Ference Agronomy
3,500+ acres covered in one season. Scaling to 6,000 crop + 1,000 pasture acres.
Ference Agronomy provides drone pesticide and fungicide spraying, aerial cover crop seeding, multispectral crop scouting and dry granular spreading for Row Crops, Pasture and Rangeland and Cover Crops across Nebraska. From a Central NE base, the crew covers Nebraska growers inside the Great Plains region. Any operator running commercial pesticide passes over Nebraska fields holds FAA Part 137 alongside the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) aerial-applicator credential.
Operations are based in the Great Plains region.
Services offered
Pricing context for the crops Ference Agronomy 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 row crops$12 to $22 per acre
- Drone spraying for pasture and rangeland$14 to $25 per acre
- Drone spraying for cover crops$12 to $18 per acre
Crops serviced
Equipment used
States served (1)
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 Ference Agronomy's service area:
- Nebraska — Any commercial drone spray over Nebraska fields needs Category 12: Aerial Pest Control, issued by Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).
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 Ference Agronomy's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask Ference Agronomy 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 Nebraska the state credential is issued by Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA); 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 $25 per acre in the region is application-only — the chemical itself, surfactants and adjuvants are usually farmer-supplied. The rate covers calibration, RTK GPS flight planning, the labor to fly the field, mixing and loading from the supplied product, and the FIFRA Part 170 application record (date, time, product, EPA reg number, rate, weather, field ID). Watch for travel surcharges past a stated radius, weekend or emergency-turnaround premiums, terrain or obstruction add-ons, and any minimum-acreage floor on small fields. Confirm in writing.
Request a quote from Ference Agronomy
Tell Ference Agronomy about your fields. They reply within 24 hours, often faster during spray season. Free, no obligation, and you can also ask for 2 more quotes from verified operators in Nebraska to compare.
- Goes directly to Ference Agronomy, not a call center.
- 3 quotes max if you broaden, never more. We never sell your info.