuying, born in 1943, has become an internet sensation in China after mastering agricultural drone operations at age 82, transforming her family’s farming efficiency from 10 mu (0.67 hectares) per day to 600 mu (40 hectares) with drone assistance.

The “So What?”: Her story illustrates the accessibility of modern agricultural drone technology and its transformative impact on small-scale farming operations, a stark contrast to the regulatory barriers facing American farmers.

The Source: The story was originally reported by the South China Morning Post on January 16, 2026.

Dai Shuying’s transformation from bookkeeper to drone operator

Dai Shuying’s journey into agricultural drone technology began when her 40-year-old grandson, Wang Tiantian, brought home a large agricultural drone to help manage their family’s 600 mu (40 hectares) of farmland in Laomei Village, Xindu Town, Tongcheng. The former bookkeeper, once regarded as one of the few “educated individuals” in her village capable of reading, writing, and performing calculations, approached the unfamiliar technology with characteristic curiosity.

“Intrigued by the imposing ‘iron lump,’ Dai asked Wang to teach her how to operate it,” according to the South China Morning Post report. With her grandson serving as flight instructor, she quickly learned to install batteries weighing 15 kilos and perform essential operations. The agricultural drones used in China’s farming sector, including DJI’s Agras T50 and T25 models, require operators to handle substantial equipment, yet Dai mastered the fundamentals.

As she gained hands-on experience, Dai became skilled at transporting the drone, unfolding its wings, adding fertilizer, and even personally managing take-offs while executing fertilization tasks with precision. Her story echoes similar examples from DJI’s Agrishow 2025 report, which highlighted how an elderly vineyard owner in Romania halved chemical use on sloped terrain using agricultural drones.

Agricultural drone efficiency transforms family farming operation

The transition from manual labor to drone technology has significantly enhanced the family’s agricultural output, representing exactly the kind of productivity gains documented in academic research on agricultural drone adoption.

“Back then, one person could only treat just over 10 mu (0.67 hectare) in an entire day,” Dai explained. “With this drone, we can finish all 600 mu in one day. It saves time and effort.”

This 60-fold increase in daily coverage aligns with the findings of a landmark Michigan State University study published in Science, which revealed that agricultural drones are reshaping farming faster than almost any technology in history. The study documented how millions of farmers worldwide have embraced drone technology in just five years, with particular adoption strength in Asia.

China leads the world with more than 250,000 agricultural drones in operation, and the technology offers particular promise for small operations like the Dai family farm. According to the MSU research, farms under 5 acres account for 85% of agricultural land globally, and these small operations benefit most from drone efficiency gains. Agricultural drones have saved approximately 222 million tons of water and cut carbon emissions by 30.87 million metric tons globally, according to DJI Agriculture data.

Social media success amplifies Dai’s story beyond the farm

Wang created a short video account called “Old Farmer, Gratefully Loved” to document their daily life, featuring his grandmother flying drones and their humorous interactions. The account has attracted over 210,000 followers on Douyin (China’s version of TikTok), turning the family into unexpected social media personalities.

To supplement the family’s income, the duo launched a live-streaming channel promoting and selling their home-grown rice, cooking oil, and other agricultural products. Dai can even confidently operate live-streaming equipment on her own. “Grandma learns to read and write quickly, but the most important thing is patience,” Wang shared when asked about his secret to teaching seniors new technology.

Dai views her new career as both entertainment and a way to stay close to her family. “Life is very happy now. My children are by my side, I enjoy farming, and our income is better than before. At over 80 years of age, being able to see so much of the world is the best part,” she said. Her story has sparked an outpouring of admiration on social media, with netizens affectionately dubbing her a “hardcore grandma.”

DroneXL’s Take

Dai Shuying’s story arrives at a moment of painful irony for American farmers. While an 82-year-old Chinese grandmother masters DJI Agras drone operations, U.S. farmers face the prospect of losing access to the very same technology due to regulatory actions that have nothing to do with farming efficiency or food security.

The agricultural drone revolution documented by Michigan State researchers is unfolding globally, with China at its epicenter. More than 400,000 DJI agricultural drones operate worldwide, treating over 500 million hectares across 100 countries. In Brazil, coffee plantations using DJI drones cut operational costs by 70% compared to manual spraying. In Thailand, drone coverage exploded from near zero in 2019 to 30% of farmland by 2023.

Meanwhile, American farmers watching this transformation face a different reality. DJI controls roughly 80% of agricultural spray drone sales in the U.S. market. A DJI Agras T50 carries an MSRP around $18,000. American-made alternatives start at $20,000 for entry-level models and can reach $85,000 for advanced systems. That’s a 3x to 5x price increase before factoring in the 170% tariffs on Chinese agricultural drones.

The contrast between Dai’s journey and the American experience couldn’t be starker. She learned to operate agricultural drones with patience and family support. American farmers face supply constraints, regulatory uncertainty, and price barriers that make the technology increasingly inaccessible. As we’ve documented extensively, removing affordable agricultural drone technology threatens the very food security that some lawmakers claim they’re protecting.

Expect more stories like Dai’s to emerge from China and other Asian markets in 2026 as agricultural drone adoption accelerates globally. The technology that allows an octogenarian to transform her family’s farming operation should be democratizing agriculture worldwide. Instead, American farmers may be left watching from the sidelines as the rest of the world reaps the benefits.

Editorial Note: This article was researched and drafted with the assistance of AI to ensure technical accuracy and archive retrieval. All insights, industry analysis, and perspectives were provided exclusively by Haye Kesteloo and our other DroneXL authors, editors, and Youtube partners to ensure the “Human-First” perspective our readers expect.