How much does it cost to seed cover crops with a drone?
Drone seeding usually costs $10 to $20 an acre to hire out, before seed, and a drone spreader lists for about $1,200 to $3,500. Below are the 2026 survey numbers for cover crop seeding by drone, what heavy seed does to your acres per hour, and how a spreader goes on your drone agreement.
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How much does drone seeding cost per acre?
Most of the U.S. numbers we found sit between $10 and $20 an acre, for the flying only. Alabama Extension gives that as the usual custom range in a July 2026 publication, and two state surveys from this year land close to it.
| Method or cost | General range per acre | Survey average per acre |
|---|---|---|
| Drone seeding, hired | Usually $10 to $20, with reports up to $25 | About $16 to $19 |
| Airplane or helicopter seeding, hired | $10 to $20 | About $14 |
| Broadcast seeding, hired | About $4 to $16 | About $11 to $13 |
| Drilling cover crops, hired | $10 to $42 | About $22 |
| Cover crop seed | Up to $50 or more | About $22 for commodity growers |
Custom charges from Ohio State University Extension’s 2026 survey, Nebraska Extension’s 2026 report and Alabama Extension’s July 2026 publication (the usual drone range), and seed costs from the 2022-2023 SARE/CTIC/ASTA national survey, checked November 5, 2026. These are published averages and ranges, not quotes. Airplane and helicopter figures are from Ohio alone, and Nebraska’s drone and broadcast lines rest on five and four responses, so treat them as a rough read.
Hired drone seeding came in below a hired drill in both surveys, and close to a plane or helicopter in Ohio. I wouldn’t stop there, though. Alabama’s authors say a drone can cost more per acre than drilling in some cases, though it can suit small, irregular fields. And Penn State’s fall 2023 work found the biggest gain from drone-seeded rye was quicker fall groundcover, with little effect on biomass or spring groundcover.
Custom applicators: Ohio’s report warns that its averages may not cover a provider’s total costs, so price from your own numbers.
What does cover crop seed add to the cost?
Usually more than the flight does. In the 2022-2023 SARE/CTIC/ASTA national survey, commodity crop growers reported paying an average of $21.74 an acre for cover crop seed. Stack that on the application numbers and you get about $37 an acre at Ohio’s average, about $41 at Nebraska’s, and about $32 to $42 across Alabama’s range.
That’s our arithmetic, and the seed figure is three years old, so swap in your supplier’s price when you have it. Alabama and Nebraska both say seed isn’t in their numbers, and Ohio’s report lists equipment, fuel and labor, not seed.
One more cost people skip. Broadcast seed sits on top of the ground, and Alabama Extension says that in some cases you may need 20% to 50% more of it to make up for birds, rodents and weak emergence. On $21.74 of seed, that’s another $4 to $11 an acre. I’d run that math before comparing a drone quote with a drill quote.
How much does a drone spreader cost?
About $1,200 to $3,500 for the spreader itself, going by the listings we checked. On most drones the dry spreading system is a separate attachment that swaps in for the liquid tank, so check whether your quote already includes one.
| Item | Size | Listed price | Seller |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Agras T25/T50 Spreading System | 75 L on the T50 | $1,189.99 sale, $1,499 regular; out of stock when checked | Drone Spray Pro |
| DJI 150L Spreader System | 150 L | $3,459 | Drone Spray Pro |
| GrassHopper 130 seed loader | About 130 bushels | $17,999 | Agri Spray Drones |
Listed asking prices we found, checked November 5, 2026, not appraisals or offers. Before tax and freight. Five West has no affiliation with these makers or sellers.
That last row is for bulk work. Alabama Extension says pouring from 50-pound bags works, but a large tender tank with a pneumatic conveyor is popular among custom operators. The GrassHopper moves bulk seed from a ground-level hopper up to a trailer’s top deck. Over thousands of acres of rye, those bags get old fast.
How many acres an hour can a drone seed?
Up to about 40 acres an hour on the newest drones, and often less. That top-end figure comes from an Ontario soil specialist writing in Ontario Grain Farmer in September 2025, about drones carrying 110 pounds of seed. We didn’t find a U.S. extension number to set beside it.
Pounds per acre set your real pace. University of Illinois researchers say acres per hour will track directly with the size and weight of the seed. Alabama Extension puts typical drone seeding at 20 to 60 pounds an acre, and cereal rye work has run heavier: 70 pounds in a Purdue demonstration and about 80 on Penn State’s cooperator farms.
| Pounds per acre | Where that comes from | Acres per 110-lb load | Acres per 220-lb load |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | Low end of Alabama Extension’s range | 5.5 | 11 |
| 60 | High end of that range | 1.8 | 3.7 |
| 70 | Cereal rye, Purdue demonstration | 1.6 | 3.1 |
| 80 | Cereal rye, Penn State fall 2023 | 1.4 | 2.8 |
Our arithmetic: load divided by pounds per acre, with a full hopper. 110 pounds is the Agras T50’s 50 kg spreader limit and 220 pounds is the T100’s 100 kg limit, from DJI’s specs, checked November 5, 2026. Don’t go over the load the app recommends.
Put that on a real field. A hundred acres at 60 pounds is 6,000 pounds of seed: 120 50-pound bags, or about 55 loads on a 110-pound drone. Hitting 40 acres an hour at that weight means somebody’s moving 2,400 pounds of seed every hour.
What limits a seeding drone?
Weight, mostly. Here’s what the extension authors flag:
- Heavy seed. Illinois researchers call cereal rye large and heavy, and say a mix or a smaller-seeded species can make a drone far more efficient. Alabama Extension says drones suit seed that goes on light, like clover and brassicas.
