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.
Vermont's first agricultural drone service · licensed pesticide applicator
Self-described Vermont's first agricultural drone service, founded 2025. Operated by FAA-certified pilots and a Vermont-licensed commercial pesticide applicator. Services include precision aerial spraying, seeding, crop monitoring, thermal imaging, aerial photography, and drone sales.
New England cover crop seeding specialist
Specialty drone seeding operator focused on cover crop establishment into standing cash crops across New England. Has worked at Borderview Farm Research Institute in Alburgh, VT and in Hadley, MA. Operates heavy-lift agricultural drones. Contact: (978) 430-0415.
CEASED OPERATIONS Aug 2025 · first eVTOL ag drone authorized in US
CEASED OPERATIONS August 2025 after failing to secure additional funding. Was the first eVTOL aircraft authorized for commercial US agricultural operations (April 2023). Raised $51.7M. Named Time Best Inventions 2024. Operated the Guardian SC1 (eVTOL, 200 lb payload, 20-gal tank, 18-ft spray boom). Founded 2017 in Woburn, MA.
First NE ag drone service · spraying + spreading + monitoring
Self-described first agricultural drone service provider in the Northeast. Father-son team (Tom and Tim Massey) offering spraying up to 50 acres/hour plus fertilizer spreading, cover crop seeding, browntail moth management, multispectral crop monitoring, and LiDAR mapping. Operates DJI Agras T40 fleet from Rockland, ME.
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 4 operators offering cover crop seeding drone services in Massachusetts: Aero Drone Solutions LLC, Cover Crop Innovations, Guardian Agriculture, Active Intelligence LLC.