Kansas Agricultural Drone Services (KADS)
Certified Revolution Drones (Terraplex AG) dealer. NDAA-compliant platform. Extensive educational content.
Kansas Agricultural Drone Services (KADS) provides multispectral crop scouting, pilot training and drone sales for Row Crops and Pasture and Rangeland across Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri. From a Hiawatha base, the crew covers Kansas, Nebraska and Missouri growers inside the Great Plains region. Kansas requires both a federal Part 137 ag aircraft operator certificate and an Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA)-issued aerial-category pesticide applicator license for any commercial spray.
Operations are based in the Great Plains region.
Services offered
Crops serviced
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 Kansas Agricultural Drone Services (KADS)'s service area:
- Kansas — aerial pesticide work runs through Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA) under No single aerial category. Use-specific categories (1A/1B/1C/1D, 2, 3A/3B, 5, 6, 7C/7D, 10).
- Nebraska — Any commercial drone spray over Nebraska fields needs Category 12: Aerial Pest Control, issued by Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA).
- Missouri — Any commercial drone spray over Missouri fields needs Category 13: Aerial Pest Control (commercial/noncommercial). Category 23: Aerial Pest Control (private). Both new as of January 2025., issued by Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA).
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 Kansas Agricultural Drone Services (KADS)'s service area.
Frequently asked questions
Kansas Agricultural Drone Services (KADS) should carry three credentials before any commercial pesticide application by drone in Kansas: 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 Kansas the state credential is issued by Kansas Department of Agriculture (KDA); 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.
Typical drone spraying rates of $12 to $22 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.