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| Neighbor and I started for right at 30K last year. Together we covered 4,000 acres of our own ground and families ground.
We purchased the following:
Used 1 year old XAG P100 Pro (4,600ac) - $15,000 came with both dry spreader and liquid tank
Upgrade kit - $1500
Used 16' bumper trailer - $2500
Mixing Cone, plumbing, tanks, etc - $6,500
12kw Champion generator & bare minimum wiring - $2500 (Generator blew up after 70hrs)
Tests/License/filing Part 107, Part 137, 44807 - $2150 https://jrupprechtlaw.com/services-2/exemption/
Totaling - $30,150
There are probably a few more expenses like a large Umbrella, AirPods, other small things but thats about it.
I did get a commercial aerial applicator license thats not included in the cost but I need the pesticide license regardless. However the yearly cost to carrying that license in the communist state of MN is roughly $300/yr.. and our supreme leader, Mr. Walz commands the MNDOT to issue a yearly drone registration fee - roughly $130. Not to mention we already pay registration for the trailer and the truck...
Its kind of a headache to get an N number and get the drone registered with the FAA.
The same Drone we bought now is worth $10,000 or less I figure. The trailer plumbing can be done for quite a bit cheaper but I think it was worth it for the efficiency and ease of use. The trailer needed some work and new boards but we had things laying around the farm that I didn't put a price on. We hired a lawyer for the part 137 and 44807 exceptions.
We were self insured but we were only spraying fungicide & 200ac of cover crops. I'd get insurance for sure if I was doing custom work. We ran 22' swaths at 30mph and found pretty nice coverage compared to the advertised 32' swaths (which is BS). Generator Fuel usage is predictable: 1.5-2gal/hr.. We have relatively square shaped and lightly rolling fields so we were covering 30 acres/hr or a shade less.... 40ac/hr is achievable in short bursts with no problems or setup/commute. The new drones on the market I think are pretty impressive and I can easily see 60+ ac/hr being achievable with bigger tanks, better battery life, and faster speeds.
This year we bought a diesel generator with 600hr on ($5500) and hardwired it to a 100 amp panel with plugs ($2800 hired out - probably 2000 or less if you did it yourself). We added a small observation deck to the trailer and some other updates. ($700)
So we added $9,000 to the cost - However the generator will last thousands of hours, is quieter, and holds its value vs gas - and the panel can be transferred to a larger generator if we would need to do that some day. So that is a cost that won't lose value.
For us, in our area, it paid for itself in one year on application alone. Timing and quality of work was better than average also. It’s a headache to get everything ready and to make things work well. But if you have interest in it, and are driven to solve things yourself, I think it’s worth it. I don’t think it’s a gold mine but it isn’t a waste of time either.
Edited by mlfarms1 2/20/2026 21:47
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Starting drone spraying
