Agricultural drone services across the UK
Specialist agricultural drone pilots for crop spraying, seeding, spreading, mapping, multispectral surveys and precision farming work across the UK.
Drone Assisted matches farms, estates and agricultural businesses with verified pilots, specialist aircraft and the capability required for each assignment, with upfront pricing on standard jobs.
Specialist agricultural pilots
Assignments are matched to pilots with the aircraft, sensors, application equipment and agricultural capability required for the work.
UK wide coverage
Access agricultural drone capability across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland through one managed network.
Reduced ground compaction
Aerial application can avoid additional heavy machinery passes through the field where the proposed treatment and conditions are suitable.
One managed service
Use Drone Assisted for one field, one farm or agricultural programmes across many sites without independently sourcing operators for every location.
How it works
- Step 01
Tell us about the job
Postcode and location, field or farm, acreage or hectares if known, crop, job type, required output or application and timing.
- Step 02
See your price
Standard work shows the price upfront. Complex spraying, large area application and bespoke precision agriculture work goes to specialist review.
- Step 03
Agricultural pilot matched
Matched on location, agricultural experience, aircraft, spraying or spreading equipment, multispectral capability, required authorisations and availability.
- Step 04
Job completed
The agreed application or data outputs are delivered, with required operational and application records retained where that forms part of the assignment.
Agricultural drone pricing depends on field size and number of fields, location and travel, the crop and growth stage, the product or data output requested, the aircraft and sensors required, application rates, operating conditions and whether the work is a single visit or a repeat programme. Standard assignments are priced upfront wherever possible and complex application or data programmes are quoted individually.
Full UK drone pilot price guideAgricultural drone services
The main job categories farms, estates, agronomists and agricultural contractors book through the network.
Drone crop spraying
Targeted aerial application over the crop using specialist spray aircraft, where the product and proposed application permit.
Fertiliser and foliar application
Liquid nutrition, foliar feeds and other suitable products applied from the air where appropriate for the crop and situation.
Drone seeding and spreading
Aerial distribution of suitable seed and permitted granular products, including establishment into standing crops.
NDVI and multispectral crop surveys
Vegetation index capture showing how crop vigour varies across the field, for agronomic investigation.
Crop mapping and orthomosaics
High resolution field orthomosaics and geo referenced imagery for records, planning and comparison.
Crop scouting and monitoring
Rapid aerial imagery revealing spatial patterns that are difficult to see from the ground.
Variable rate and management zone data
Spatial data that can support zoning, field variability assessment and targeted agronomic decisions.
Crop damage and insurance imagery
Time stamped aerial evidence of visible damage extent for farmers, insurers and loss adjusters.
Farm and estate surveys
Land, boundary, track, watercourse and rural building imagery across farms and estates.
Agricultural infrastructure inspection
Farm roofs, grain stores, silos, sheds, solar arrays and other structures captured from the air.
Drone crop spraying
Specialist agricultural spray drones can provide targeted aerial application where the product, the proposed application and the regulatory requirements permit. Depending on the assignment, potential work can include appropriate crop treatments, crop-protection applications where specifically authorised for drone use, foliar feeds, liquid fertilisers, biostimulants, nutritional products and other permitted agricultural applications.
Product, application method, field location and required permissions are confirmed before a spraying assignment is accepted.
Commercial benefits can include:
- Access when ground conditions are wet
- Application over tall or established crops
- Reduced field traffic
- Avoiding wheelings and ruts from additional machinery passes
- Targeted GPS controlled application
- Treatment of difficult or awkward areas
- Rapid mobilisation for suitable treatment windows
Spray when ground access is difficult
Aerial application can be especially useful where:
- Wet ground prevents conventional machinery access
- Crop height makes vehicle access undesirable
- Steep or awkward terrain limits machinery
- Treatment windows are short
- Additional ground traffic could damage the crop
- Localised treatment is required
The drone operates above the crop, allowing suitable applications to proceed without another machinery pass through the field.
Weather still matters. Wind, rain, product requirements and operating conditions determine whether a particular application can proceed on a given day, and that is assessed before the job is confirmed.
Drone fertiliser and foliar application
Suitably equipped agricultural drones can apply permitted liquid nutrition, foliar feeds, micronutrients, biostimulants and fertiliser products from the air, where the product and the proposed use are suitable for aerial application.
