CNY Drone Services Inc.
NY · invasive species spraying, spongy moth & spotted lanternfly
Stated by the operator, not checked by us
Northeast region's premier invasive species drone spraying provider, based in Herkimer, NY. Operated by Rick Jordan and Bennett Sluis. Uses NOP-certified Foray 48B for spongy moth control. Also handles herbicide, fungicide, aquatic vegetation control, cover crop seeding and mapping. Featured on PBS. Listed on PA DCNR aerial applicator list.
Operations are based in the Southeast region.
Services offered
Pricing context for the crops CNY Drone services
Typical 2026 per-acre rates for drone spraying by crop, based on US ag drone industry data. Contact the operator for a quote on your specific fields.
- Drone spraying for corn$12 to $18 per acre
- Drone spraying for cover crops$12 to $18 per acre
Crops serviced
Equipment used
Certifications & compliance
The operator told us each of these. Anything we matched against a public record is shown with the date we checked it, at the top of this page.
States served (3)
Aerial pesticide licensing in states served
Every state requires a pesticide applicator license with the aerial category endorsement on top of FAA Part 137. The agencies that issue these licenses in CNY Drone's service area:
- New York — Any commercial drone spray over New York fields needs Category 11: Aerial Application, issued by New York State DEC.
- Pennsylvania — Any commercial drone spray over Pennsylvania fields needs Category 25: Aerial Applicator, issued by Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture.
- New Jersey — aerial pesticide work runs through New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) under Category 11: Aerial Applicator. 40 hours OJT required for Category 11..
Full agency, exam and renewal-cycle details by state are catalogued on the state pesticide licensing reference.
Verify and resources
Primary-source references for verifying credentials and looking up state-specific rules in CNY Drone's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask CNY Drone Services Inc. for four documents to confirm credentials: the Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate number, the Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate, the state aerial-category pesticide applicator license, and a certificate of insurance carrying chemical drift coverage. In New York the state credential is issued by New York State DEC; you can ask the operator for the applicator license number and verify it with the agency directly. The Section 44807 exemption number is the fourth piece, applicable to any drone over 55 lbs gross weight.
Typical drone spraying rates of $12 to $18 per acre in the region usually breaks down into three lines: (1) included — calibration, GPS-guided flight planning, machine and pilot labor to fly the field, mixing and loading farmer-supplied product, and a Part 170-compliant application record; (2) excluded — the pesticide and any adjuvants, which the farmer supplies; (3) surcharges — long travel, after-hours, difficult terrain or obstruction-heavy fields, and minimum-acreage charges below a stated threshold. Spell out which of those land on your invoice before the operator schedules.