Broadcast cover crop seed into standing corn and soybeans before harvest.
Drone seeding has become one of the fastest-growing ag drone applications in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic. Operators broadcast cereal rye, annual ryegrass, crimson clover, oats, radishes, and custom blends into standing corn and soybeans weeks before harvest. This gets seed established earlier, meets NRCS cost-share program deadlines, and avoids soil compaction from driving equipment through mature crops. Fall seeding windows run August through October across the Corn Belt.
Corn Belt leader · 80,000+ acres serviced
AgriForce Drone Services is a full-service agricultural drone applicator based in central Iowa, serving the Corn Belt since 2020. FAA Part 107 and Part 137 certified fleet of 8 drones. Specializing in corn fungicide at tassel, soybean applications, and fall cover crop seeding. Record: 1,200 acres treated in a single night.
Indiana & Ohio corn-soybean specialist
Crop Hawk Drone Services covers Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan with a 3-drone fleet. Our core business is fungicide application on corn at VT/R1 and soybean applications at R2–R3. We also offer cover crop seeding programs starting in August. Operated by a fourth-generation farm family that understands your operation from the ground up.
Illinois soybean & corn · 100 acres/day
Heartland Drone Co. is an Illinois-based drone applicator serving corn and soybean producers across the upper Midwest. Single-operator, 2-drone setup capable of 100+ acres per day. We keep our overhead low and pass the savings to you — flat rate $14/acre for any field over 40 acres, no trip fee within 60 miles of Peoria.
American-made NDAA-compliant ag drones & operator network
Hylio designs and manufactures the AG-272, the leading NDAA-compliant agricultural spray drone in the United States, and supports a national network of certified Hylio operators. The company provides sales, training, and operator support for federal programs, defense-adjacent ag operations, and buyers requiring US-manufactured drone equipment.
NJ · 50+ drone fleet, 123.5 acres/hr, DJI Agras T20 launch customer
Morristown, NJ operator founded 2020 by commercial airline pilots. DJI Agras T20 launch customer (purchased 49 units). Fleet of 50+ Agras drones capable of flying 5 simultaneously covering 123.5 acres/hour. Services include agricultural spraying, cover crop seeding, greenhouse whitewashing, Part 107 training, and drone leasing. Serves NJ, NY, CT, IL, and GA.
Cereal rye, annual ryegrass, crimson clover, red clover, hairy vetch, oats, radishes, and custom blends work well with drone seeding. Seed must be sized and prepared for aerial broadcast. Large-seeded crops like soybeans are not practical for drone seeding.
In the Corn Belt, the optimal window is late July through early October. Iowa operators typically seed August through early September. Ohio operators extend into early October. Timing depends on cash crop maturity, expected rainfall, and NRCS cost-share deadlines.
There are 5 operators offering cover crop seeding drone services in Illinois: AgriForce Drone Services LLC, Crop Hawk Drone Services, Heartland Drone Co., Hylio, Alpha Drones USA.