Drone Assisted does not make agronomic recommendations unless that is separately included in the assignment. The customer or their agronomist specifies the product, target area, application rate, field boundary and treatment requirement, and we assess the operational requirement and the pilot capability needed to deliver it.
Drone seeding and spreading
Suitably equipped agricultural drones can support aerial distribution of appropriate materials such as cover crop seed, grass seed, companion crops, wildflower seed, other suitable agricultural seed, permitted granular products and suitable granular fertiliser applications, where this is technically and legally appropriate.
Typical uses include:
- Establishment into standing crops
- Areas difficult to reach by conventional machinery
- Reseeding
- Cover cropping
- Targeted spreading
- Steep or soft ground
Not every seed or granular product is suitable for aerial spreading, so the material and target area are reviewed before the job is accepted.
See variation across the field
Multispectral and vegetation index maps make differences in crop vigour easier to identify across large areas. Colour variation can help direct scouting and agronomic investigation towards the parts of the field that need attention.
NDVI and multispectral drone surveys
Multispectral drones capture wavelengths beyond normal RGB photography and produce vegetation index maps that reveal variation across a field. For precision farming, that spatial picture can be captured across large areas far faster than walking the crop.
Potential outputs include:
- NDVI
- NDRE
- Other appropriate vegetation indices
- Crop vigour maps
- High resolution RGB imagery
- Orthomosaics
- Geo referenced field imagery
- Management zone data
- Repeat monitoring datasets
NDVI and multispectral data highlight spatial variation and areas requiring investigation. Agronomic interpretation determines the likely cause.
Agricultural drone mapping
Aerial capture can produce field orthomosaics, high resolution farm maps, crop area mapping, field boundary imagery, drainage context, headland and access route detail, records of crop variation, estate records and before and after comparison imagery.
Where a project needs more technical spatial datasets such as models, point clouds or measured outputs, see our national drone mapping services.
Drone crop scouting and monitoring
Aerial imagery can rapidly show spatial patterns that are difficult to see from the ground, making crop scouting across large blocks far more efficient.
Areas commonly flagged for ground investigation include:
- Uneven establishment
- Crop stress
- Lodging
- Patchiness
- Waterlogging and drainage patterns
- Bare areas
- Weed patches where visibly distinguishable
- Storm damage
- Animal and wildlife damage
- Machinery effects
Imagery shows what is visible at the time of capture. It does not diagnose the cause on its own.
Monitor crops through the season
Capture can be booked as:
- One off surveys
- Monthly monitoring
- Key growth stage capture
- Pre and post treatment surveys
- Repeat NDVI
- Crop establishment monitoring
- Pre harvest imagery
Repeat capture provides a comparable visual and data record of how the crop changes through the season, which is far more useful than a single isolated flight.
Discuss a crop monitoring programmePrecision agriculture and management zones
Suitable mapping and multispectral assignments can support spatial data for management zones, scouting zones, field variability assessment, variable rate planning and targeted agronomic decisions.
Required output format and compatibility should be specified in the project brief.
Drone Assisted does not automatically supply prescription files compatible with every farm machine. Where a specialist processing partner or pilot can provide variable rate ready files, that can be included in the assignment.
Crop establishment and plant counts
High resolution aerial capture and suitable processing can support establishment assessment, plant and stand counts for suitable crops, gap identification, trial area comparison and emergence monitoring.
Accuracy depends on crop type, growth stage, image resolution, processing methodology and field conditions.
Crop damage and agricultural insurance imagery
Assignments can cover storm damage, flooding and waterlogging, fire damage, lodging, crop loss areas, wildlife damage, machinery damage, before and after evidence and wide area incident imagery.
Drone imagery can provide time stamped aerial evidence showing the visible extent and location of damage for farmers, insurers, loss adjusters and agricultural specialists.
Drone Assisted does not determine policy coverage, cause, liability, financial loss or settlement value. Those remain matters for appropriately qualified specialists.
Farm and estate drone surveys
Wider rural capture can include field boundaries, land imagery, estate mapping, drainage and watercourse context, tracks and access routes, rural buildings, farm roofs, land development imagery, stockpiles and material piles, and planning or reference imagery.
See also drone survey services and drone mapping.
Agricultural infrastructure inspection
Farm roofs, grain stores, silos, sheds, solar arrays, drainage infrastructure, rural buildings and other inaccessible structures can be captured from the air as part of an agricultural visit or as standalone work.
