Key Takeaways

• RTK GPS significantly improves the accuracy of agricultural drones, reducing positional drift to mere inches.
• Operators can choose between a portable RTK base station or a network-based NTRIP service for better positioning.
• Accuracy of RTK ensures consistent spray application, preventing overlaps, skips, and wasted products.
• RTK is also crucial for scouting, providing accurate data for mapping and analysis.
• Setting up RTK correctly is essential; improper configurations lead to inaccurate results.

If you’re flying a spray drone without RTK GPS, you’re guessing about some things. Unfortunately, guessing costs money.

I used to be amazed watching my car GPS put me right on the roadway, and even in the right lane, until I learned the app was simply snapping me to the closest position within it’s mapping system.

Raw GPS signal gets you close, but close doesn’t cut it when you’re trying to follow the exact path your tractor and planter took. That’s the core challenge of agricultural drone GPS accuracy: satellite-only positioning drifts 1–3 meters, and that drift can show up as stripes on your crop.

That’s where RTK GPS for drones comes in — Real-Time Kinematic positioning. A ground-based reference station corrects the drone’s satellite signal in real time, tightening your positional accuracy to an inch or two. Some operators run a portable base station on the field edge. Others connect to a regional CORS network via NTRIP, skipping the tripod entirely and pulling correction data straight over cellular / internet connections. Either way, the result is the same: a drone that flies like it’s on rails with repeatable precision.

I’ll be blunt: RTK is the difference between a drone that wanders around trying to do good work and a drone that’s a real farming tool. It is especially useful when running a large agricultural spray drone around obstacles and applying herbicides. Why would a farmer who worries about controlling spray drift ever run without RTK? Running an agricultural drone without RTK requires a lot of guessing about the position of the drone and things on the ground. Guessing leads to lost money.

What RTK Actually Does

RTK takes the imprecise GPS signal you collect from satellites and tightens it using a ground-based base station, or in the case of network RTK using a series of base stations. Base stations know exactly where they are, and your drone system uses that to correct the drone’s position in real time.

It does this by comparing the stable location of a base station (or multiple stations) to the signals it receives from satellites. The system continuously compares satellite signals against the known fixed position of base stations, filtering out atmospheric interference and timing variations caused by shifting satellite orbits. The result is centimeter-level accuracy delivered to your drone in real time.

That’s the whole trick. No magic. Just math.

But here’s the part sales folks won’t tell you: RTK only works if you set it up right. And many folks don’t. They plop their portable base station on the levee, hope for the best, and then start flying missions’ mere moments later. The result is the appearance of precision but is anything but precise. Enabling spray drone RTK systems takes just a bit of discipline.

Common RTK Options for Agricultural Drones

First, let’s talk about the two most common ways to achieve RTK accuracy.

Option 1: Portable RTK Base Station

The first option is a local portable base station—the tripod‑mounted unit you place on the field edge. It looks similar to survey equipment and functions the same way surveyors work. It finds its location from the GPS satellites, then remains stable and collects satellite data over time to becomes more convinced of its location with each passing moment. It broadcasts that information to your controller, which sends it on to your drone giving you consistent, survey‑grade accuracy.

Placing the base station on an exact same spot, preferably a surveyed spot, allows repeated accuracy day after day. Ideally, you would set a survey monument on the edge of each field you fly and always set up the base station on that spot.

Operators who prefer predictable, self‑contained workflows like this route because once the base is locked in, the drone repeats its lines with absolute consistency. It’s also a one‑time investment, which appeals to anyone who prefers owning their precision tools rather than paying for them indefinitely.

Option 2: NTRIP (Network RTK, No Base Station Required)

The second option is a network‑based RTK service, most commonly delivered through an NTRIP network. NTRIP stands for Networked Transport of RTCM via Internet Protocol. Further, RTCM stands for Radio Technical Commission for Maritime Services

Instead of running your own base station, you connect to a regional grid of permanently surveyed reference stations (permanently mounted version of the portable base station) —often the same CORS (Continuously Operating Reference Stations) used by surveyors and state agencies. The network blends data from multiple towers to generate a correction stream tailored to your exact location, then delivers it over the internet or cellular connection to your controller. It’s plug‑and‑play, no tripod required, and the accuracy follows you as you move between fields, counties, or states as long as you have connection to the network.

Some states allow citizens to connect to their CORS networks through NTRIP. Often for free! Unfortunately, Kansas does not and so I subscribe to an affordable service. If you are also in a state without free CORS access, there are several providers with affordable services. I subscribe to RTKDATA, which is the most affordable service I could find. In fact, I host a CORS tower at my house and provide the feed into the RTKDATA network. It is my contribution to other drone flyers and farmers in my County who wish to use an affordable GPS RTK for their operations.

Setting Up RTK Step by Step: DJI & Revolution Drones

Setting up accurate RTK base station on a Revolution Drones system is actually pretty painless if you follow the steps and don’t try to cowboy your way through it. Here’s how I explain the critical five steps to farmers who ask:

1. Start with a solid base station location

Put it on something that doesn’t move.

• NOT your truck bed.
• NOT a folding table.
• NOT a hay bale.

Open the tripod fully and tighten all of the joints. Use a plumb bob to locate the receiver over a stable and unmoving reference point.

• Over a marked spot on a concrete pad.
• Over a stable fence post.
• Over a survey monument.

Being consistent for each trip to the field is really important. Consistency provides comparison between dates and allows useful analysis of changes throughout the growing season.

2. Level the tripod

Level the base station for best results and extend the antenna to the same height used in prior sessions. Ensuring the tripod is plumb and extended to the same height each session provides repeatable results.

3. Let the base station ‘survey in’ – do not rush this!

This is the part everyone rushes. Don’t.

Let it sit.
Let the RTK receiver think.
Let it average its position over time.

The longer the receiver collects data, the more accurate its self-survey becomes.

Fifteen minutes is bare minimum. Thirty is better.

And this is why despite owning a portable base station, I choose to use NTRIP. The stations in the CORS network have been either confirmed by surveyors or have been stable and receiving their signal for a long while – Mine has been up continuously since Summer of 2025!

4. Confirm the system ACTUALLY has an RTK Fix

You’d be shocked how many folks skip this… They just hit the RTK buttons and assume they have a working system!

On DJI Controllers

I love my DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral drone. It functions really well, and continually amazes me with accuracy and clarity of the image captures. It comes with RTK!

DJI refers to the math process of collecting satellite data as ‘converging’ and it can take a bit for the first time in a field if there are obstructions to the sky. If required, move your rig so that your base station, drone, and controller all have clear sky views. Don’t fly unless you are fully converged.

To set things up, start the Smart Pilot 2 application on the controller and select the set up menu in the upper right. Then select the satellite icon from the right-side menu to open the following page. Ensure the RTK Positioning slider is slid to the right, as shown below.

Like most drone systems, there are several ways to obtain RTK position in the DJI world. I have a DJI RTK 2 Base Station to use when I am fully out of range of my preferred CORS network. I hardly use the RTK 2. Instead, I operate using RTKData, shown as configured below on the RTK Configuration Page.

Ensuring the system is working is oddly more difficult than it should be. Sometimes the indicators on the settings summary page pilots review just prior to launching the mission are difficult to interpret. Green or Blue may mean “I’m trying” and not “I’m locked on” which is frustrating. DJI provides a single page to illustrate GPS and RTK performance, at the bottom of the configuration pages. I have asked my dealer, several forums, and even DJI Enterprise support how to interpret these statistics, especially the standard deviation numbers provided at the very bottom of this screen (not shown).

None of these sources can provide the proper references about how to read this! Instead, look for FIXED, not FLOAT on the controller pages.

• FLOAT means “I’m trying.”
• FIXED means “I know exactly where I am.”

On Revolution Drones Controllers

It seems more straightforward on my Revolution Drones I-19.

Similar to DJI, we manage the system RTK on the Revolution Drones controller. Do this by running the UAV Application on the controller and connect to the drone. Select the settings pages by clicking the “hamburger menu” (three lines) in the upper right corner of the UAV Application running on the controller.

Next, select RTK in the left-hand menu. If the setting “Aircraft RTK Detection” is slid to the right and showing green, IT IS WORKING! This is the setting currently turned OFF.

• The first is a simple confirmation obtained by selecting the “RTK diagnostics” in the prior screen. This provides a really quick way to confirm all of the RTK components are working in harmony.

• The other screen is more interesting (to me) as it provides a review of the “Signal to Noise” ratio (SNR) of the signal from each satellite being watched.

The SNR is a comparison between the strength of the desired signal as compared to the background noise. Think of it like trying to hear your dining companion in a restaurant. In a quiet restaurant you can more clearly, more accurately, hear your companion than in a noisy restaurant. Higher SNR numbers equal a better signal and more accurate positional fixing. Satellites with lower numbers may be lower on the horizon or obscured by obstacles. Even better, the display uses color to indicate the quality of the signal, so I don’t have to actually read a bunch of numbers.

A quick glance at either of these screens quickly illustrates if you have RTK running or not.

5. Fly a test

Fly a circuit around the field and watch monitor RTK to see that it remains connected.

