Ag Drone Spraying in Bedford County, Tennessee

Ag drone spraying rates in Bedford County

Ag drone spraying in Bedford County, Tennessee is priced per treated acre, application only, with the product billed separately. Tennessee operators typically charge $9 to $17 per acre for one pass on row crops and pasture, and statewide directory rates run $12 to $20. The starting rates below come from FAA Part 137-certified, state-licensed operators covering Shelbyville, Wartrace, Bell Buckle, Unionville and Normandy.

Service	Typical rate
Pasture & hay weed control	from $12/acre
Hay field insecticide (armyworm)	from $12/acre
Soybean fungicide or insecticide	from $13/acre
Corn & wheat fungicide	from $13/acre
Pasture overseeding (clover)	from $14/acre

Price factors: total acres, water volume on the label, slope, tree lines and fence rows, and how far apart your fields are. Most operators set a minimum of about 20 acres or a flat visit charge near $300; neighbors booking the same day can split the trip. Herbicide and seed can come from your co-op or be supplied by the operator.

Pasture and hay programs for Bedford County

Bedford County is livestock and forage country. The USDA 2022 Census of Agriculture counts 1,357 farms on 236,001 acres, with about 94,000 acres of pasture and 47,620 acres of hay. Livestock brings in about 87% of farm sales, with more than 51,000 head of cattle and around 3,700 horses.

Season	Common targets	Notes
March – April	Buttercup, poison hemlock, wild garlic	Spray small, before bloom
April – May and fall	Musk, bull and plumeless thistle	Rosette stage works best
June – July	Tall ironweed, horsenettle, pigweed	Grazed paddocks and hay ground
July – September	Fall armyworm in bermudagrass and new seedings	Scout weekly after rain

University of Tennessee Extension publishes pasture weed guides and armyworm alerts for Middle Tennessee, and operators time passes to those updates and the label. Rolling hills, rock outcrops and small paddocks divided by fence rows are where a drone beats a tractor-mounted boom.

Horse pastures and hay for sale

Shelbyville is the home of the Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration, and many Bedford County farms keep horses or sell hay to horse owners. That changes product choice. Some pasture herbicides carry residues that stay active in hay and manure, which can damage gardens or crops where that hay or manure ends up, and some labels have separate rules for horses or lactating animals. Operators review the label with you before each job, so hay sold off the farm or manure spread on gardens does not cause problems.

Soybeans, corn and wheat

Row crops cover a smaller share of Bedford County, with about 15,700 acres of soybeans, 4,800 acres of corn and 3,400 acres of wheat, many of them double-cropped. Drones handle the passes these fields need: head-scab fungicide on wheat at flowering in late April or early May, corn leaf disease fungicide at tassel in July, and soybean fungicide or stink bug insecticide at R3. Double-crop soybeans after wheat often reach R3 in late August, when a short window and a full canopy make a drone the easiest option.

How Bedford County drone spraying works

1. Request a quote with locations, acres, pasture or crop type, and the weed or pest you want treated.
2. Mapping: the operator outlines fields and marks barns, homes, ponds, creeks, fence rows and power lines.
3. Scheduling: a low-wind, rain-free window is chosen that fits the label and plant stage.
4. Application and record: RTK-guided passes are flown, and you receive treated acres, product, rate and weather data.

Spraying near the Duck River and karst springs

The Duck River runs through the heart of Bedford County and is known for its freshwater mussels and fish, and much of the county sits on karst limestone with sinkholes and springs. Good drone practice here includes mapped no-spray buffers around streams, sinkholes, springs and ponds, following every water setback on the label, and holding off when heavy rain is in the forecast. A drone's mapped boundaries keep these buffers more exact than a boom driven along a creek bank by eye. Empty containers can go to the state's container recycling program instead of being burned or dumped near water. Farms in Bedford County near Normandy Lake or along Thompson Creek should mention it when requesting a quote.

Overseeding clover into fescue

Many Bedford County cattle and horse farms add red or white clover to tall fescue pastures in February and March. A drone broadcasts seed evenly over steep or rocky paddocks, and the freeze-thaw cycle works it into the soil. Clover cuts nitrogen needs and helps dilute fescue toxicity for grazing cattle. The same field can get a weed pass later in spring, with product choice adjusted so the young clover survives. Many herbicides used for buttercup and thistles will kill clover, so it helps to plan the weed control and overseeding together, often treating weeds in fall and seeding clover the following late winter.

Tennessee licensing for drone application

Every operator holds an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate and a Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate, plus a Section 44807 exemption for drones over 55 lbs. In Tennessee, applying pesticides for hire requires commercial applicator certification from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture, including the aerial category, and a licensed pest control business. The UT Extension office in Shelbyville offers pesticide applicator training and forage advice for Bedford County farmers.