More detail is available on our drone inspection, drone roof survey and solar panel inspection pages.
Agricultural drone services across multiple farms
Agricultural groups, estates, contractors and food producers can use one managed service for assignments across different UK regions, including multiple farms, agricultural portfolios, contractor programmes, repeat crop surveys, seasonal inspection programmes and nationwide agricultural clients.
Coverage spans England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Capability and availability are confirmed for each assignment.
Specialist agricultural drones
Different jobs need very different aircraft, and the two categories are not interchangeable.
Agricultural spraying and spreading drones
Large specialist platforms carrying an application tank or hopper, a spray or spreading system, GPS controlled flight, terrain following where applicable and significant agricultural payload capability.
Multispectral crop survey drones
Smaller mapping platforms equipped with RGB cameras, multispectral sensors, RTK positioning where required and automated mapping capability.
Equipment varies between pilots on the network, so the aircraft and sensors are confirmed against the requirements of each assignment.
Agricultural drone compliance
Agricultural aerial application can involve additional aviation, product and application requirements depending on exactly what is being applied and how the operation is conducted. Drone Assisted assesses the assignment and matches it only to suitable pilot and operator capability for the proposed work.
Pesticide application by drone in the UK is currently limited to specifically permitted uses. HSE states that there are currently no routine commercial pesticide authorisations for drone application; existing pesticide drone work operates under limited Extrapolated Trials Permits and associated aerial spraying requirements. These requirements are confirmed before any pesticide application assignment is accepted.
Spraying, spreading, seeding and other operations that release material from a drone require appropriate CAA Operational Authorisation. Any additional product, landowner or application permissions are assessed alongside the aviation requirements before the assignment is accepted.
Pricing context for wider work is available in our UK drone pilot price guide, and general enquiries can start from hire a drone pilot.
Frequently asked questions
How much does agricultural drone spraying cost?
Pricing depends on field size, location, the product and application being requested, the required application rate, the aircraft needed, operating conditions and the number of fields involved. Most standard assignments show upfront pricing where possible, and complex or large area application programmes are reviewed by our agricultural team for a tailored quote.
Can drones spray crops in the UK?
Suitable agricultural aerial applications can be undertaken where the product, the proposed use, the aviation permissions and the relevant application requirements permit. Pesticide application by drone in the UK is currently limited to specifically permitted uses. HSE states that there are currently no routine commercial pesticide authorisations for drone application; existing pesticide drone work operates under limited Extrapolated Trials Permits and associated aerial spraying requirements. These requirements are confirmed before any pesticide application assignment is accepted.
Can drones spray fields when the ground is wet?
Aerial application can be particularly useful where ground machinery access is difficult, because the aircraft operates above the crop rather than travelling through it. Flying and application weather, wind, rain, product requirements and field conditions still determine whether a job can proceed.
What crops can agricultural drones be used on?
Suitability depends on the job type, the crop, growth stage and the required application or data output. Work is regularly considered across UK arable crops such as wheat, barley, oilseed rape, maize, potatoes, beans and peas, although this does not mean every application is approved for every crop.
Can drones spread seed?
Suitably equipped agricultural drones can support aerial distribution of appropriate materials such as cover crop seed, grass seed, companion crops, wildflower seed and other suitable agricultural seed, along with permitted granular products. Not every seed or granular product is suitable for aerial spreading, so the material and target area are assessed first.
What is an NDVI drone survey?
An NDVI drone survey uses a multispectral sensor to capture wavelengths beyond normal photography and produce a vegetation index map of a field. The map shows how crop vigour varies spatially across the area captured.
What can multispectral crop mapping show?
Multispectral crop mapping highlights spatial variation in crop vigour and identifies areas that may warrant closer investigation. Agronomic interpretation determines the likely cause of any variation shown.
Can you cover large farms?
Yes. Multiple fields, whole farms and multi farm programmes can be coordinated through the network, with capability and availability confirmed for each assignment.
Do you provide agricultural drone services anywhere in the UK?
Drone Assisted operates a UK wide pilot network covering England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Specialist agricultural capability is matched per assignment rather than guaranteed identically in every postcode.
Ready to get started?
Drone Assisted operates a growing UK wide pilot network and confirms suitable capability and availability for each assignment. Identity, commercial insurance and job specific qualifications are checked where required.
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