Aerial Drone Seeding & Cover Crop Seeding
Drone seeding into prepared ground, wet fields, and cover-crop scenarios — reaching ground that ground rigs can't, with zero compaction.
Get a quoteWhat drone seeding is
Aerial drone seeding drops seed from an unmanned aircraft flying a mapped route over the field. A calibrated hopper releases seed at a set rate as the drone flies line by line, giving you even distribution without a tractor ever touching the soil.
It is well suited to cover crops, rice, wet or flooded ground, steep terrain, and fields where a rig would rut or compact the seedbed. Because the drone flies above the field, seeding can happen right after irrigation or rainfall, when the conditions for germination are best.
Drone seeding fits a range of California plantings, including:
Why drones beat ground rigs and manned aircraft
Wet-field seeding
Seed right after irrigation or rain — when the ground is too soft for a rig but perfect for germination.
No compaction
No tires press the seedbed. Soil structure stays intact for better root development and water infiltration.
Steep & hard-to-reach ground
Hillsides, ditch banks, and odd-shaped blocks that a tractor can't safely travel seed easily from the air.
Tight windows
When the planting window is short, a drone gets seed down fast without waiting for a rig to be available.
Lower cost than manned aircraft
No airstrip or reload crew — drone seeding is far more economical than a manned plane or helicopter for small and mid-size fields.
Precision rate control
A mapped route and calibrated hopper put the right pounds per acre down every pass, with records for each block.
Licensed, insured, and compliant
Even though seeding does not apply pesticides, Virelo operates under the same commercial drone standards as our spray work.
- ●FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot Certificate for every operator
- ●FAA Part 137 Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate
- ●FAA Section 44807 exemption for agricultural aircraft operations
- ●CADPR-licensed operator (License No. 47312)
- ●Liability insurance and bonding for every job
- ●Recorded flight maps and seed-rate logs for every field
We serve growers across Central California and the Central Coast:
Can a drone seed cover crops into standing cash crops?
Yes. A drone flies above the canopy and can seed a cover crop into a standing crop without driving through it.
How accurate is the seed rate?
The hopper is calibrated to your target pounds per acre, and the drone flies a mapped route so every acre receives a consistent rate.
Does drone seeding work on rice and flooded fields?
Yes — drones seed into flooded or saturated ground where no rig can travel, which is ideal for rice and wetland plantings.
How much ground can one drone seed per day?
Depending on seed weight, hopper size, and field access, a drone can seed dozens of acres per day, with more aircraft added for larger jobs.