Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Drone Program
Land-grant UAS precision ag research & Extension, Blacksburg VA
Stated by the operator, not checked by us
Virginia Tech's School of Plant and Environmental Sciences operates a drone precision agriculture program conducting applied research on UAV-based spraying, remote sensing and variable-rate application. The program delivers producer workshops, Extension field days and FAA Part 107 training across Virginia in partnership with county Extension offices.
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 Virginia Tech Drone Ag's service area:
- Virginia — aerial pesticide work runs through Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) under Category 11: Aerial Pesticide Application.
- West Virginia — requires Category 14: Aerial for aerial pesticide application; the licensing authority is 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 Virginia Tech Drone Ag's service area.
Frequently asked questions
Ask Virginia Tech School of Plant and Environmental Sciences, Drone 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.