Crop Spraying in Wilson County, Tennessee

Crop spraying rates in Wilson County

Crop spraying by drone in Wilson County, TN is priced per acre for one pass, application only. You buy the product through your co-op or farm store, and a TDA-licensed operator applies it at label rate.

Service	Typical rate	Notes
Pasture weed control	from $12/acre	cattle, goat and sheep pasture
Hay field weed control	from $12/acre	fescue, orchardgrass, bermudagrass
Cedar & brush on glade pastures	from $20/acre	eastern red cedar, blackberry
Fall armyworm in hay	from $12/acre	late-summer outbreaks
Soybean & corn fungicide	from $11/acre	R3 and tassel timing
Spot treatment of weed patches	from $14/acre	thistle and horsenettle patches

Tennessee drone spraying typically runs $9–$17 per acre for soybeans, corn and hay, with a statewide typical figure near $12, and some directories cite $12–$22. One operator serving Middle Tennessee lists $15–$40. Our starting rates sit near the middle of the common range. Price depends on acres, rock outcrops and terrain, tree lines, fences, barns, homes and power lines, and travel from Lebanon. Properties under 10 acres are billed at a 10-acre minimum.

Cattle and hay country east of Nashville

Wilson County lies between Nashville and the Cumberland Plateau foothills, with the Cumberland River and Old Hickory Lake on its north side. The USDA 2022 Census counts 1,443 farms on about 180,000 acres, averaging 125 acres. Livestock bring in about 62% of farm sales. Hay and forage cover about 33,500 acres, while soybeans cover about 2,200 and corn about 1,300. The county had about 26,800 cattle, 3,300 goats, 2,200 horses and 1,600 sheep.

Target	Where it shows up	Best timing
Musk & bull thistle	Pastures and hay fields	Rosette stage, fall or early spring
Horsenettle & ironweed	Overgrazed pasture	Late spring–summer
Buttercup & winter annuals	Fescue pasture	February–March
Eastern red cedar & blackberry	Glade pastures, fence rows	Summer, full leaf
Fall armyworm	Bermudagrass and fescue hay	August–October

Limestone glades and cedar encroachment

Much of southern Wilson County, around Cedars of Lebanon State Park, Gladeville and Norene, sits on limestone with thin, rocky soil. These cedar glades are home to rare plants found almost nowhere else, and eastern red cedar steadily invades nearby pastures. Rock outcrops make tractor spraying slow and hard on equipment. Drones fly over rock and uneven ground, and operators map the protected glade areas so only the pasture gets treated.

Goats, sheep and grazing intervals

Wilson County has more goats and sheep than most Middle Tennessee counties, alongside beef cattle. Some pasture herbicides have different grazing and slaughter intervals for goats, sheep and lactating animals. Operators check each label for the animals on your farm, and spot treatment of weed patches lets you keep most of a pasture open for grazing.

Hay fields and fall armyworm

Hay is the county's main crop, sold to cattle and horse owners across the Nashville area. Weeds lower its value, and fall armyworms can strip a bermudagrass field in a few days.

• Spring broadleaf passes before the first cutting.
• Armyworm response within a day or two of a call in late summer.
• Haying intervals checked on each label before the flight.
• Soft ground after rain treated without ruts.

Soybeans and corn

Row crops are a small share of Wilson County farmland, mostly on deeper soils near Watertown, Statesville and along the Cumberland bottoms. A drone suits these small fields: an R3 fungicide and insecticide pass in soybeans or a tassel fungicide pass in corn without hauling a large sprayer across the county.

Old Hickory, Percy Priest and Nashville airspace

Old Hickory Lake runs along the northern border, J. Percy Priest Lake reaches the southwest corner, and Spring Creek, Cedar Creek and many smaller streams cross farmland. Labels require buffers from water, and drones hold mapped buffers precisely. Fields in western Wilson County near Mount Juliet lie under Nashville International Airport's controlled airspace, so operators get FAA authorization before flying there.

Spray calendar for Wilson County

Months	Typical jobs
February–March	Buttercup and winter weeds in fescue; thistle rosettes
April–May	Broadleaf weeds in hay before first cutting; soybean and corn herbicides
June–July	Horsenettle and ironweed; cedar and blackberry on glade pastures
August–September	Fall armyworm in hay; soybean and corn fungicide
October–November	Fall thistle rosettes and winter annuals

Why Wilson County farmers use drones

• Rocky glade ground that slows tractors and damages equipment.
• Spot treatment that keeps most pasture open for grazing.
• Precise buffers around glades, lakes, creeks and homes.
• Small-farm friendly, with a 10-acre minimum.
• Fast response when armyworms hit hay.

Tennessee licensing for drone spraying

The Tennessee Department of Agriculture (TDA) licenses pesticide applicators. A commercial applicator spraying for hire by drone must pass the core exam, the aerial category and a category matching the work, such as agricultural plant pest control, and carry liability insurance. Farmers using restricted-use products on their own land need a 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 the pasture or field location, acres and what needs treating.
2. We match you with a TDA-licensed, FAA Part 137-certified operator working in Wilson County.
3. You approve the per-acre quote and spray window.
4. The operator maps the property, applies and sends you the application record.

Communities we cover

Lebanon, Mount Juliet, Watertown, Gladeville, Statesville, Norene, Green Hill, Laguardo and Tuckers Crossroads, plus farms along the Davidson, Sumner, Smith, Trousdale, DeKalb, Cannon and Rutherford county lines.