Wet paddock, closing window
The rig will bog and the forecast has three clear days in it. The operator flies off the headland and you don't lose the spray.
From $32/ha · ex GST
Drone spraying
Wet paddocks, steep country, creek lines and crops a boom can't get through. A licensed operator sprays it by drone. You see a guide range first, the operator confirms the price in writing, and you contract and pay the operator direct.
Spraying by drone is a complex operation under CASA rules, so the operator needs extra approval on top of a standard licence.
S.01Where it suits4 situations
Steep and timbered
Blackberry, lantana and woody weeds on country you wouldn't take a quad up. The operator works it in swaths, following the terrain.
Creek lines and margins
Riparian weeds, drain banks, roadside and fence lines — the awkward strips that cost a ground rig half a day.
Patches, not paddocks
Map the weeds first, then treat only the patches. Growers commonly cut chemical on a fallow spray by a third or more.
S.02When it suits, and when it does not
Call for a drone
- Paddocks too wet to carry a rig, when the window is closing
- Steep, timbered or broken country
- Creek lines, dam edges, drains and roadsides
- Small and irregular blocks under 40 ha
- Tall, late-season crops you’d otherwise flatten
- Spot spraying weed patches instead of blanket-treating the paddock
- Anywhere wheel tracks or compaction cost you yield
Don’t call for a drone
- Flat, dry, open country a ground rig can travel freely — a boom will usually beat a drone on cost per hectare, whatever the size, and we’ll tell you so
- Products the label requires to be applied from the ground, and in New South Wales, products the label allows from fixed-wing aircraft only
- Jobs needing more water per hectare than a drone can economically carry
S.03Guide rangeex GST
| Broadacre spray, up to 20 L/ha | $32/ha |
| Spray, 21–40 L/ha | $42/ha |
| High-volume / complex application | from $55/ha |
| Spot spraying / difficult terrain | $275–$325/hr |
| Jobs under 10 ha | $250–$260/hr |
A guide, not a quote. The operator confirms the price in writing.
See all guide ranges→S.04Who is based near you
See where operators are based on the map →
Also done by plane or helicopter: see fixed-wing spraying or helicopter spraying.
Got a paddock that needs doing?
Tell us the block, the product and the window. The licensed operators who cover your region see the enquiry, quote their own price, and contract with you direct.