Fly a straight line and see if it’s actually straight! If the line wanders, the RTK is not locked and you should troubleshoot before spraying.

Why RTK Accuracy Matters for Drone Spraying

Drone spraying is only as good as the accuracy of the flight lines. If your lines drift, your coverage drifts. And when your coverage drifts, you get:

• Overlaps
• Skips
• Stripes
• Wasted product
• Angry customers
• Potential liability for mis-applied herbicide
• And a reputation you’ll never shake

Revolution Drones systems can do a lot of different types of applications. With RTK, they excel at row‑crop work in my areas: Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, etc. These are the kind of fields where a 2‑foot error in turns can multiple into striping or accumulate into acres of mis-applied herbicide. With RTK locked in on your agriculture drone, it flies like it’s on rails. You get:

• Consistent application control
• Precise return‑to‑line accuracy
• Clean field edges
• No wandering and “mystery gaps”

Accuracy is everything if you are not fogging an orchard. You’re painting a field, row by row, inch by inch.

RTK for Drone and Scouting: The Overlooked Use Case

Most folks think RTK is only for spraying. It’s not…

RTK is just as important for agricultural drone scouting accuracy. Scouting without location accuracy is aki to sightseeing. When you fly a crop scouting mission with RTK enabled, your maps actually line up with the real world. That means:

• Your NDVI maps match your rows
• Your stand counts are repeatable
• Your weed patches are trackable over time
• Your problem spots can be revisited with accuracy
• Your yield maps actually make sense

Ever tried to compare a drone map to a planter map when the drone was off by 3 meters? It feels like trying to match socks in the dark.

RTK fixes that. And you can see that on your tractor monitors and data systems..

Drone scouting with RTK means your field analysis can be layered, repeated, and compared season over season. This transforms flight data into a true farm management tool that provides more useful information the more it is used.

Contact me about RTK if you are nearby and want to see this in action!

The post Pointing the way: The Accuracy of Spray Drone RTK appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• Starting a spray drone service agency requires careful consideration of Spray Drone Insurance to protect your investment and clients.
• Commercial drone insurance differs from regular business insurance by covering unique risks, specialized equipment, and liability issues.
• Essential types of insurance include hull insurance, liability insurance, equipment coverage, and general business insurance.
• Unique spray drone-specific insurance needs include payload coverage and aviation liability coverage to manage risks associated with agricultural spraying operations.
• Budgeting for insurance should account for various factors such as equipment value, location, and experience, with strategies available to reduce costs without compromising coverage.

Starting a spray drone service agency is an exciting venture.  If you’re like me you are ‘drinking from a fire hose’ so it pays to slow down just a bit and think about startup costs. Have you considered your Spray Drone Insurance, yet?

Finding the right coverage isn’t just about following rules – it’s about protecting your investment, and more importantly your clients. Whether you’re planning to spray crops, monitor fields, or offer other agricultural drone services, having solid insurance coverage will give you peace of mind and help your business grow with confidence.

Insurance Needs for a Spray Drone Service Agency

The drone industry has grown fast and insurance companies have been scrambling to keep up. In 2010, drone insurance was practically non-existent. Today, there are dozens of companies offering unique and specialized coverage for commercial drone operations. This is great news for folks starting agricultural spray drone services, but it also means you need to have a way to separate the wheat from the chaff. There is so much chaff!

Commercial drone insurance is different from regular business insurance in several key ways. First, it covers the unique risks that come with operating aircraft, even small ones. Second, it often includes coverage for the specialized equipment being used, like spraying systems and expensive sensors. Third, it typically covers liability issues that could arise from drone operations, including property damage and personal injury.

Your state controls insurance issues required for commercial drone operators. I suggest you look at up the requirements and properly budget for appropriate coverate.

Types of Necessary Insurance Coverage

When shopping for drone insurance, you will likely encounter several types of coverage:

• Hull insurance – Protects your drone itself if it gets damaged or destroyed.
• Equipment coverage – Protects specialized gear like spraying systems, cameras, and sensors, even the tanks, generator, and pumps mounted on your trailer. Some policies also include coverage for lost income if your drone is out of commission.
• Liability insurance – Covers damages or injuries your drone might cause to other people or property.

Essential Types of Other Business Insurance

Running a spray drone service means you’re operating a business, and that business needs protection beyond just drone-related coverage. General liability insurance is your foundational coverage, as it protects you if someone gets hurt on your property or if you accidentally damage a client’s property during operations. Professional liability insurance, also called errors and omissions coverage, protects you if a client claims your services caused them financial loss.

Commercial auto insurance is crucial if you’re driving to job sites with trailers full of equipment.

Property insurance protects your office, warehouse, or storage facility where you keep your drones and equipment. If you’re working from home initially, check whether your homeowner’s policy covers business equipment – often it doesn’t, or coverage is very limited.

Workers’ compensation insurance becomes necessary once you start hiring staff to help with ground operations or additional pilots. Even if you’re initially operating solo, having a clear understanding of your future responsibility will help you scale your business properly.

Unique Spray Drone-Specific Insurance Requirements

Spray drones present interesting risks that standard business insurance doesn’t cover. These machines carry chemicals, fly over valuable crops, and operate in weather conditions that can change quickly and may cause drift into neighboring fields. Your drone insurance needs to account for all these factors.

Payload coverage is especially important for spray drone operations. This coverage protects against liability related to the chemicals or other materials your drone is carrying. If your drone malfunctions and sprays the wrong field, or if there’s a chemical spill during loading, payload coverage helps protect you from potentially massive liability claims.

Aviation liability coverage is another critical component. Unlike car insurance, drone insurance needs to account for the unique risks of aircraft operations. This includes coverage for damage due to emergency landings, mid-air incidents, and ground strikes during takeoff or landing.

As mentioned above, some insurance companies offer unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) policies specifically designed for commercial operations. These policies often bundle hull insurance, liability coverage, and equipment protection into comprehensive packages that are easier to understand and often more cost-effective than piecing together separate policies.

Hull Coverage: Equipment Valuation and Replacement Coverage

Agricultural spray drones aren’t cheap. A professional-grade spray drone can cost anywhere from $15,000 to $100,000. Or even more, depending on size and capabilities. Make sure your the hull coverage portion of your spray drone insurance reflects the actual replacement cost of your equipment, not just its depreciated value. Some policies offer “agreed value” coverage, where you and the insurance company agree on the drone’s value upfront. Good hull coverage will be 7 to 10% the value of your aircraft.

Finding the Right Provider for your Spray Drone Insurance

Start by getting quotes from at least three different providers. Make sure you’re comparing apples to apples – insurance policies can vary significantly in their coverage details. Pay attention to exclusions, deductibles, and coverage limits. Some policies exclude certain types of operations or weather conditions, which could leave you exposed during critical times.

Consider working with an insurance broker who specializes in aviation or agricultural businesses. These professionals can help you navigate the complex world of commercial insurance and often have access to specialized markets that don’t sell directly to consumers.

Questions to Ask Potential Insurance Providers

When talking to insurance companies, ask specific questions about your operation. Do they cover agricultural spraying specifically? What are their requirements for pilot certification and training? Do they require certain safety protocols or equipment? How many similar policies have they written? How do they handle claims, and what’s their typical response time? Understanding these details upfront can save you headaches later.

Regulatory Compliance and Safety Requirements

Insurance companies don’t just hand out policies – they want to know you’re operating safely and legally. Your state requires commercial drone operators to have a Remote Pilot Certificate, and many insurance companies require this as a minimum qualification. Some insurers require additional training or certification, especially for agricultural operations involving chemical application.

Maintaining detailed flight logs and safety records can help reduce your insurance costs over time. Insurance companies like to see evidence that you’re taking safety seriously. This includes pre-flight checklists, weather assessments, equipment maintenance records, organized flight records, and incident reports.

Some insurance policies require you to follow specific safety protocols, such as maintaining certain distances from airports, operating only in specific weather conditions, or conducting regular equipment inspections. Make sure you understand these requirements and can realistically comply with them before signing a policy.

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulates the use of pesticides and other agricultural chemicals, including their application by drone. Your insurance provider may require you to follow EPA guidelines and maintain proper certification for chemical application.

Documentation and Record Keeping

Good record keeping isn’t just good business practice – it’s often required by your insurance policy. Keep detailed records of all flights, maintenance activities, pilot training, and any incidents or near-misses. This documentation can be crucial if you ever need to file a claim or if your insurance company conducts an audit. Also, check with your state to confirm special reporting requirements and track your submittals.

Budgeting for Insurance

Insurance costs for spray drone services vary widely based on several factors. The value of your equipment, the size of your operation, your experience level, and the specific types of services you offer all affect your premiums. Expect to pay anywhere from 1% to 5% of your equipment value annually for hull insurance, with liability coverage adding additional costs.

Location matters too. Operating in areas with heavy air traffic, adverse weather conditions, or high property values typically results in higher premiums. Your claims history, both personal and business, will also affect your rates. Insurance companies typically offer discounts for safety training, clean driving records, and bundling multiple types of coverage.

Consider how insurance costs fit into your overall business model. Be intentional and PLAN your insurance. For instance, if you’re charging $25 per acre for spraying services, make sure your insurance costs allow you to remain competitive while maintaining adequate coverage. Some operators try to save money by reducing coverage, but this can be a costly mistake if you cause crop damage.

