Information of TTFLY: A drone flickers to life, then takes flight, soaring high above a vast field of tomatoes in California's Central Valley, the United States’ most productive farming region.

Cannon Michael is just one of many farmers putting drone technology to work on his fields at Bowles Farming Co., in the town of Los Banos, not too far from San Francisco.

Almost 2100 companies and individuals have acquired federal permission to fly drones for the practice of farming, according to the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International. On Monday, federal regulators relaxed the rules on the use of small, commercial drones, which is likely to incite more usage of the technology on farms.

Michael, whose ancestral lineage can be traced back to Henry Miller, the renowned cattle rancher who helped transform California’s semi-arid landscape into fertile farmland 150 years ago with the construction of irrigation canals, notes that climate change is making water more precious.

"I've always been a big fan of technology," said Michael in an interview with the Mail Tribune. "I think it's really the only way we're going to stay in business."

He estimates that just on his 2400 acre farmland, drones that detect things like water leaks can save enough water to sustain nearly 550 families of four for a year.

Even beyond the state of California, drones are being increasingly used on farms across Canada, Australia, South Africa and Latin America, according to Ian Smith of DroneDeploy, a San Francisco-based company that is a leader in drone software development.

Ordering a commercial-grade drone in the United States is also an increasingly easy process. A farmer can order one online for US $2000 and receive it in the mail just days later.