- Mixes. Seeds of different sizes and weights are hard to calibrate together, so Alabama says spreading each species separately may work better, even though it adds time.
- Batteries. A battery often needs swapping after 5 to 10 minutes, and a full tank drains it faster. Alabama’s advice is to load just enough that the refill and the battery swap happen together, with a generator big enough to keep up.
- Wind. Small, light seed like radish and clover can drift even at low wind speeds.
- Seed-to-soil contact. Seed on the surface needs light tillage or a forecast rain.
Do you need Part 137 to seed with a drone?
Yes. FAA Part 137 defines an agricultural aircraft operation to include dispensing any substance meant for “propagation of plant life,” along with plant nourishment and soil treatment, and it says no one may conduct those operations without a certificate. So seed and dry fertilizer count, even with no pesticide in the hopper. There’s a private certificate as well as a commercial one, so the rule reaches past custom applicators.
Our spray drone financing guide walks through the FAA steps. One date to plan around: the FAA asks for exemption petitions at least 120 days ahead, so a September 1 seeding start means filing by early May. States can add their own rules, and an aviation attorney can tell you how any of this applies to you.
Can a spreader go on the same agreement as the drone?
Yes. With our commercial drone financing, payloads and accessories can be bundled with the aircraft, so the drone, spreader, batteries, charger or generator, controller, and a trailer or ground rig can share one agreement and one payment. Here are two setups at listed prices, for an established operation with nothing down on an equipment finance agreement:
| Example setup | Listed total | 36 months | 48 months |
|---|---|---|---|
| DJI Agras T100 package and 150 L spreader | $43,458 | About $1,382 | About $1,081 |
| T100 package, 150 L spreader and 16-foot trailer with a 22-foot flight deck | $60,457 | About $1,923 | About $1,504 |
Estimated payments for established businesses only, with nothing down, before tax and freight. Actual payments depend on credit, the equipment and the term. Listed asking prices we found, checked November 5, 2026, not appraisals or offers.
What matters on a seeding setup:
- Part 107. We need a copy of the operator’s FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate on every drone deal.
- The minimum. A spreader alone won’t reach our usual $15,000. Already own the drone? Pair it with batteries, a generator or a trailer, since the minimum counts on the whole bundle.
- The season. Approvals are sized to seasonal windows, so ask about pushing the first payment back until the season starts.
- Down payment. With good credit, you usually don’t need a down payment.
- Used gear. There is no age limit, though older equipment can be tougher to get done.
EFAs run 24 to 84 months. Equipment leases run 24 to 60 months, and a financed piece and a leased piece need two agreements. Whether a spreader qualifies for a deduction this year is a question for your CPA.
New to this? A business under a year old is underwritten as a startup, which typically means 700+ personal credit, real experience in the work, usually some money down, and working capital left after the purchase. The payments above don’t apply to startups. Our startup financing guide has more.
How many acres does it take to pay for a spreader?
Fewer than you’d think, if the drone’s already working. On a bundle that clears the minimum, the $3,459 spreader above adds about $86 a month over 48 months. That’s $1,032 a year, or about 66 acres of custom seeding at Ohio’s $15.64 average, before your labor, fuel and wear.
The whole package is a bigger number. The $43,458 drone and spreader runs about $1,081 a month over 48 months, or roughly $13,000 a year. Seeding alone would take about 830 acres at that same average to cover it. So I’d treat seeding as added work for a drone that already sprays, rather than the reason to buy one. If you’ve got a few hundred acres of your own and no drone, hiring it out at $10 to $20 an acre is probably the simpler answer.
Frequently asked questions
How much does drone seeding cost per acre?
Hired drone seeding usually runs about $10 to $20 an acre, not counting seed. Ohio’s 2026 custom rate survey averaged $15.64 an acre, with responses from $11 to $22, and Nebraska’s 2026 report averaged $19 on five responses. Seed is extra.
Is drone seeding cheaper than drilling cover crops?
On the custom charge, yes, in the 2026 surveys: Ohio averaged $21.57 an acre to drill against $15.64 by drone, and Nebraska $22.27 against $19. A drone can still cost more in some cases, and broadcasting can take more seed, so compare the full cost.
How much does a drone spreader cost?
Listings checked November 5, 2026 ran from $1,189.99 for a DJI T25/T50 system, on sale and out of stock, to $3,459 for DJI’s 150-liter T100 system.
How many acres an hour can a drone seed?
Up to about 40 acres an hour on the latest drones, according to an Ontario soil specialist writing in 2025, and heavy seed cuts that down. A 110-pound load covers about 5.5 acres at 20 pounds an acre and about 1.4 acres at 80 pounds.
Can a drone spread fertilizer as well as seed?
Yes. The same dry spreading system handles granular fertilizer and other small, dry products. Ohio’s 2026 survey averaged $17.15 an acre for drone fertilizer work, on 10 responses.
Can you finance a spreader for a drone you already own?
Yes, as long as the deal reaches the usual $15,000 minimum. A spreader alone won’t get there, so it usually goes on with batteries, a generator, a trailer or another aircraft. The minimum counts on the whole bundle.
Adding seeding to your drone work?
Send the dealer’s quote and your Part 107 certificate with one short application. A soft credit inquiry starts it, and a dedicated funding professional takes it from there to funding.
This article is general information about the cost of seeding cover crops with a drone and about financing drone equipment, not tax, legal or accounting advice or a commitment to finance. Survey figures are averages and ranges published by others, not quotes. Prices shown are listed asking prices from public pages on the date checked, not appraisals or offers. Example payments are estimates for an established business with no money down; actual terms and payments depend on credit approval, the equipment and the structure. All financing is subject to credit approval and underwriting.