Drone spraying cost in Oregon
Researched per-acre rates for agricultural drone spraying in Oregon — estimate your job, see the crop-by-crop breakdown, and compare operators.
Estimated cost in Oregon
$2,080–$3,200
$13–$20/acre × 160 acres
What’s driving this
- Oregon base rate
- $13–$20/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 2025.
Sources: US Ag Drone Directory pricing — Pacific Northwest (WA/OR/ID) $14-20/ac, row crops low end, orchards/vineyards high end; GroDrones — Willamette Valley OR operator (vineyards, orchards, nurseries, pasture; quote-based); nuWay Ag Oregon — drone spraying for sloped terrain & specialty crops
Drone spraying cost by crop in Oregon
| Crop | Typical cost ($/acre) | Grown in OR (acres) |
|---|---|---|
| Wheat | $13–$20 | 737,385 |
| Alfalfa & Hay | $13–$20 | 358,904 |
| Hazelnuts | $18–$31 | 69,213 |
| Potatoes | $18–$32 | 50,324 |
| Corn | $13–$20 | 47,055 |
| Vineyards | $17–$31 | 26,753 |
| Barley | $13–$20 | 19,027 |
| Blueberries | $17–$31 | 12,918 |
| Cherries | $18–$31 | 11,781 |
| Oats | $12–$19 | 8,929 |
| Field Peas | $12–$19 | 8,814 |
| Sugar Beets | $18–$32 | 8,013 |
Cost is application only; product/chemical extra — estimates, so request quotes for exact pricing. Acreage is USDA Census of Agriculture 2022 (harvested acres, or bearing acres for tree/vine/berry crops).
What’s grown in Oregon
The crops that cover the most ground in Oregon, by acreage — every one is a candidate for aerial spraying. Share is of the state’s tracked-crop acreage in the 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture.
Source: USDA NASS Census of Agriculture 2022 — acres harvested (field crops) and acres bearing (tree, vine & berry crops). Broad categories like pasture and mixed specialty crops aren’t charted here.
What drives the price in Oregon
Per-acre rates move with the crop (dense orchard and vineyard canopies cost more than open row crops), the carrier volume (more gallons per acre means more refills and fewer acres per hour), the number of passes, field size and terrain, and whether a restricted-use pesticide is applied (which adds a certified-applicator and recordkeeping surcharge).Oregon’s base rate also reflects local regulation, labor, and field geometry.
Sources & confidence
Oregon estimate · medium confidence · data as of 2025 — Oregon shares the Pacific Northwest band: directory cites WA/OR/ID row crops at the $14-20 low end and orchards/vineyards at the high end. Specialty band aligned to the national/PNW orchard-vineyard $18-32 range; Oregon vineyards (steep Willamette/Walla Walla rows) and hazelnut orchards push toward the higher end. No public Oregon operator posts an exact per-acre number and no OSU extension survey breaks out aerial/drone rates, so confidence is medium. costIndex 1.28 reflects PNW being a modest premium over Iowa but well below California (no CDPR overhead).
31 drone-spraying operators serve Oregon. Compare them and request free quotes.
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Drone spraying cost in Oregon: FAQs
- How much does drone spraying cost in Oregon?
- In Oregon, drone spraying runs about $13–$20 per acre for row crops and $18–$32 per acre for orchards, vineyards, and specialty crops (application only, product extra), about 28% above the national median. Field size, carrier volume (gallons per acre), passes, and product all move the number — request quotes for an exact figure.
- Why does drone spraying cost above in Oregon?
- Per-acre rates vary by state with regulatory load (permitting, buffer zones, applicator licensing), labor and fuel costs, field size and geometry, and crop mix. Oregon's rate reflects those local factors versus the national median.
- Does a restricted-use pesticide cost more to apply in Oregon?
- Usually a little. Restricted-use products require a certified applicator, extra recordkeeping and notification, and stricter buffers — a modest per-acre surcharge (often a couple of dollars an acre) on top of the base rate.
- How does gallons per acre change the price?
- Higher carrier volume (more gallons per acre) means more refills and fewer acres per hour, so per-acre cost rises with GPA. Low-volume row-crop jobs (~2 GPA) are cheapest; California and specialty orchard/vineyard work at 5–10 GPA costs more. This is where the technology has moved fastest, though — today's flagship tanks hold roughly 26 gallons, about five times the 2020 models, so drones now cover higher-GPA work far more efficiently than they used to.