Ways to Reduce Insurance Costs

Several strategies can help reduce your insurance premiums without compromising coverage.

• Complete additional safety training
• Maintain excellent flight records

These extra steps may lead to discounts. Further, some insurance companies offer lower rates for operators who belong to professional organizations or who complete annual safety refresher courses.

Bundling different types of coverage with the same company often results in discounts. If you need both drone insurance and general business insurance, getting them from the same provider can save money. Also note that higher deductibles can reduce premiums, though you’ll pay more out of pocket if you have a claim.

Conclusion and Next Steps

Getting the right insurance for your service agency might seem overwhelming, but it could turn out to be one of the most important investments you’ll make in your business. Take the time to understand your coverage options, work with knowledgeable providers, and maintain good safety practices. Remember, insurance provides you with protection and, if done well, confidence to grow your business.

The post Insurance for Your New Spray Drone Service Agency appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• Agricultural drone work can enhance the management of pasture, hay, and alfalfa by addressing challenges like musk thistle invasion.
• The Revolution Drones I-19 offers efficient herbicide applications without disturbing the soil, making it ideal for wet conditions.
• Drone applications allow for precise targeting of problem areas, reducing chemical use while maximizing effectiveness.
• They can assist in weed control, alfalfa stand mapping, and even seeding without the downsides of traditional methods.
• Using drones for pasture management can also qualify for tax credits under R&D activities, providing additional financial benefits.

Some of the most beautiful agricultural land in NE Kansas may not involve row crops. Instead, it may be the pastures, hay meadows, and alfalfa fields that provide forage for livestock operations. Agricultural drone work has traditionally focused on row crops, but I think that these forage fields can also benefit from ag drones. Flying these pasture, hay, and alfalfa acres allows these areas to maximize their input as a major part of NE Kansas economy.

The Problem for Every Pasture, Hay, and Alfalfa Field

Drive on many of the gravel roads in Brown or Doniphan County (or neighboring counties) in late May and you’ll spot the issue: The purple powder-puff flowers of musk thistle blooming along fence lines, in the low corners of pastures, and creeping into hay ground. They are pretty, in an irritating sort of way.

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) is a Category C noxious weed in Kansas. State law requires that landowners control it. It’s not optional. And the biology of this plant makes the timing of control critical. A single plant can produce more than 10,000 seeds, and those seeds can remain viable in the soil for a decade or more. Miss the spray window by a few weeks, and you’re not just dealing with this year’s problem. You are also supporting the problem in future years.

The challenge for pasture operators has always been access and timing. Musk thistle is most susceptible to herbicide treatment during its rosette stage. This is either in the fall before it overwinters, or in the early spring before it bolts. Both windows are often wet. Ground rigs will have real problems getting into the fields during these windows. The patches that need spraying most are rarely the patches that are easiest to reach.

This is exactly the problem drone spray pasture applications solve.

How can the Revolution Drones I-19 Help?

I currently fly the Revolution Drones Independence-19 (aka, “The I-19”) and it’s worth understanding what that aircraft is actually capable of before writing off drone application as a niche tool useful only for large row crop operations.

The I-19 can handle both liquid herbicide application and dry granular application on the same platform. It runs RTK GPS guidance for high pass-to-pass accuracy, and its obstacle avoidance system lets it work confidently in and around the tree lines, terraces, and creek draws that define pasture, hay and even alfalfa ground in NE Kansas. It can dispense up to 20 gallons per flight (when overfilled) and up to 175lbs of granular material! Under good conditions with efficient support, the I-19 can cover up to 750 acres a day.

That’s not a toy. That’s a purpose-built agricultural aircraft.

More importantly, the I-19 operates without the ground pressure of any wheeled or tracked equipment. It doesn’t compact wet soil in draws. It doesn’t tear up the fescue stand you’ve spent three years building. It doesn’t get stuck in the creek bottom where your worst thistle patches tend to concentrate. And because it can switch between spray, spread, and seed operations the same platform, one day can accomplish what would otherwise require multiple equipment passes and multiple days of field access.

Here’s how I think a typical pasture herbicide works best:

• We plan ahead and walk your fence lines in early spring and flag the concerning areas using the RTK tools. Or, even better, I fly a scouting pass first to map what’s actually out there and define obstacles. Drone cameras can clearly locate musk thistle rosettes against dormant grass from 50 feet up, even before the plants are easy to see from the ground.
• We schedule the application to occur at the most impactful time.
• We use an approved herbicide like dicamba, picloram, and aminopyralid (Milestone). Label rates for aerial herbicide are typically 3 to 5 gallons of carrier per acre for aerial herbicide application. We spot-spray directly onto the rosettes, right when they’re most susceptible. Cattle return to the pasture following the labeled restrictions.

No soil compaction. No widened gates. No ATV tracks through your fescue stand. Probably also less cussing.

Hay Meadows and Alfalfa: Similar Issues

Musk thistle gets the attention because it carries a legal obligation, but the hay ground and alfalfa fields of northeast Kansas carry their own challenges that I may be able to address:

• Hay field applications for broadleaf weed control. These fields have the same access problem as pastureland. A hay meadow that’s too wet for a ground rig in early spring may allow dock, ironweed, and thistles to gain a foothold. A drone flight targeting broadleaf pressure before first cutting, while the stand is still short and conditions on the ground remain marginal, can significantly reduce weed competition without waiting for field conditions that may never fully arrive in a wet spring.

• Alfalfa stand mapping. Drone scouting can show where a stand is thinning before it becomes a replant decision. Thin areas in alfalfa often don’t announce themselves from the cab until they’re well established. From 100 feet up, the contrast in canopy density is visible and mappable. Knowing where those areas are, and whether they’re growing or stable, may change how you manage inputs and when you make a replant call.

• Drone scouting for Alfalfa weevil. Alfalfa weevil pressure in northeast Kansas typically peaks in late April through May, when the stands are hardest to walk and your decisions about first cutting are being made. A multispectral pass over a large alfalfa field can identify stressed areas and uneven stand density that walking the field simply can’t match. Couple that with your own binocular assessment, or live drone flight, from the top of my trailer and you can make decent assessment about cutting and treatment without guesswork.

• Cover crop seeding into standing hay. Many farmers are interested in cover crop seeding from a drone. Producers who want to overseed legumes into established hay stands, to improve forage quality and nitrogen fixation without the disruption of tillage or drilling, can accomplish that with the seeding capability of a Revolution Drones machine. I can spread the seed at the right point in the growing season regardless of how wet the field is. No compaction, no stand damage, no equipment that requires removing the crop first.

CRP Ground and Conservation Plans

Conservation Reserve Program ground in Brown County, Doniphan, Nemaha, and Atchison counties are sometimes troubled by woody encroachment — eastern red cedar, hedge, and multiflora rose working in from the draws year by year. If these are NOT part of your conservation plan, or if you run afoul of the 5% canopy rule, you may want to consider removing these plants. The I-19 can treat the invaders with drone-applied herbicide without disturbing the grass stand or triggering the compliance concerns that come with walking heavy equipment into enrolled acreage.

Using Drones can reduce your tax!

A reminder that section 41 of the TAX code allows some of the cost of R&D activities to turn into a TAX Credit. Testing new techniques is encouraged by the Government, and use of drones or hiring a drone service is an allowable activity.

The Operator Difference

Many aerial herbicide application services available in northeast Kansas are optimized for flat, open-field row crop work measured in thousands of acres. 20 acres of pasture or a 40-acre hay meadow with a thistle problem or an alfalfa field that needs weevil scouting before a cutting decision, isn’t their business model.

But it is Mine. I live to help farmers. Let me help you.

Stay in touch!

The post Working NE Kansas Pasture, Hay, and Alfalfa appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• NE Kansas spring fungicide timing is critical, especially during the Feekes 10.5 stage when heads emerge.
• Stripe rust and Fusarium head blight are significant threats; timely fungicide applications can prevent yield loss.
• Drone applications offer speed, precision, and access, allowing growers to meet the narrow treatment window effectively.
• Scout fields to confirm heading stage, disease presence, weather conditions, and field boundaries before scheduling applications.
• A timely fungicide application can significantly increase net returns in NE Kansas wheat by preventing disease pressure.

May is the time: Walk a Northeast Kansas what field and you’ll spot heads pushing out of the boot, awns just beginning to emerge, and acres upon acres of winter wheat poised at a critical growth stage. For Kansas wheat producers May holds the opening of the most important and most time-sensitive spray window of the entire growing season.

The NE Kansas spring fungicide window is open.

From Brown County south through Doniphan, Nemaha, and Marshall counties, wheat fields typically enter Feekes 10.5 in May. Once the heads begin to emerge, growers have a narrow 7 to10 day opportunity to maximize treatment. Miss it, and disease pressure — particularly Fusarium head blight and stripe rust — can erase a significant portion of yield and quality before harvest ever arrives.

