Drone-based aerial mapping for field boundaries, elevation, drainage planning, yield zones and variable-rate prescription maps.
Agricultural Drone Mapping drone services in New York are listed by 7 operators in this directory. New York's state-level custom-rate guidance averages $16 to $28/acre, with the broader agricultural drone mapping band running $2 to $8/acre. In New York, agricultural drone mapping most commonly serves corn, grapes / vineyards and orchards. New York sits in the Southeast region, which shapes the calendar, weather and competitive pressure local operators plan around. Commercial drone applications in New York require Category 11: Aerial Application from New York State DEC on top of FAA Part 137 certification.
Agricultural drone mapping costs $2 to $8 per acre for raw orthomosaics and elevation data, rising to $5 to $15 per acre when prescription maps for variable-rate application are included. Only FAA Part 107 is required, with no Part 137 or state pesticide license needed. Fixed-wing drones cover 500 to 1,500 acres per flight, while quadcopter platforms handle 100 to 400 acres per flight.
Agricultural drone mapping produces orthomosaics, digital elevation models and field boundary data for precision farming, drainage tile design, yield zone analysis and variable-rate prescriptions. Fixed-wing drones like the senseFly eBee X and quadcopter platforms like the DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral and Phantom 4 RTK cover 200 to 1,500 acres per flight at ground sample distances of 1 to 5 centimeters per pixel. Mapping is the lowest regulatory barrier ag drone service because it does not require Part 137 or a state pesticide license, only FAA Part 107 and the standard airspace authorizations. Typical deliverables include geo-referenced orthomosaics in GeoTIFF or JPEG, digital elevation models for drainage planning, volumetric calculations for silage piles and vegetation index maps (NDVI, NDRE) as a raw layer. Most operators charge per acre with a minimum flight fee, and prescription-ready outputs (variable-rate fertilizer or seed maps) command a premium over raw orthomosaic output.
In New York, agricultural drone mapping is most commonly used on:
Prices reflect 2026 industry-typical drone spraying rates by crop. Pair with the operator-stated rates below for a quote tailored to your fields.
New York requires Category 11: Aerial Application for aerial pesticide application. The licensing authority is New York State DEC.
Full agency, exam and renewal-cycle details: New York state page · 50-state licensing reference · state extension service.
Northeast · only identified XAG authorized dealer in the region
The only identified XAG authorized dealer serving the Northeast US. Also sells DJI drones and the Ceres Air platform. Offers precision aerial application, multispectral mapping, agricultural education, training, repairs and drone sales. Partners with Virginia Ag Drones. Offers John Deere Financing.
NW PA operator & FlyingAg dealer · 45 acres/hr fungicide
Waterford, PA drone spraying service and authorized FlyingAg dealer run by Randy Biebel. Operates DJI Agras T40. Covers crop spraying (herbicides, fungicides, insecticides) at up to 45 acres/hour, seeding, right-of-way management, invasive species treatment and multispectral mapping. Serves PA and surrounding states.
Finger Lakes NY · family-owned, NYS DEC certified pesticide applicator
Family-owned drone services business founded 2024 in Canandaigua, NY (Finger Lakes region) by Christian Smith, Don Burkard and Hana Smith. Jay Franklin serves as NYS DEC certified pesticide applicator (Category 11) with 12+ years experience. Christian Smith is a mechanical engineer. Covers NY statewide.
NY · invasive species spraying, spongy moth & spotted lanternfly
Northeast region's premier invasive species drone spraying provider, based in Herkimer, NY. Operated by Rick Jordan and Bennett Sluis. Uses NOP-certified Foray 48B for spongy moth control. Also handles herbicide, fungicide, aquatic vegetation control, cover crop seeding and mapping. Featured on PBS. Listed on PA DCNR aerial applicator list.
NY · precision ag research, viticulture drone programs
Cornell University runs extensive drone agriculture research through its Center for Integrated Data Analytics (CIDA) and Digital Agriculture program led by Quirine Ketterings. Includes precision viticulture at the Lake Erie lab in Portland, NY, NDVI crop monitoring and digital agriculture education across New York State.
Western NY orchards & vineyards · FAA Part 137 + NYS DEC certified
Founded 2024 by experienced drone pilots in western New York orchard and vineyard country. Fully FAA Part 137 and NYS DEC certified (Categories 1A and 11). Provides precision pesticide and fertilizer application, cover crop seeding, field scanning, mapping and AI-driven field analysis. Based in Le Roy, NY.
Issaquah ag drone analytics company; 93+ flights in WA; 7M+ tree-level assessments delivered; partnership with Outfield Technologies (UK) for BVLOS
Federal regulators and industry references that govern agricultural drone mapping in New York and across the United States.
7 operators in our directory list agricultural drone mapping as a service in New York. Use the operator grid below to compare credentials, fleet, response time and pricing before reaching out.
Commercial agricultural drone mapping in New York requires three credentials: an FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for the pilot, an FAA Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate for the business, and Category 11: Aerial Application from New York State DEC. Confirm any operator you hire holds all three before any application.
Most New York operators book 4 to 6 weeks ahead of peak windows; rate confirmation is contract-bound and operator-specific. In New York, agricultural drone mapping is most often booked for corn, grapes / vineyards and orchards, each with its own seasonal window. For one-off jobs during peak demand spikes, supply tightens fast — establishing the operator relationship in the off-season pays off.
Design drainage tile layouts from the elevation model, generate variable-rate seed and fertilizer prescriptions from NDVI zones, document stand counts after emergence, calculate storage pile volumes, track crop progress over the season and produce yield zone maps for post-harvest analysis. Most deliverables import directly into Climate FieldView, John Deere Operations Center or SMS software.
No. Mapping does not dispense anything, so Part 107 is sufficient. This is why mapping is often the first commercial ag drone service new operators add, since the regulatory barrier is roughly a weekend of study and a proctored exam compared to the months-long Part 137 exemption process.
RTK-corrected drone elevation maps typically hit 2 to 5 centimeter vertical accuracy, which is sufficient for tile drainage design in most field conditions. Engineers still verify high-precision designs with ground GPS shots at tile outlet locations, but the drone flight replaces 80 to 90 percent of the traditional grid survey time and cost.
Raw orthomosaic mapping runs $2 to $5 per acre with a $250 to $500 minimum flight fee. Adding elevation data typically adds $1 to $3 per acre. Full prescription-ready outputs (variable-rate maps in the customer agronomy software of choice) run $5 to $15 per acre. Multi-season contracts often discount these rates 20 to 30 percent.
Technically yes but practically no. T50s are designed for spraying payload and battery use, not long endurance mapping. Most operators who offer both services run a T50 for spraying plus a Mavic 3 Multispectral or Phantom 4 RTK for mapping because the mapping drones deliver better ground sample distance, longer flight times and better imaging sensors.