We fly cereal rye and cover crop mixes into standing corn and soybeans weeks before harvest, with no ground equipment and no compaction.
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Request a QuoteNelson Drone Solutions flies aerial cover crop seeding for farms across Nebraska from our base in Fairfield. Broadcasting seed by drone into standing corn or soybeans gets the cover crop started weeks before a drill could go in after harvest. In a Nebraska fall, those extra weeks are often the difference between a stand that covers the ground before winter and one that barely emerges.
We load your seed into the Talos T60x spreader and fly GPS-planned passes over the field, broadcasting at the rate you choose. Timing is the key decision: in soybeans, we seed as leaves start to yellow and drop so seed lands on the soil and gets covered by the falling leaves; in corn, we seed once the canopy opens enough for light to reach the ground. Surface-broadcast seed needs a higher rate than drilled seed, so we plan rates with you up front.
Drilling after harvest gives cereal rye only a few weeks of growing weather in much of Nebraska. An airplane can broadcast into standing crops, but it carries field minimums and has to be booked weeks ahead. A drone broadcasts into standing crops on short notice, with no minimum field size, at a per-acre price that makes cover crops pencil on more acres.
Cover crop seeding is priced per acre flown, plus the seed. Rates move with the season and demand, so every job gets a written quote. What goes into it:
Bring your own seed or ask us to source it. Seeding rate drives the cost of seed far more than the flight does, so we settle the rate with you before quoting.
There is no acreage minimum, only a trip minimum per job. Neighbors seeding the same week can share a trip.
We seed cover crops throughout Nebraska from our base in Fairfield. Towns within a short drive include:
Farther out? We travel anywhere in Nebraska. Call and ask.
It is priced per acre flown plus seed, and rates follow the season and demand, so we quote each job in writing. Seed is usually the larger cost, so the seeding rate you choose matters more than the flight.
Typically late August through early October. In soybeans, seed as the leaves start to yellow; in corn, once the canopy opens and light reaches the ground. Earlier seeding usually means better establishment, as long as there is moisture.
Small grains are the most reliable from the air: cereal rye first, then winter wheat, oats and triticale, plus annual ryegrass. Mixes with radish, turnip or clover can work too. Small-seeded species need good soil contact and timely rain.
Higher than drilled, because seed lands on the surface. As a guide, cereal rye drilled at 45 to 50 pounds an acre is often broadcast at 55 to 70. We settle the rate with you before quoting.
No. There is a trip minimum per job, and fields in the same area can share a trip.
A drill gives the best seed-to-soil contact but has to wait for harvest. An airplane broadcasts early but has field minimums and books up. A drone broadcasts early, on short notice, on any size field. Our blog post comparing drone, airplane and drill seeding walks through the trade-offs.
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