Eastern Mennonite University Drone Agriculture Program
Shenandoah Valley sustainable ag drone research & training
Stated by the operator, not checked by us
Eastern Mennonite University's drone agriculture program integrates precision UAV technology with sustainable and regenerative farming practices in the Shenandoah Valley. The program offers producer workshops on drone scouting, cover crop seeding and low-input fungicide programs and conducts research on drone use in small and mid-scale diversified farming systems.
Operations are based in the Southeast region.
Services offered
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 (2)
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 EMU Drone Ag's service area:
- Virginia — Any commercial drone spray over Virginia fields needs Category 11: Aerial Pesticide Application, issued by Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS).
- West Virginia — Any commercial drone spray over West Virginia fields needs Category 14: Aerial, issued by West Virginia Department of Agriculture.
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 EMU Drone Ag's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask Eastern Mennonite University Drone Agriculture Program 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 Virginia the state credential is issued by Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS); 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 $22 per acre in the region typically covers the application itself: drone calibration, GPS-guided mission planning, mixing and loading product into the tank, the labor and machine time to fly the field, and a written FIFRA Part 170 application record (date, time, product, EPA reg number, rate, weather, field ID). Pesticide product, surfactants and adjuvants are usually supplied by the farmer and excluded from the per-acre rate. Common surcharges include long travel past the operator's standard radius, after-hours or emergency turnaround, fields with steep terrain or significant obstructions, and minimum-acreage charges below a stated field size. Get inclusions and exclusions in writing before any application.