About Robert Blair:

Robert Blair is a fourth-generation Kendrick, Idaho farmer, entrepreneur, and agriculture advisor for AIGEN Solutions, an agriculture technology company. The farm is situated on the north side of the Clearwater River and not far from his Alma Mater the University of Idaho where he received his B.S. in Agriculture Business.

Robert and his wife Rhonda have been married 27 years. She is a special education teacher in the Kendrick School District and they have two sons, all four are Vandals. The family is members of Cameron Emmanuel Lutheran Church.

His precision agriculture journey started in 2003 using a PDA for simple mapping. That evolved into all different types of equipment, including Unmanned Air Systems (UAS) in 2006. Robert is the first U.S. farmer to own and use a UAS. His vision and advocacy of these technologies helped him become the Precision Ag Institute’s 2009 International Farmer of the Year. Robert has been on the leading edge of precision agriculture utilization and is recognized as a domestic and global leader.

Robert received an Eisenhower Fellowship in 2011, taking him to South America for six weeks focusing on UAS, precision agriculture, and agriculture policy. During the fall of 2012, he spent three weeks in Germany on a McCloy Fellowship for agriculture. In Idaho Robert was recognized as one of the most influential U of I College of Agriculture and Life Science (CALS) alumni, received the 2013 Governor’s Award for Agriculture Technology and Innovation, and was honored as a 2015 U of I CALS Distinguished Alumni.

Robert’s vision and leadership ability has been recognized by the positions he has held including president of the Idaho Grain Producers Association, chairman of the National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Research & Tech Committee, chairman of the U.S. Wheat/NAWG Joint Biotech Committee, Idaho Farm Bureau Federation county president, an initial member of Idaho’s UAS steering committee, an initial advisory board member of the Drone World Expo, and a member of the AGree Conservation and Crop Insurance Task Force. In 2020, Robert was named to the Federal Communications Commission’s Precision Agriculture Task Force Working Group “Encouraging Adoption of Precision Agriculture and Availability of High-Quality Jobs on Connected Farms.”

Robert is a lifelong Republican, and it was 2006 when he attended his first Nez Perce County Republican Central Committee meeting, eventually becoming Precinct 27 captain. From 2006 to present he has continued to support the Idaho and Nez Perce County Republicans by supporting Lincoln Day, hosting elected officials on his farm for meetings, working with elected officials and staff on local, state, and national issues, and working the first Idaho Republican closed primary in 2012.

In December 2021, Robert became the substitute District 6 State Senator for the 2022 Legislative Session. He was sworn into office January 7, 2022, by President Pro Tempore Senator Chuck Winder. Robert served on the Senate Committees of Agriculture Affairs, Resources & Environment, and Education. Robert was and will continue to be your strong Republican voice in Boise.

Volunteer Experience

  • 2020 FCC Precision Ag Task Force – Adoption and Jobs Working Group
  • AGree Conservation & Crop Insurance Task Force Board Member
  • AgARS Council
  • University of Idaho College of Agriculture & Life Science Dean’s Advisory Committee
  • Chairman U.S. Wheat/NAWG Joint Biotech Committee
  • National Association of Wheat Growers (NAWG) Full Board
  • NAWG Chairman of Research & Technology Committee
  • U.S. Wheat/NAWG Joint Biotechnology Committee
  • Idaho Grain Producers Association President
  • Nez Perce County Farm Bureau President
  • Nez Perce County Republican Party Precinct #27 Committee Person
  • Assistant Basketball Coach Kendrick High School
  • Governor C.L. “Butch” Otter Regional Kitchen Cabinet
  • Nez Perce County Soil & Water Conservation District Board
  • 4-H Club and Project Leader
  • AAU Basketball Coach
  • Cal Ripken Baseball Coach
  • Referee/Umpire
  • K/J Baseball Association
  • Farm Tour/Education for Different Groups
  • Agriculture Speaker
  • Hold Agriculture Meetings on my Farm
  • K/J School Bond Committee Co-Chair
  • Idaho Ag in the Classroom “Flat Andy” Farmer
  • High School Building Committee

Awards and Accomplishments

  • 2016 U.S. House of Representatives Agriculture Subcommittee testimony on drones for agriculture
  • 2015 Alumni Achievement Award University of Idaho College of Agriculture & Life Sciences
  • 2015 Agriculture Panelist for the Idaho Ag Tech Initiative
  • 2014 Drone World Expo Advisory Board Member (Initial Member)
  • 2013 Governor’s Award for Agriculture Tech & Innovation
  • 2013 Recognized as one of the most influential U of I College of Agriculture & Life Sciences alumni
  • 2012 Keynote Speaker at Australia’s National Precision Ag Conference (SPAA) in Mildura, Australia
  • 2012 Spoke to the Idaho House Ag Committee regarding Fellowship, precision ag, and UAVs
  • 2012 Attended the Nuffield Scholars Conference in Holland & UK
  • 2011 Eisenhower Agriculture Fellow to South America
  • 2009 Precision Farmer of the Year (Precision Ag Institute)
  • 2009 IFBF Ag Ambassador
  • 2008 Obtained Congressional bi-partisan/bi-cameral support for UAS rule