Why Fungicide Timing Is the Most Important Decision You’ll Make This Spring

Ask any Kansas State University Extension agronomist and they’ll give you the same answer: fungicide timing matters more than product selection. A well-timed application of a mid-grade product will consistently outperform an expensive premium fungicide applied a week too late. This holds true every season, and it is especially true in a spring like this one, where disease conditions across Northeast Kansas have been building since April.

For NE Kansas winter wheat, the target application window is Feekes 10.5.1 when 50% or more of heads have fully emerged from the flag leaf sheath and anthers are visible. Don’t wait for Feekes 10.5.3, when flowering is roughly 50% complete. This window typically spans 5 to 7 days for any individual field, though field-to-field variation across a farm operation can extend the overall window a few days.

Fields at lower elevations or with southern exposure will head slightly earlier. A 500-acre wheat operation in Nemaha County, for example, might have fields ranging from Feekes 10.3 to Feekes 10.5.1 simultaneously — which is precisely why the flexibility of drone application provides a planning advantage over other methods.

Stripe Rust and Scab: The Two Diseases Driving Kansas Fungicide Decisions This Season

Stripe Rust Pressure in Northeast Kansas

Stripe rust (Puccinia striiformis) has been one of the most economically damaging foliar diseases in Kansas winter wheat over the past decade. The disease thrives in cool, moist conditions, which is the typical weather that dominates Northeast Kansas through April and into early May. When stripe rust is active in the lower canopy before heading, growers must act before the disease advances into the flag and flag-1 leaves, which together provide the the majority of photosynthate that fills the grain.

If you are walking your NE Kansas fields this week and seeing yellow-orange pustules on lower or mid-canopy leaves, the economic threshold has very likely already been reached. A triazole-based fungicide or a strobilurin-triazole premix applied at heading will arrest disease progress and protect the flag leaf through the critical grain fill period.

Fusarium Head Scab: The Timing-Sensitive Threat

Fusarium head blight — commonly called scab — is the most economically damaging wheat disease in years with wet, humid conditions during flowering. Unlike stripe rust, scab infection occurs specifically during anthesis, when wheat is actively flowering and anthers are exposed. This biology is why fungicide timing is so unforgiving: applications made before anthesis begins or more than six days after flowering provides significantly reduced efficacy against scab infection.

The Wheat Scab Risk Assessment Tool, maintained by the U.S. Wheat & Barley Scab Initiative, has indicated moderate-to-high infection risk for flowering-period scab in parts of North East Kansas this spring, based on recent precipitation and relative humidity data. When scab risk is elevated, hitting the Feekes 10.5.1 window precisely becomes the difference between a worthwhile Kansas fungicide investment and an application that does little to protect your crop.

The Drone Advantage for NE Kansas Spring Fungicide Applications

This is where drone application fundamentally changes what is possible for Kansas wheat producers — and it is why growers across North East Kansas are booking drone applications earlier each season rather than waiting to see if ground equipment can get in.

Speed, at the Moment Speed Is Everything

A ground sprayer covering 80–120 acres per day, accounting for boom setup, field access logistics, and soil condition limitations, simply cannot match the pace of a commercial drone operation during a narrow 7-day heading window. Kansas Ag Drone Solutions operates multi-drone fleets capable of covering 300–500+ acres per day under optimal field conditions. When your fungicide timing window opens Tuesday morning and closes Sunday evening, that speed differential determines whether your application is timely or too late.

No Compaction, No Wheel Track Damage

May in Northeast Kansas can be wet. Ground rigs navigating wet soils during heading leave ruts that damage crown root systems and reduce yield in wheel tracks for the rest of the season. Drone application eliminates compaction risk entirely — a meaningful consideration after a spring with above-normal soil moisture across much of Brown, Doniphan, and Nemaha counties.

Canopy Penetration Where It Counts

Modern agricultural drones do not simply spray from above. Downwash from their rotors actively pushes spray solution down into the crop canopy. For Kansas fungicide applications targeting Fusarium scab, where coverage of the wheat head itself is critical, rotor downwash has been shown in university application studies to achieve canopy penetration comparable to conventional aerial application — and in dense canopy conditions, superior to some ground boom configurations.

Access to Every Acre

Many NE Kansas wheat fields border drainage areas, waterways, or contain wet low spots that ground equipment cannot safely navigate. Drones operate without field access limitations. If the crop needs fungicide timing hit at Feekes 10.5.1, the drone reaches it — corner to corner, edge to waterway.

Scouting Checklist Before You Schedule Your Application

Before booking your drone application, take 15 minutes to walk several points in each field and confirm the following.

Heading stage — Are 50% or more of heads fully emerged from the flag leaf sheath? Anthers visible? You are in the window.

Stripe rust presence — Check lower and mid-canopy leaves carefully for yellow-orange pustules. Any active infection in susceptible varieties warrants immediate action.

Variety susceptibility — Cross-reference your variety against current KSU disease ratings. Susceptible varieties narrow your tolerance for any application delay.

Weather forecast — Allow at least 1–2 hours of drying time after application before any rainfall. Wind under 10 mph is optimal for drone application uniformity.

Field boundaries — Note power lines, trees, waterways, or soft spots that will affect drone flight path planning and help your operator schedule the job efficiently.

Located in or near NE Kansas?

My service area covers Brown, Doniphan, Nemaha, Marshall, Washington, and surrounding counties. Spray days get crunched as wheat heads out and rain comes in… open spots fill quickly!

Visit kads.tech to request a quote or book a flight. Same-day and next-day scheduling is available. Early morning and evening slots are open to take advantage of optimal temperature and wind conditions.

Do not let the window close. The difference between a timely and a late fungicide application in North East Kansas winter wheat can exceed 10–15 bushels per acre — at current prices, that per acre swing in net return can add up!

The Bottom Line on Kansas Fungicide Timing

NE Kansas spring fungicide applications can make a difference. Disease pressure is real, the heading window is open, and the clock is running. Fungicide timing — landing your application at Feekes 10.5 to 10.5.1 — is the single most important factor determining whether your investment produces a return.

Drone application through KADS gives you the speed, access, and canopy-level precision to execute your Kansas fungicide program within the optimal window, regardless of ground conditions or the tight scheduling demands of a whole-farm heading window compressed into one week.

The window is open. Let’s get it done.

The post NE Kansas Spring Fungicide: Timing for Winter Wheat at Heading appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

I finally got into my own fields for pre-emergence work. Yes, drone work before anything was visibly growing! Why Fly now? In this case I am creating a series of test strips on both corn and bean fields to personally verify the efficacy of Bio S.I. Agricultural Formula by applying 8oz of product with 2 gallons of water per acre.

I am also testing the settings on my Revolution Drones I-19, tracking down leaks on my trailer plumbing, and dialing in my trailer workflow.

This is the first official outing of my I-19 on this trailer. I bought the super structure from the son of a local farmer. Friends of mine helped me to get the generator and tank placed, and then I had it wired and we all contributed to many ideas on plumbing.

The total system, including the 2007 Chevy 3500, worked great. Until I was pulling back up a hill southwest of White Cloud Kansas – The truck has just about 230,000 miles on it, 5,000 or so are mine after purchasing it from a Missouri farmer. It didn’t shift well during this outing – the upshift to 3rd was already really slow and I temporarily lost 2nd gear after several large lurches. I took it in for scheduled maintenance and the oil that came out when they were preparing to install a new shift solenoid, was bright and sparkly! So… I’ll soon have a new (to me) transmission soon. Newish is good, right?

The I-19 worked super well for this kind of pre-emergence work. The Kansas spring wind grew, and I kept flying longer than I should have because this drone was so responsive despite gusty wind. The spray pattern was impacted at some points, but the drone was rock solid. The radar kept it at my selected height over the ground, it sprayed cleanly and laid down a blanket-like pattern, and it was fast and intuitive for both automated missions and hand-flying – I even flew a few funnels!

Each pair of test strips consists of two 100′ wide strips joined together at one end by a 20′ or 30′ wide strip, to make an oddly shaped U. This footage captures the drone doing a little dance bouncing between the boundaries of the connecting strip and proceeding onto the next leg of the U. Notice how it created efficiency by limiting direction change of drone at the last transition.

Using test strip to study the impact of this type of pre-emergence application is really interesting. I will monitor the test strips throughout the season and will also continue to fly this pattern and test drone settings to smooth things out and create more efficiency. Stay tuned!

The post Pre-Emergence Soil Inoculation with Revolution Drones I-19 appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• The planting season brings unpredictable weather, but there are valuable opportunities for Drone Work Before Planting.
• Drones excel at pre-plant applications like burndown herbicides, pre-plant fertilizers, and pest treatments without damaging wet soils.
• Using drones for targeted applications saves money and ensures inputs reach the most deficient areas of the field.
• Scouting fields with drones can reveal critical information about drainage issues, winter damage, and soil conditions before planting.
• Planning drone flights during calm, early morning conditions enhances application accuracy and effectiveness.

Planting season has arrived. One week we are watching the forecast and waiting for soils to warm, and the next we’re running flat out trying to get everything in the ground before the weather window closes. And the 2026 weather has been crazy! In Northeast Kansas we had -12 degrees to 98 degrees in five days, and then back to the 30’s, and then back to the 60’s. Ugh. What can we do to distract ourselves? Can we pursue drone work before planting to get ahead of things? What is there to do?

