Great Plains Drone Co.
Verified OperatorFeaturedNebraska wheat & corn · NDAA-compliant fleet
Great Plains Drone Co. operates an NDAA-compliant fleet of Hylio AG-272 drones across Nebraska, South Dakota and Kansas. We serve large-scale grain producers with corn and wheat fungicide applications, and offer fall cover crop seeding programs across the northern Plains. Minimum booking: 40 acres. No travel charge within 100 miles.
Operations are based in the Great Plains region.
Services offered
Pricing context for the crops Great Plains services
Typical 2026 per-acre rates for drone spraying by crop, based on US ag drone industry data. Great Plains's stated rate is $12 to $16/acre.
- Drone spraying for corn$12 to $18 per acre
- Drone spraying for wheat$12 to $16 per acre
- Drone spraying for soybeans$12 to $18 per acre
- Drone spraying for cover crops$12 to $18 per acre
Crops serviced
Equipment used
Certifications & compliance
States served (6)
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 Great Plains's service area:
- Nebraska — requires Category 12: Aerial Pest Control for aerial pesticide application; the licensing authority is Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).
- South Dakota — Any commercial drone spray over South Dakota fields needs Category 17: Aerial Application (General + Category G + Category 17), issued by South Dakota DANR.
- North Dakota — Any commercial drone spray over North Dakota fields needs Unmanned Aerial Applicator License (separate from manned aerial), issued by ND Aeronautics Commission + NDSU Extension.
- Kansas — requires No single aerial category. Use-specific categories (1A/1B/1C/1D, 2, 3A/3B, 5, 6, 7C/7D, 10) for aerial pesticide application; the licensing authority is Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA).
- Colorado — requires Category 114: Aerial Pest Control (explicitly includes UAV) for aerial pesticide application; the licensing authority is Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA).
- Wyoming — Any commercial drone spray over Wyoming fields needs Aerial Application (WY Admin Code Ch. 28, Sec. 28-5, explicitly includes UAS), issued by Wyoming 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 Great Plains's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Great Plains Drone Co. should carry three credentials before any commercial pesticide application by drone in Nebraska: an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for the pilot in command, an FAA Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate for the business, and a state aerial-category pesticide applicator license. 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. A current certificate of insurance with chemical drift coverage and the operator's Section 44807 exemption number are reasonable to request alongside the license itself.
The operator's stated rate of $12 to $16 per acre 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.
Request a quote from Great Plains
Tell Great Plains 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 Great Plains, not a call center.
- 3 quotes max if you broaden, never more. We never sell your info.
- Great Plains's typical rate: $12 to $16/acre per acre.