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.
PA/MD seeding specialist · $52K PA Agriculture Innovation Grant recipient
Carlisle, PA drone seeding specialist founded 2020 by Molly Cheatum and Bill Chain. Focuses on cover crops, pasture improvement, meadow and wildlife habitat restoration, tree seeding, and soil regeneration. Recipient of a $52K PA Agriculture Innovation Grant. Partner of Penn State Extension and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
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.
Central PA · cover crop seeding & fungicide, Agri Spray Drones affiliate
Central Pennsylvania operator started October 2023 by Jake Snyder (age 27), Jeremie Snyder, and Eric Moser in Muncy, PA. Agri Spray Drones dealer affiliate. Operates DJI Agras T40 and EAVision J100. Covers cover crop spreading/seeding and corn fungicide spraying. Featured in Lancaster Farming. Hosted EAVision J100 demo March 2026.
Central PA · former dairy farmer, Rantizo network operator
Huntingdon, PA operator run by Travis Couch, a former dairy farmer who sold his 100-cow herd to focus full-time on drone spraying. Operates DJI Agras T30. Calendar filled immediately due to shortage of local aerial applicators. Member of the Rantizo AcreConnect network (PA BU14983). Founded 2023.
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.
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 Pennsylvania: Swift Aeroseed LLC, CropTech Solutions, Hi-Aloft Drone Service, Stone Valley Drones, CNY Drone Services Inc..