Tennessee requires a $150 aircraft decal per drone, $200 pilot fee and $100,000 minimum liability insurance, making it the highest per-drone entry cost in the Corn Belt region. West Tennessee grows 500,000 acres of cotton and 1.5 million acres of soybeans. Rates run $14 to $20 per acre.
National ag drone operator network, SE & mid-Atlantic focus
Osprey Agri Drones is a national agricultural drone operator network with strong coverage across the Southeast and mid-Atlantic. The company coordinates multi-state fleet deployment for corn, soybean, cotton, peanut and rice applications, offering operators in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky and beyond.
National ag drone operator network & marketplace
Avary Drone operates a national network of vetted agricultural drone operators and a booking marketplace connecting growers with local certified pilots. Coverage spans the Southeast, Midwest and mid-Atlantic, with operators available for corn, soybean, cotton and rice fungicide and herbicide applications, as well as cover crop seeding.
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.
Advanced ag drone technology & application services
Pegasus Robotics develops and deploys advanced agricultural drone systems for large-scale crop protection and precision application. The company offers both equipment solutions and commercial application services across the Southeast, with a focus on high-efficiency coverage for corn, soybeans and cotton using autonomy-enhanced drone platforms.
High-capacity ag drone application, Southeast & Gulf Coast
Talos Drones operates high-capacity agricultural drone platforms across the Southeast and Gulf Coast, specializing in large-acreage rice, cotton and soybean applications. The company uses heavy-lift spray drones for efficient coverage of Delta and coastal plain farmland, with crews available across Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas and the surrounding region.
Southeast multi-state ag drone & aerial application services
KDB Land and Air is a multi-state agricultural drone and aerial application company operating across the Southeast. The company offers drone fungicide, herbicide and defoliant programs for cotton, corn, soybeans and peanuts across Alabama, Georgia and Florida, with crews positioned for rapid deployment during critical spray windows.
HBCU drone ag research & outreach, Nashville TN
Tennessee State University's DRONEs (Drone Research, Outreach, Navigation and Education) Program is an HBCU-based initiative delivering drone agriculture research, pilot training and Extension outreach to Tennessee farmers, with emphasis on serving historically underserved and limited-resource producers. The program offers FAA Part 107 prep courses, precision ag workshops and applied field research.
UT Extension drone applicator licensing & safety training
The University of Tennessee Pesticide Safety Education Program (PSEP) provides drone applicator licensing support, pesticide safety training and FAA Part 137 compliance guidance to commercial drone operators across Tennessee. The program works with county Extension offices to deliver workshops on label compliance, drift management and regulatory requirements for ag drone operations.
West Tennessee corn, soybean & cotton drone spraying
Airborne Ag Drones serves cotton, corn and soybean producers across west Tennessee, offering fungicide, herbicide and defoliant applications with DJI Agras equipment. The company focuses on large row-crop operations in the Tennessee River bottom and loess-bluff areas, providing rapid scheduling during critical application windows for cotton defoliation and corn VT fungicide.
Middle Tennessee precision ag & orchard drone services
Black Dog Drone Co. provides agricultural drone spraying and mapping services to Middle Tennessee grain and specialty crop producers. The company handles corn and soybean fungicide applications, orchard and vineyard spray programs in the Highland Rim and NDVI mapping for precision agronomic recommendations.
East Tennessee cooperative drone application program
Knox County Farmers Cooperative offers drone spraying services to cooperative members across east Tennessee, covering corn, soybean and tobacco fungicide and herbicide applications. The coop uses its existing agronomic and input relationships to bundle drone application scheduling, scouting and product supply for member farms.
Western NC orchard & specialty crop drone spraying
Drone Sprout provides agricultural drone spraying services to orchard, vineyard and specialty crop producers in western North Carolina. The company focuses on mountain-terrain applications where conventional sprayers cannot operate, including apple, blueberry and Christmas tree fungicide programs across Henderson, Buncombe and Haywood counties.
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Tennessee pesticide licensing is administered by the Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) via the UT PSEP program. Operators take Core plus category certification plus the AER (Aerial) licensing exam, with three separate fees: $150 exam application, $15 AER exam and $200 pilot fee. Each drone in the fleet must carry its own TDA aircraft decal at $150 per decal.
Minimum liability insurance of $100,000 is required and FAA Part 137 certification must be on file with TDA before operations begin. Continuing education is 18 points per 3-year cycle under Agriculture C01, with distribution and format restrictions. Reciprocity covers certification only, TDA pilot fees and aircraft decals are still required for reciprocal applicants from AL, AR, GA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC and SC.
Tennessee is part of the Corn Belt agricultural region. See rates, crops and operators across the region.
$150 exam application, $15 AER exam fee, $200 pilot fee and $150 per aircraft decal. Each drone in your fleet needs its own $150 decal. Add $100K minimum liability insurance. Total entry cost for a single-drone operator is approximately $615 before insurance.
Rates run $14 to $20 per acre. West Tennessee (Delta-influenced) runs slightly higher due to cotton defoliant complexity. East Tennessee mountainous terrain adds difficulty for some operations.
Yes. Each drone must carry its own TDA aircraft decal at $150 per decal. Multi-drone fleet operators should factor this into their annual fixed costs.
Yes, with AL, AR, GA, KY, LA, MS, MO, NC and SC. Reciprocity covers certification only, not licensing. You still need TDA pilot fees and aircraft decals.
Soybeans (1.5M acres) statewide, cotton (500K acres) in west Tennessee, corn (800K acres) and wheat (300K). West Tennessee shares Delta-style agriculture with Mississippi and Arkansas.
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