There is a lot.

Many of us may think of our agricultural spray drone as an in-season tool, something pulled out when a fungicide application is due or a pest pressure flares up mid-summer. And it’s great for that. However, the pre-plant window offers a surprising number of high-value opportunities that can set up our fields for a better season before a single seed is planted. This article goes over how I think about it.

Start with Burndowns and Cover Crop Termination

If there’s one application that pays the biggest dividends in late March is burndown herbicide work. Whether you’re managing winter cover crops or just dealing with existing weed pressure that got ahead of you, terminating that vegetation cleanly before planting is critical — and the drone is a genuinely better tool for this job than you might expect.

The obvious advantage is compaction. Spring soils are often too wet to support ground equipment safely, but they’re no obstacle at all for a drone. You can fly fields that a tractor or sprayer would tear up, getting your chemistry down on time without sacrificing soil structure or creating ruts you’ll be dealing with all season. There’s also a precision advantage — you’re putting product exactly where it needs to go, at the right rate, without the overlap and waste that can come from ground rigs working irregular field shapes.

The timing of cover crop termination matters. Terminate too early and you lose soil protection; too late and that cover crop becomes competition for your cash crop or complicates planting. A drone gives you the flexibility to hit that window precisely, even when field conditions are marginal.

Pre-Plant Fertilizer and Variable Rate Applications

If you’ve done fall soil sampling now is a good time to act on what that data is telling you. Liquid fertilizer, micronutrient, and biologic applications can be made before planting based on prescription maps built from your soil test results, and this is one of the areas where drone application really distinguishes itself.

Rather than making blanket applications across the whole field, you can target deficient zones specifically. Low-pH areas get lime suspension. Iron-deficient patches get chelated iron. Zinc-deficient ground gets zinc. You’re putting inputs where they’re needed and holding back where they’re not, saving money and avoiding the yield drag that comes from over-applying in areas that don’t need it.

Variable rate application requires a little more planning: You need prescription maps built from your sampling, but for farmers who already have that data in hand, the drone is an excellent tool for executing those prescriptions quickly and accurately. If you’re not already doing grid or zone soil sampling, this is a good reason to start.

Get Ahead of Pest and Disease Pressure

One of the most underappreciated pre-plant strategies is using this window to address known pest and disease problems before they can take root with your new crop. If you have fields with a history of soil-borne disease such as Pythium, Rhizoctonia, or similar, a pre-plant fungicide application can reduce the inoculum load in the soil before your seedlings are even vulnerable. It’s much easier to manage these problems before the crop is there than to respond reactively mid-season.

The same logic applies to soil insects. Fields with documented wireworm or grub pressure are candidates for pre-plant insecticide treatment. Nematodes are another example. If you’ve had confirmed nematode pressure in a field, a nematicide application before planting gives you a head start on protection that in-furrow treatments alone may not fully cover.

None of these applications are universally necessary, and I’m not suggesting you spray everything “just in case.” But if your field history tells you there’s a problem, the pre-plant window is when to address it. The drone makes it economical to treat specific areas of a field rather than the whole thing, which matters when you’re talking about products that can carry a real cost per acre.

Scout Your Fields Before You Commit to a Plan

I believe in proactive crop scouting. Consider using your pre-season flight time to scout. Many spray drones are equipped with cameras capable of capturing meaningful field imagery. There are also dedicated options that include useful multispectral cameras that can produce a wealth of information about field conditions. Flying fields before planting can tell you a lot about what you’re working with.

After a rain event, a flight over your fields will reveal ponding patterns, low spots, areas where drainage is failing, and places where compaction is holding water. That information is actionable! You can address tile line failures, make decisions about where to prioritize tillage, or adjust your planting plan to account for problem areas rather than discovering them after the fact. Spotting a drainage problem in late March is far better than watching a low spot drown out a stand in May.

Early season flights can also reveal winter damage to perennial crops, erosion from freeze-thaw cycles, or residue distribution problems that could affect planting uniformity.

Practical Notes for Spring Flying in Kansas

Pre-plant work in late March and early April comes with some operational reality’s worth keeping in mind. Wind is always the primary enemy of accurate spray application, and spring in northeast Kansas is not known for calm conditions. Early morning flights — before the wind picks up — are almost always your best window for quality applications. Plan your days accordingly.

Temperature and soil conditions may also matter based on the product you’re applying. Pre-emergent herbicides or biologics often require soil temperatures in a specific range to activate correctly, so coordinate your application timing with soil temp data rather than just calendar date. And if you’re applying anything that needs to be incorporated by rain, keep an eye on the forecast so you’re not waiting weeks for activation.

Finally, if you’re flying burndown applications near field edges or shelter belts, take the time to map your boundaries carefully before you fly, and use strategically plan your flight in relation to the wind.

The pre-plant window is short, and there’s always competition for your time and attention. But a spray drone gives you a tool that can keep working even when field conditions say the tractor stays parked. Used well, these early applications can meaningfully improve the foundation you’re planting into — and that’s a head start you’ll notice come harvest.

If you have questions about pre-plant applications or want to talk through what might make sense for your operation, reach out. That’s what I’m here for.

The post Why Fly? Drone Work Before Planting appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Three years in a row now. That’s how long phyllachora maydis, Tar Spot, has been showing up in corn near me. It seems to arrive a little earlier and spread a little further each year. If you’re farming in Brown, Doniphan, Atchison, Jackson, or Nemaha County, or just across the line in Richardson County, Nebraska, or Andrew and Holt County in Missouri, this disease is already in your neighborhood, spores waiting quietly in your ground and in your crop debris. The question isn’t whether it will show up. The question is whether you’ll catch it in time to do something about tar spot in northeast Kansas.

My family has bottom ground along the Missouri River in Doniphan County, KS. My fields sit in exactly the kind of environment tar spot loves — cooler nights, dew, and evening humidity. I have a personal stake in this topic and spent much of the 2025 growing season worrying about how to identify tar spot with my scouting drone. I was lucky because none of the fields I was watching were impacted.

I wanted to know more about how we should deal with tar spot in northeast Kansas and so fired up the computer to find out. Here’s what I found and maybe what it means for our future growing seasons.

Three Years of Confirmed Cases in Northeast Kansas

This isn’t a disease that shows up once and goes away. K-State Research and Extension has documented confirmed tar spot cases in northeast Kansas in 2023, 2024, and 2025. Here’s the county-by-county picture:

2023 NE Kansas Confirmed Cases:

• Doniphan County — June 26
• Atchison County — June 30
• Jefferson County — June 30
• Brown County — July 5
• Nemaha County — July 28
• Jackson County — August 8
• Marshall County — August 22

K-State reported that 2023 severity was much higher than 2022, with severe yield impact in several northeast Kansas fields. ^[1]

2024 NE Kansas Confirmed Cases:

• Doniphan County — May 27
• Atchison County — June 4
• Jefferson County — June 14
• Nemaha County — June 18
• Brown County — July 8

K-State noted that the early onset in 2024 raised serious concern for yield loss. Generally, earlier detection corresponds to higher yield loss. [1]

2025 NE Kansas Confirmed Cases:

• Doniphan County — June 11
• Brown County — June 17
• Jefferson County — June 23
• Atchison County — July 2
• Republic County — July 7
• Marshall County — July 9

The trend seems clear: tar spot is being identified earlier in a wider area each year. Doniphan County has been first in Kansas all three years running. Unfortunately, farms far away from the bottoms are being impacted!

It Doesn’t Stop at the State Line

If you’re watching the Kansas map and thinking you’re safe because your county hasn’t shown up yet, look at what’s happening just across the river.

Nebraska:

Richardson County sits directly north of Brown and Doniphan counties. UNL Extension has confirmed tar spot in Richardson County, and Nebraska plant pathologist Tamra Jackson-Ziems noted in early 2025 that the hot zone for tar spot in Nebraska is in the eastern most state counties. That includes Richardson County. She also notes that tar spot has been confirmed as far west as Brown County, Nebraska. ^[2]

Missouri:

Andrew County, Missouri, bordering Doniphan County, was confirmed with tar spot in 2024 per MU Extension and Corn ipmPIPE. Holt County, also on our doorstep in northwest Missouri, was one of the first confirmed cases in Missouri in June 2023 — the earliest the disease had ever appeared in that state at that time. ^[3]

MU Extension plant pathologist Mandy Bish confirmed tar spot in 19 Missouri counties in 2024, and noted that the disease is expected to continue spreading in 2025. She also confirmed that tar spot has been showing up in Missouri in June — far earlier than the August and September appearances seen in previous years. ^[4]

The picture is forming for me: northeast Kansas is surrounded on multiple sides by confirmed tar spot pressure. Spores move by wind and rain. There is no fence between your field and the next that can stop the spores.

River Bottoms Are Ground Zero

Tar spot thrives in specific conditions. Research has shown it favors mean daily temperatures in the mid-60s to low 70s, relative humidity above 75%, and extended periods of leaf wetness — at least seven hours is enough to get it going. ^[5]

If you farm the Missouri River bottoms in Doniphan County, or in any of the bordering counties, you know exactly how the river can impact farming. For good and bad. The bottom ground holds moisture. Dew can be heavy and can remain on the leaves well into the morning. Nights are cooler than the upland ground because cold air sinks. Fog is common.

