Corn drone spraying cost in Michigan
Researched per-acre cost to spray corn by drone in Michigan, the agronomy that drives it, and operators who cover your area.
Estimated cost in Michigan
$1,760–$3,360
$11–$21/acre × 160 acres
What’s driving this
- Michigan base rate
- $11–$21/acre (row crop)
- Gallons per acre
- 2 GPA → ×1.00
Application only — product & chemical extra.
Sources & how this is estimated
Estimate only — actual rates vary by field size, terrain, and product. Application only; product/chemical extra. Data as of 2026.
Sources: MSU Extension — 2026 Custom Work Rates Report (self-propelled boom sprayer engineering cost $9.62/ac; pull-type $6.60/ac — ground only); agdronedirectory — Drone Spraying for Orchards (MI named with WA/CA/NY; orchard drone $20-$35/ac, 6-12 passes/season); Growing Produce — drones for orchards/vineyards; MI operator (Aerial Ag Technologies, Battle Creek) ~$150/hr, DJI Agras T30 for tree fruit; Iowa State 2026 Farm Custom Rate Survey (row-crop anchor)
What it takes to spray corn in Michigan
Fungicide for tar spot and gray leaf spot at VT–R1 over a tall canopy is the classic drone job — low carrier volume, fast wide passes.
- Carrier volume: 2–3 GPA — higher volumes cost more per acre (more refills, fewer acres/hour).
- Typical passes: 1–2 (fungicide at tassel, ± a foliar/nitrogen pass).
- Grown in Michigan: 2,101,033 harvestedacres (USDA Census of Agriculture 2022) — so there’s real, sprayable corn acreage for operators here.
How big is a typical corn field in Michigan?
The average Michigan corn operation works about 216 acres of corn (USDA Census of Agriculture 2022, 9,745 operations) — so at these rates a field that size runs about $2,376–$4,536 per application. That’s an average across whole operations; a single field is usually smaller. Corn field sizes & cost in Michigan →
Sources & confidence
Michigan estimate · medium confidence · data as of 2026 — MSU's 2026 'Custom Work Rates' are engineering machinery-cost ESTIMATES, not surveyed market drone/aerial rates; its sprayer lines are ground-only and confirm no aerial line exists for MI. Row-crop drone band DERIVED from Iowa anchor scaled ~10% up (costIndex 1.10) for MI's smaller, tree-lined fields. Specialty band is well-supported: MI is a top-4 orchard drone-spray state (apple/cherry/peach/grape), national orchard band $20-$35 for 6-12 passes, with an in-state operator corroborating premium pricing. Confidence medium overall.
- MSU Extension — 2026 Custom Work Rates Report (self-propelled boom sprayer engineering cost $9.62/ac; pull-type $6.60/ac — ground only)
- agdronedirectory — Drone Spraying for Orchards (MI named with WA/CA/NY; orchard drone $20-$35/ac, 6-12 passes/season)
- Growing Produce — drones for orchards/vineyards; MI operator (Aerial Ag Technologies, Battle Creek) ~$150/hr, DJI Agras T30 for tree fruit
- Iowa State 2026 Farm Custom Rate Survey (row-crop anchor)
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Other crops in Michigan
Corn drone spraying in Michigan: FAQs
- How much does it cost to spray corn by drone in Michigan?
- Drone spraying corn in Michigan typically runs about $11–$21 per acre (application only, product extra). Carrier volume, passes, field size, and product move the final number — compare operator quotes for an exact price.
- What carrier volume and how many passes for corn?
- Corn is usually treated at 2–3 GPA over 1–2 (fungicide at tassel, ± a foliar/nitrogen pass). Fungicide for tar spot and gray leaf spot at VT–R1 over a tall canopy is the classic drone job — low carrier volume, fast wide passes.