The smart agriculture revolution, driven by next-generation information technologies such as the Internet of Things, big data, and smart devices, is progressively surpassing traditional agriculture, which has long been dominated by farmers’ tacit knowledge. This transformation profoundly reshapes global agriculture, laying a solid foundation for China’s pursuit of high-quality and green development, and creating favorable conditions to lead global agricultural trends. Based on monitoring data from 53,617 representative agricultural enterprises nationwide from 2021 to 2023, this study empirically examines the impact of smart agriculture on firms’ green production behavior and its spillover effects. The findings reveal that smart agriculture significantly promotes green production among agricultural enterprises. Specifically, firms that have adopted smart agriculture are more inclined to implement green production practices, command a larger scale of green production, and allocate a higher proportion of their operations to it. Moreover, the study identifies a spillover effect, whereby the adoption of smart agriculture also encourages non-adopting firms to engage in green production. Further analysis indicates that enterprises with quality system certifications and those located in China’s central and western regions are more likely to enhance their green production following the adoption of smart agriculture. This study not only provides robust empirical evidence on the positive role of smart agriculture in advancing green agricultural production but also offers critical insights for its broader promotion and implementation.