There’s a reason Doniphan County has led Kansas in early tar spot detection all three years running. I guess the geography works against us. That same rich, productive bottom ground that grows heavy corn is also the most favorable environment in the region for this disease.

UNL’s Jackson-Ziems also noted that irrigated fields were particularly hard hit in Nebraska, overhead irrigation adds the leaf wetness that tar spot needs to develop and spread. If you’re running pivots on bottom ground, you may be running the highest-risk acres in your operation. ^[2]

What It Can Cost Us

The Crop Protection Network has documented yield losses ranging from zero to more than 50 bushels per acre, depending on hybrid susceptibility, timing of infection, and weather conditions. In experimental plots, losses of 20 to 40 bushels per acre were recorded when 50% of the ear leaf was covered in tar spot lesions at dent stage. ^[5]

Nationally, the Crop Protection Network estimated that tar spot claimed roughly 293 million bushels across the U.S. in 2024 alone. ^[6] That is real-world impact. It is what happens when the spores get into fields at the wrong time with the wrong hybrid and no fungicide in the window.

K-State was direct about it in their 2024 alert: early onset of tar spot has generally corresponded with higher yield loss. When Doniphan County showed a confirmed case on May 27, 2024, one of the earliest confirmed cases in Kansas history, that was a warning flag for the whole northeast corner of the state. ^[1]

What a Drone Sees That You Can’t

The challenge with tar spot is we cannot see it until it has already developed a hold on the field. It may be lurking too deep in the canopy for easy scouting. The disease starts in the lower and middle canopy, where it is tough to see when corn is tall and thick. Worse, it can move fast with ideal conditions.

A multispectral drone camera picks up plant stress before it’s visible to the eye. Infected plants start to change the way they reflect light, specifically in the near-infrared spectrum, before the damage is obvious from the ground. An NDVI map produced after a flight will show those stressed zones as different colors compared to healthy areas of the field.

This map tells us exactly where we need to foot-scout to personally check on conditions. It can save us from walking the full 160-acre field in summer heat and humidity! Simply walk straight to those zones and confirm what you’re seeing.

MU Extension has specifically noted that tar spot tends to stay in the lower canopy in its early stages, exactly where it’s hardest to spot on foot and where drone-assisted scouting pays off most. ^[4]

When to Scout and When to Act

Research all seems to point to the same fungicide window: VT through R3. Fungicide applications made just after first detection and at or after VT have shown the most consistent results in research. Fungicide applications after R5 show no yield benefit. ^{[1, 3, 4]}

Given that Doniphan County has seen confirmed tar spot as early as late May, and that the disease tends to build in the lower canopy before it becomes obvious, a scouting flight in late June through early July on your highest-risk ground is a sound practice. That’s your bottom ground, your irrigated acres, your corn-on-corn fields, and any field that took a hit in 2023 or 2024.

Using Drones can reduce your tax!

Section 41 of the TAX code allows some of the cost R&D activities to turn into a TAX Credit. Testing new techniques is encouraged by the Government, and use of drones or hiring a drone service is an allowable activity.

Parting Thoughts

Three years of data, confirmed in our own counties, with the disease arriving earlier every season. That’s not a trend you can wait out.

My farm is in the bottoms. I understand the risk personally. The combination of our geography, our humidity, our heavy dew, and the fact that tar spot overwinters in corn residue, meaning last year’s infected fields are this year’s starting point, makes northeast Kansas some of the highest-risk ground in the state.

Taking care of your fields, ensuring tar spot doesn’t take hold, helps your neighbor take care of their fields. We all share responsibility for these kinds of pressure. Getting eyes in the air early, before tar spot gets established in the canopy, is the difference between catching it in time and watching yield decrease.

Let’s work together! Connect with me if you want to discuss scouting your fields.

Further Reading

[1] Onofre, R. “Tar Spot is Active in Five Counties in Northeast Kansas.” K-State Research and Extension eUpdate. 2024. https://eupdate.agronomy.ksu.edu/article/tar-spot-is-active-in-five-counties-in-northeast-kansas-599-4

[2] Jackson-Ziems, T. “Add Southern Rust to Your Watch List.” Nebraska Farmer / UNL Extension. March 2025. https://digitaledition.qwinc.com/publication/?i=843779&article_id=4955829

[3] Bish, M. “Tar Spot of Corn Confirmed in June in Missouri — the Earliest Ever.” MU Extension / ipm.missouri.edu. June 2023. https://ipm.missouri.edu/croppest/2023/6/tarSpot-MB/

[4] Bish, M. “Tar Spot Growing in Missouri Corn Crops.” MU Extension. July 2024. https://extension.missouri.edu/news/tar-spot-growing-in-missouri-corn-crops

[5] Crop Protection Network. “Tar Spot of Corn Web Book.” https://cropprotectionnetwork.org/web-books/tar-spot-of-corn

[6] AgWeb / Crop Protection Network. “Tar Spot of Corn: A Growing Threat to U.S. Yields.” May 2025. https://www.agweb.com/news/crops/tar-spot-corn-threat

The post Corn and Tar Spot in Northeast Kansas appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• Integrating drone data with farm management software transforms agricultural practices by providing actionable insights and improving efficiency.
• Drones collect valuable data such as multispectral images, thermal readings, and crop health assessments essential for effective farm management.
• Choose compatible farm management software to ensure it handles drone data formats and offers cloud storage, mapping capabilities, and mobile access.
• To successfully integrate, organize existing farm data, establish collection protocols, and train your team on how to use the system.
• Farmers who integrate drone data report better problem detection, cost reductions in inputs, improved record keeping, and enhanced decision-making.

Think about it, your drone is similar to having a really smart scout that can cover hundreds of acres in minutes. But without connecting that information to your existing farm records, you’re missing out on the bigger picture. When you merge your drone data with your management software, you’re creating a powerful system that tracks everything from soil conditions to crop health in one place, multiplying the power of any analysis available on that platform.

What Drone Data Actually Provides

Modern agricultural drones collect way more than just pretty pictures. These flying workhorses gather detailed information that can transform how you manage your fields. The most common types of data include:

• Multispectral images that show plant health and stress levels
• Thermal readings that identify irrigation problems
• Precise field mapping with GPS coordinates
• Crop emergence and stand counts for planning decisions
• Pest and disease detection before problems spread

The real magic happens when this data gets organized and stored in a way that provides other insight about your operations. Raw drone footage might show you there’s a problem in the north forty but comparing that to the other data you collect tells you exactly where, what kind of problem, and how it compares to last season.

According to the USDA’s agricultural technology initiatives, farms using integrated drone and software systems report 15-20% improvements in input efficiency and yield optimization.

Choosing the Right Farm Management Software

You have likely already selected farm management software based on issues not related to integrating drone data. Not all farm management software plays nice with drone data. If you’re open to changing your software, you’ll want to look for platforms that can handle the specific file formats and data types produced by the drones working hard over your fields. The best systems offer:

Cloud-based storage that can handle large image files without slowing down your computer. Drone flights can generate gigabytes of data, and you need somewhere reliable to store it all.

Mapping capabilities that turn your drone images into actionable field maps. Look for software that can overlay drone data onto your existing field boundaries and create zones based on what the drone sees.

Data analysis tools that can spot trends and patterns you might miss. The software should be able to compare current conditions to historical data and flag areas that need attention.

Mobile access so you can check on your fields from anywhere. Whether you’re at the coffee shop or standing in the field, you should be able to pull up your drone data on your phone or tablet.

Popular options include platforms like Climate FieldView, Granular, and AgriWebb, and of course John Deere Operations Center though the best choice depends on your specific farming operation and the types of drones you’re using.

First Step to Integrating your Drone Data

Getting your drones talking to your farm management software doesn’t have to be rocket science, but it does require some planning. Here’s how most farmers tackle the setup:

Start with your existing data. Before adding drone information, make sure your current farm records are organized and up to date. This effort may take you a very long while if you do not use the platform very much, but the effort will pay off. The information includes field boundaries, soil test results, planting records, and harvest data. Your drone data will be most valuable when it can be compared to this historical information.

Establish data collection protocols. Decide when and how often you’ll fly your drones over each field. Many farmers find that weekly flights during growing season provide enough data without being overwhelming. Create a schedule that makes sense for your crops and growing conditions.

Set up automatic uploads. The best systems let your drone data flow directly into your management software without manual file transfers. This might mean connecting your drone’s memory card to a computer that automatically uploads images, or using drones that can transmit data directly to the cloud.

Train your team. Make sure everyone who needs to access the integrated data knows how to use the system. This includes family members, hired help, and any consultants or advisors who work with your operation. Be wary of the number of people with access as more users = more opportunity for data loss.

Be safe! There are unscrupulous people in the world. Protect yourself and your data. Ensure you are careful with your login credentials and limit access to your data.

Pilot certification. You may also want to explore The steps to becoming an Agricultural Spray Drone Pilot in Kansas for specialized training if you plan on owning your drone in the future.

