NEODESHA, Kan. (AP) — A company in Neodesha is building drones that its owner believes could someday help farmers watch over their fields without spending hours walking or driving through their property.

The company, called AgEagle, has shipped 125 unmanned aircraft systems to customers across the world since Jan. 1. AgEagle was started by Bret Chilcott, a former aircraft employee who grew up on a farm near Udall.

Chilcott says his firm is a pioneer in an industry that he believes will grow quickly, despite current federal regulations that prohibit commercial use of drones.

The Hutchinson News reports the machines could someday allow farmers to map out fields using imagery to detect how a crop is growing. Data collected by the drones would be sent to a laptop for study by the farmer.