Drone Spraying in Winnebago County, Wisconsin

Drone spraying rates in Winnebago County

Drone spraying in Winnebago County, WI is priced per acre for one pass, application only. You buy the product through your co-op or agronomist, and a DATCP-licensed operator applies it at label rate.

Service	Typical rate	Notes
Soybean fungicide & insecticide	from $14/acre	white mold, aphids at R3
Corn fungicide at tassel	from $14/acre	tar spot, northern corn leaf blight
Alfalfa insect control	from $14/acre	weevil, potato leafhopper
Winter wheat fungicide	from $13/acre	head scab at flowering
Cover crop seeding	from $14/acre	rye or oats into standing crops
Small and wet fields	from $16/acre	lake-plain clay, odd shapes

Wisconsin drone spraying typically runs $11–$22 per acre, with a 2026 state typical figure near $16, and one operator in the region lists $16–$25. Our starting rates sit just under the state typical figure. Price depends on acres, product volume, field shape, tree lines, power lines, farm buildings, homes and travel from Oshkosh. Small fields are billed at a 15-acre minimum.

Farming around Lake Winnebago

Winnebago County wraps around the west and north shores of Lake Winnebago, with Oshkosh, Neenah and Menasha on the water and farmland spreading west toward Omro and Winneconne. The USDA 2022 Census counts 816 farms on about 145,200 acres, averaging 178 acres, with about 107,500 harvested acres. Soybeans cover about 37,100 acres and corn for grain about 36,100. Hay and forage add about 14,700 acres, silage corn about 11,000 and wheat about 7,700. Dairy and beef cattle, about 40,900 head, bring in most farm income.

Crop	Common targets	Typical drone window
Soybeans	White mold, soybean aphid, frogeye leaf spot	July–August
Corn	Tar spot, northern corn leaf blight, European corn borer	July–August
Alfalfa	Alfalfa weevil, potato leafhopper	May–July
Winter wheat	Fusarium head blight, stripe rust	May–June
Silage corn	Weeds, foliar disease	June–August

Dairy forage on a tight schedule

Many Winnebago County farms grow alfalfa and silage corn for their own herds. Alfalfa is cut three or four times a year, and potato leafhopper can damage regrowth within days after a cutting. A drone sprays between cuttings without driving over new growth, and operators check each label's harvest interval so the next cutting stays on time.

White mold and tar spot in Winnebago County

Cool, humid summers near the lake favor two diseases that hurt yields here:

• White mold in soybeans, treated at early bloom when the canopy closes and ground rigs crush rows.
• Tar spot in corn, which now shows up across eastern Wisconsin most years and may need a pass at tassel and a second later.
• Fast scheduling so every field is sprayed inside its window.

Heavy clay and wet springs

Much of the county sits on red clay lake-plain soils that drain slowly. After spring and summer rains, fields stay too wet for ground sprayers for days, and wheel tracks compact soil for seasons. Drones take off from the field road and apply right away, which helps keep fungicide and insecticide timing on target in wet years.

Cover crops and manure management

Dairy farms spread manure on many fields in the fall, and cover crops help hold nutrients and soil over winter. A drone broadcasts cereal rye or oats into standing soybeans at leaf drop or into corn before silage or grain harvest, so the cover gets established before frost.

Lake Winnebago, Butte des Morts and the Wolf River

Lake Winnebago, Lake Butte des Morts, Lake Winneconne and Lake Poygan, along with the Fox and Wolf rivers, ring much of the county's farmland. Runoff into these waters is a long-running concern for the region. Labels require buffers from water, and drones hold mapped buffers precisely along shorelines, ditches and wetlands.

Wittman airport and EAA AirVenture week

Wittman Regional Airport in Oshkosh controls airspace over the south side of the city. Each July, EAA AirVenture brings one of the world's largest aviation events and a large temporary flight restriction around Oshkosh. Operators plan around the event dates and get FAA authorization for fields near the airport at other times.

Spray calendar for Winnebago County

Months	Typical jobs
April–May	Burndown; alfalfa weevil
May–June	Wheat head scab fungicide; post-emergence weed passes
June–July	Potato leafhopper in alfalfa; soybean aphid scouting
July–August	Corn fungicide for tar spot; soybean white mold and aphids
August–September	Cover crop seeding into standing crops

Why Winnebago County farmers use drones

• Wet clay fields treated without ruts or compaction.
• No crop damage in tall corn or closed soybean canopies.
• Precise buffers around lakes, rivers and wetlands.
• Small and odd-shaped fields near towns handled easily.
• Fast turnaround inside short disease windows.

Wisconsin licensing for drone spraying

The Wisconsin Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) certifies and licenses pesticide applicators. A commercial applicator spraying for hire by drone needs certification in field and vegetable crops (1.1) and aerial application (9.9), plus an annual individual license, and the spraying business needs its own annual license. Farmers using restricted-use products on their own land need private applicator certification.

Federal rules require an FAA Part 107 remote pilot certificate, a Part 137 agricultural aircraft operator certificate and a Section 44807 exemption for drones over 55 pounds. If a label prohibits aerial application, the product cannot be applied by drone.

How booking works

1. Send field locations, acres, crop and what needs treating.
2. We match you with a DATCP-licensed, FAA Part 137-certified operator working in Winnebago County.
3. You approve the per-acre quote and spray window.
4. The operator maps the field, applies and sends you the application record.

Communities we cover

Oshkosh, Neenah, Menasha, Omro, Winneconne, Butte des Morts, Pickett, Larsen, Eureka and Fisk, plus farms along the Fond du Lac, Calumet, Outagamie, Waupaca, Waushara and Green Lake county lines.