Making Sense of All That Information

Once your drone data starts flowing into your management software, you’ll have more information about your fields than ever before. The trick is learning how to use it effectively without getting overwhelmed.

Start by focusing on actionable insights rather than trying to analyze every detail. Start small and plan ahead, even as you are cleaning up your existing data. Look for patterns that suggest specific problems or opportunities. For example, if your drone consistently shows stress in the same area of a field, you might have a drainage issue or soil compaction problem.

Create custom alerts that notify you when conditions change. Many farm management platforms can automatically flag areas that show sudden changes in plant health or growth rates. This lets you address problems quickly instead of waiting until they become obvious from the ground.

Use the data for input optimization. Drone information can help you apply fertilizer, pesticides, and water more precisely. Instead of treating entire fields uniformly, you can create application maps that adjust rates based on what your drone sees. For precise application, understanding Ways to measure what you’re putting down is crucial.

Research from Penn State Extension shows that farmers using integrated drone and software systems typically reduce input costs by 10-15% while maintaining or improving yields.

Real-World Benefits after you Merge Your Drone Data

Farmers who successfully integrate drone data with their management software consistently report several key benefits. These improvements often pay for the technology investment within just a few seasons.

Better problem detection is probably the most immediate advantage. Drone data can spot issues like pest infestations, nutrient deficiencies, or irrigation problems days or weeks before they become visible from ground level. This early warning system lets you take action before small problems become big ones.

More precise input applications can significantly reduce costs while improving results. When your management software combines drone data with soil test results and historical yield maps, it can create incredibly detailed application prescriptions that put inputs exactly where they’re needed most.

Improved record keeping makes it easier to track what works and what doesn’t. The integrated system automatically documents field conditions, treatment dates, and results, creating a detailed history that helps you make better decisions in future seasons.

Enhanced crop insurance documentation can be valuable when dealing with weather-related losses or other claims. Drone images provide detailed, timestamped evidence of field conditions that can support insurance claims or USDA program applications.

Overcoming Common Challenges

Like any new technology, integrating drone data with farm management software comes with some bumps in the road. Most problems are manageable once you know what to expect.

Data overload is probably the biggest issue most farmers face. It’s tempting to collect as much information as possible, but too much data can actually make decision-making harder. Focus on the metrics that directly impact your farming decisions, and don’t feel like you need to analyze every image in detail.

Weather limitations can disrupt your data collection schedule. Drones can’t fly in high winds or during precipitation, and cloudy conditions can affect image quality. Build some flexibility into your monitoring schedule and don’t panic if you miss a few planned flights.

Learning curve challenges are normal when adopting any new technology. Most farmers find it takes a full growing season to really understand how to use integrated drone and software systems effectively. Start with basic applications and gradually add more sophisticated analyses as you gain experience.

According to Purdue University’s Digital Agriculture Program, farmers who stick with integrated systems for at least two full seasons report much higher satisfaction and better return on investment than those who give up early.

Looking Toward the Future

The ease and ability of integrating drone data into your farm management software is getting smarter every year. Artificial intelligence and machine learning are starting to automate many of the analysis tasks that currently require human interpretation. This means the systems are getting better at spotting problems and suggesting solutions without requiring deep technical knowledge from farmers.

Real-time data processing is also improving, with some systems now able to analyze drone images and update field maps within minutes of a flight. This speed makes it possible to address urgent problems the same day they’re detected.

The cost of both drones and software continues to decrease while capabilities expand, making these integrated systems accessible to more farming operations. What was once only practical for large commercial farms is now within reach for many family operations. Remember to stay informed on Farm Drone Regulations in Kansas as the technology evolves.

Closing Thoughts

Integrating drone data with your farm management software isn’t just about having the latest technology – it’s about making better farming decisions with better information. When you can combine bird’s-eye views of your fields with detailed records and analysis tools, you get insights that simply aren’t possible any other way.

The key is starting simple and building complexity gradually. Choose software that fits your operation, establish consistent data collection routines, and focus on actionable insights rather than trying to analyze every detail. With patience and practice, most farmers find that integrated drone and software systems become invaluable tools for improving efficiency and profitability.

Remember, the goal isn’t to replace your farming experience and intuition – it’s to enhance your decision-making with precise, timely information. When you combine traditional farming knowledge with modern data integration, you’re setting up your operation for success in an increasingly competitive agricultural landscape.

The post Integrating drone data with farm management software appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• Weather significantly affects agricultural spraying; it dictates when to plant and spray.
• Spray drones excel in adverse weather, flying when ground rigs cannot, reducing soil compaction and crop damage.
• Understanding wind, heat, humidity, and rain is crucial to avoid common drone mistakes during spraying.
• Operators should plan ahead and monitor conditions to optimize the spray drone weather window and ensure successful applications.
• Smart management of spray drones allows timely interventions, preventing costly mistakes linked to changing weather conditions.

Weather controls everything in farming. Weather decides when you plant, when you spray, and whether you hit the timing window or miss it completely. Spray windows are tight, and they seem to shrink every year. Rain hits fast, wind shows up early, and heat builds when you least want it.

This is where an agricultural spray drone becomes a powerful tool. Drones don’t replace every sprayer on the farm, but they absolutely win when the weather is working against you. They fly when rigs can’t, they reach tall crops without damage, and they help you hit timing windows that used to be impossible.

But weather is also the #1 cause of drone mistakes. Drone fails happen when operators rush or ignore conditions. Drift, poor coverage, battery strain, or uneven spray are likely if you work outside the ideal application window.

This guide explains how weather affects drone spraying and how to use each spray drone weather window to your advantage.

Spray Drones Work with Wet Fields

No Ruts

Applying with ground rigs following a good rain can leave ruts. Sometimes deep ones. Those ruts are campaction. They damage soil structure and can create headaches for years. A drone doesn’t touch the ground. It doesn’t matter if the field is soft, tacky, or still holding water in the low spots.

Spraying with a drone: No compaction. No ruts. No waiting for the top inch to dry.

Faster Access

A drone can be in the air minutes after a storm passes. A ground rig might need a day or two. That difference can make or break a fungicide window or an insecticide rescue pass.

When the field is too wet for wheels, a drone is often the only tool that can get the job done.

Fewer Ground‑Rig Fails

Most “weather fails” in spraying come from trying to push a ground rig into a field that isn’t ready. You get stuck, you leave tracks, or you damage the crop.

A drone avoids all of that. It’s not just faster — it’s safer for the field.

Spray Drones and Wind Limits

Low Flight Helps

Spray drones fly low — usually 8 to 12 feet above the canopy. That low height reduces drift because droplets have less time to move sideways before hitting the crop.

This is a major drone safety advantage over airplanes and even some high‑clearance rigs.

Common Wind Mistakes

Wind‑related drone fails often come from:

• Flying in steady wind over 10 mph, or gusts over 15 mph
• Flying with a tailwind that pushes droplets off target
• Ignoring crosswinds that shift mid‑flight
• Using too fine a droplet size on a breezy day
• Flying too high, increasing drift distance
• Not adjusting flight direction to match wind

These are all preventable with a little awareness.

Heat & Humidity Impact on Spray Drones

Evaporation Risk

Fine droplets evaporate fast in hot, dry weather. If you spray at 2 p.m. on a 95° day with low humidity, you’re losing product before it ever hits the leaf.

This is one of the easiest drone mistakes to avoid:
Don’t spray in the heat of the day unless you absolutely have to.

Humidity Helps Coverage

Higher humidity slows evaporation. Early morning and late evening often give you the best mix of:

• Cooler temps
• Higher humidity
• Lower wind

These conditions help droplets stay intact and improve coverage.

Avoiding Heat‑Related Drone Mistakes

To avoid heat‑related drone fails, follow these simple rules:

• Spray early or late – away from the high noon sun.
• Use medium droplets in hot weather
• Avoid mid‑day flights when possible
• Watch for temperature inversions (evening)

Heat changes everything — droplet size, drift, and coverage.

Spray Drones and Timing Rain

Post‑Rain Advantage

As mentioned above, ground rigs can’t enter the field. But a drone can. This is where drones earn their keep.

Post‑rain spraying is especially important for:

• Fungicide timing
• Insect outbreaks
• Late‑season passes
• Pasture and hayfield rescue jobs

A drone lets you hit the window instead of missing it. And avoid compaction!

Rescue Passes

Sometimes you don’t get a second chance. Corn fungicide windows are tight. Soybean insect pressure can explode overnight. If you miss the timing, you lose yield.

A drone gives you the ability to respond fast — even when the field is still too wet for anything else.

Rain‑Related Drone Fails

Rain‑related drone mistakes include:

• Flying in light drizzle (bad for electronics)
• Flying too soon after heavy rain (visibility issues)
• Launching from muddy ground (slip risk)
• Letting batteries get wet

Rain helps drones access fields — but only if you respect the limits.

Crop Height

Tall Crop Access

Once corn hits tassel height, most rigs can’t get in without breaking stalks. Drones don’t care. They fly above the canopy and never touch the crop.

This is a huge advantage for:

• VT fungicide
• Late‑season insecticide
• Specialty crops
• Seed corn

Reduced Crop Damage

Every tramline is lost yield. Every broken stalk is lost yield. Drones eliminate that damage completely.

Height‑Related Drone Safety Tips

Tall crops create new challenges:

• Prop‑wash can push leaves around (but this is also a benefit)
• Obstacles like pivot towers become harder to see (pre-map them)
• Flight altitude must be consistent

These aren’t drone fails — they’re operator awareness issues.

Drift Control

Weather + Droplet Size

Drift isn’t just about wind. It’s about:

• Temperature
• Humidity
• Droplet size
• Flight height
• Airflow

Drones give you more control over droplet size than most rigs, but you still need to match the weather. For instance, it may be tempting to fly in a fog, but there is no droplet setting that will overcome the diluation!

Avoiding Drift Mistakes

The biggest drift‑related drone mistakes are:

• Flying too high
• Using fine droplets on windy days
• Ignoring temperature inversions
• Spraying during rapid wind shifts

These are easy to avoid with a little planning. Check your weather apps and put eyes on the field to confirm you can fly safely that day.

Safe Spray Windows

A simple rule:

• If the trees are moving, check the wind.
• If the leaves are flipping, don’t spray.

Operator Tips for Spray Drones

Watch the Trees

Trees tell the truth about wind. If the tops are moving, the wind is stronger than your weather app says.

Use Short Missions

Shorter missions give you more control when weather is changing. Set down when that rain cloud is a mile away. Pick back up after it passes!

Avoid Rushing

Most drone fails happen when someone is trying to beat the weather by rushing. Slow down. Think. Fly safe.

Final Thoughts

Weather windows are where spray drones earn their keep. They let you spray when rigs can’t, they help you hit tight timing windows, and they reduce the risk of crop damage and soil compaction.

But weather can also cause drone mistakes if you don’t respect it. Wind, heat, humidity, and rain all change how droplets behave and how the drone performs.

A smart operator watches the weather, plans ahead, and flies with intention. That’s how you get the best results — and avoid the costly drone fails that come from rushing or guessing.

The post Spray Drone Weather Window appeared first on Kansas Agricultural Drone Services, llc (KADS).

Key Takeaways

• Drones and precision tools provide visibility but create risks of data theft, making it crucial to protect farm data.
• Account takeovers, unencrypted transfers, and insider risks are major threats to farm data security.
• Farmers should enable multi-factor authentication, limit administrative access, and encrypt sensitive information.
• It’s important to audit vendor contracts and ensure data ownership and deletion rights are clearly stated.
• Taking immediate action, like using a password manager and checking encryption standards, is vital to protect farm data.

Drones, sensors, and precision platforms give farmers unprecedented visibility into field conditions, plant health, and operations. That visibility is a competitive advantage—but it also creates a digital footprint that data thieves and unscrupulous vendors can exploit. Unintentional carelessness may also expose the data by accident. It is more important than ever to protect your farm data

This guide explains the real risks and shows how to protect your data across the major farm systems. Read this, learn what can be done right now, to protect your farm data and keep your private information to yourself!

Why privacy and farm security matter now

Precision tools collect high‑value private data: yield maps, planting and input strategies, irrigation patterns, and equipment telematics. When that data is exposed it can be used to undercut bids, reveal harvest timing, or enable targeted theft and fraud. Many precision platforms also centralize data in cloud services (looking at your John Deere). This makes your sharing of account access or sharing data through a vendor a practical risk for farms of every size. Farmers who treat data as a business asset reduce the chance of competitive loss and regulatory headaches.

Key point: the platforms that make precision farming easy are also the places where private data concentrates—so protecting accounts, contracts, and telemetry is essential.

Top risks in plain language

• Account takeover — Weak passwords or no multi‑factor authentication (MFA) let attackers access years of scouting and yield history. I know MFA is a real pain, but it is a necessary pain.
• Unencrypted transfers — If imagery or telemetry moves over unsecured links, it can be intercepted.
• Vendor data sharing — Some providers aggregate and monetize imagery or analytics unless contracts say otherwise. Read your agreements carefully.
• Metadata leakage — Geotags and timestamps in images or files can reveal field boundaries and harvest windows.
• Firmware and supply‑chain backdoors — Unsigned or unvetted updates can introduce persistent access.
• Insider risk — Former employees, contractors, or co‑op partners with lingering access can leak or misuse data. Restrict access and change login credentials often.

Each of these risks is manageable with a mix of technical controls, contract language, and operational discipline. Remain vigilant to protect your farm data!

Major AG systems to secure to protect your farm data

Below are five widely used precision platforms and the practical steps you should take for each. These platforms are commonly used to collect, store, and analyze drone and equipment data, so they deserve focused attention.

John Deere Operations Center

What it holds — Telematics from tractors and combines, prescription maps, yield data, and equipment logs.
Risks — Telematics can reveal field schedules and machine locations; account compromise exposes operational history.

What to do

• Enable MFA on the Operations Center account.
• Limit admin roles to one or two trusted people and use role‑based access for employees and contractors.
• Export and archive critical raw data to a private, encrypted storage location you control.
• Review data sharing settings and opt out of any marketplace or aggregated data programs unless you explicitly want them.

Climate FieldView

What it holds — Field imagery, scouting notes, yield analytics, and prescription files.
Risks — Centralized imagery and analytics are attractive for resale or aggregation.

What to do

• Confirm ownership: get written confirmation that you retain ownership of raw imagery and maps.
• Check retention policies and request deletion rights on contract termination.
• Use private buckets for the most sensitive datasets if the platform supports it.

Trimble Ag Software

What it holds — Guidance lines, application maps, and integrated sensor data.
Risks — Integration points (APIs) can widen the attack surface if third‑party apps are granted broad access.

What to do

• Audit API keys and third‑party app access regularly.
• Rotate credentials and revoke unused integrations.
• Require least privilege for any connected service.

(The Trimble Product line is a confusing mess. If they can’t maintain a logical go-to-market without the many repackaging of products, I don’t hold out hope of their ability to product your farm data! Be careful with this one)

Ag Leader SMS

What it holds — Desktop and cloud maps, prescription generation, and data import/export workflows.
Risks — Desktop exports and USB transfers can carry metadata and unencrypted files offsite.

What to do

• Encrypt backups and use secure file transfer methods for sharing.
• Strip metadata before public posting.
• Keep a signed firmware and software update log for controllers and displays.

Topcon Agriculture Platform

What it holds — Guidance, machine control, and integrated field data across fleets.
Risks — Fleet‑level access can expose multiple machines and fields if a single account is compromised.

What to do

• Segment accounts by farm or operation to limit blast radius.
• Use separate credentials for contractors and seasonal workers.
• Request security documentation from the vendor (encryption standards, incident response).

Do this right now to protect your farm data

Immediate actions this week

• Enable multi‑factor authentication on every platform and email account tied to farm operations.
• Use a password manager to create unique, strong passwords for each vendor portal.
• Limit admin users to one or two trusted people and create read‑only accounts for others.
• Stop public sharing of raw maps; remove geotags and timestamps before posting.
• Confirm encryption in transit (TLS/HTTPS) for uploads and telemetry.

Actions for the next 30–90 days

• Inventory and classify data: list what you collect, where it’s stored, and who can access it. Mark anything that would harm your business if leaked.
• Negotiate vendor contracts: add explicit data‑ownership clauses, retention limits, and a right to deletion.
• Segment sensitive data: keep the most sensitive datasets in private cloud buckets or local encrypted storage.
• Track firmware and serials: maintain a log and apply only signed updates from vetted suppliers.
• Train staff: run short sessions on phishing, password hygiene, and handling sensitive maps.

Vendor due diligence checklist

When evaluating or renewing a vendor relationship, ask for written answers to these questions and keep them in your procurement file:

• Where is my data stored and for how long (region and retention period)?
• Who can access my raw imagery and analytics (internal teams and third parties)?
• Do you sell or share aggregated datasets and under what terms?
• What encryption standards do you use in transit and at rest (TLS, AES‑256)?
• Do you have third‑party security audits or SOC reports and can you share summaries?
• What is your breach notification policy and timeline for informing customers?

Get these answers in writing and include them in the contract.

Practical checklist to protect your farm data

• Inventory: Drone models, serials, cloud accounts, data types.
• Access: MFA enabled; remove unused admin accounts.
• Encryption: Confirm TLS for uploads; enable at‑rest encryption.
• Contracts: Add data‑ownership and deletion clauses.
• Firmware: Approve signed updates only; keep update log.
• Operational privacy: Strip metadata before public posts; avoid posting flight times for sensitive fields.

Tradeoffs and realistic expectations

• Convenience vs control — Cloud platforms are convenient and powerful, but local storage and private servers give more control at higher cost and complexity.
• Time investment — Negotiating contracts and auditing vendors takes time; treat it as insurance against a costly leak.
• Operational friction — MFA, segmented storage, and stricter access controls add steps. That friction is preferable to the fallout from exposed private data.

Final practical advice

Start with the low‑hanging fruit: enable MFA, use a password manager, and confirm encryption on uploads. Then work through vendor contracts and firmware controls. Assign a single person on the farm to own data inventory and vendor communications. Over time, these steps will protect your competitive edge and reduce legal and operational risk.

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