Drone spraying and crop mapping questions, answered

We fly them for you. We are an agricultural drone contracting service: our pilot comes to your farm with our own aircraft and insurance and, from late October 2026, our CAA Operational Authorisation, does the mapping, spraying, spreading or seeding, and leaves you with the results and the records. You never need to buy, insure or learn to fly a drone. If you are interested in owning your own kit one day, that is something we plan to offer through a separate sister business, but it is not what this website is for.

We offer five services: crop mapping with NDVI (a plant-health index) and multispectral imaging, drone spraying (fertilisers, biostimulants and other permitted products), aerial spreading (granular fertiliser), aerial seeding (cover crops, grass and wildflower mixes) and orchard spraying. You can see full details on our Services page.

We have bases in Cornwall, Stratford-upon-Avon and Hertfordshire, which puts us within reach of farms right across southern and central England, covering the South West, Midlands, South East and East of England. For specialist or larger jobs, we're happy to travel further afield across the UK. Just get in touch and we'll let you know.

We understand that spray windows are tight and timing matters. Once we've agreed a job, we aim to be as responsive as possible. For urgent work, we'll do our best to fit you in, and we tell you straight if we cannot. Give us a call and we'll work it out together.

Not yet. Under current UK regulations, the aerial application of Plant Protection Products (pesticides, herbicides and fungicides) from drones is not permitted, so we do not spray them. We can apply fertilisers, biostimulants and seed, and we can build a variable rate prescription map so your own sprayer applies pesticides exactly where they are needed. The law behind this, with the sources linked, is in our guide Can drones spray crops in the UK?

We can apply liquid fertilisers, granular fertilisers (spreading) and biostimulants. For seeding, we handle cover crops, grass reseeding, and wildflower mixes. See our full list on the Compliance page.

Yes, that's one of the biggest advantages. Because the drone flies above the field, ground conditions don't matter. No ruts, no compaction, no waiting for the ground to dry. Our DJI Agras T70P is built for wet ground (DJI rates its RTK station and connectors to IP67 and the airframe is splash protected), so it handles wet weather well too.

Yes, for approved products. An aircraft this size flies in the Specific category, so it needs an Operational Authorisation from the CAA, assessed through SORA, flown by a GVC-holding remote pilot. Our pilot holds the GVC and our application is in assessment with the CAA, so spraying starts from late October 2026, once the CAA grants our Operational Authorisation. Crop mapping is available now. Pesticides, herbicides and fungicides are not yet permitted from drones; fertilisers, biostimulants and seeding are. The full picture is in our guide Can drones spray crops in the UK?

We take drift control seriously. The DJI Agras T70P uses rotary atomisation nozzles that produce a consistent, controlled droplet size, reducing drift significantly compared to conventional booms. We also fly at low altitude, which keeps the spray close to the crop canopy. If wind conditions exceed safe operating limits, we won't fly. Every job has weather parameters built into the plan, and we'll always be straight with you about whether conditions are right.

Every flight path is pre-planned using GPS mapping software, with RTK positioning giving us centimetre-level accuracy. The drone follows the planned route precisely, with consistent speed, height, and application rate throughout. There are no gaps and no overlaps. After every job, we can show you the coverage map so you can see exactly where product was applied.

Yes. Once a spraying, spreading or seeding job is complete, we produce a GPS-logged application record (product, rate, date, area, conditions) for your nutrient management and scheme records. It's published straight to your Farmers Portal, where you can view and download it any time for your own records and for inspections.

We fly the DJI Agras T70P for spraying, seeding, and spreading (70-litre payload, RTK GPS), and the DJI Mavic 3 Multispectral for crop mapping and NDVI surveys. You can see full specs on our Equipment page.

Very. We use RTK GPS which gives us centimetre-level accuracy on every pass. That means no gaps, no overlaps, and no wasted product. The T70P's rotary atomising nozzles give even coverage, and flight paths are pre-planned using DJI's agricultural software.

It depends on the job. Spraying, the T70P covers around 35 to 50 acres an hour (15 to 20 hectares) at 10 to 20 litres per hectare, though the real figure comes down to your application rate and the shape of the field. Spreading, it carries a 100 litre hopper and puts out up to 400 kg a minute, so the acres an hour depend entirely on the rate you are applying. For crop mapping, the Mavic 3M can cover up to 200 hectares, nearly 500 acres, in a single flight. We'll give you a realistic estimate when you get in touch.

About 8 to 9 minutes in the air on the large DB2160 packs we run. That sounds short until you see how we work: a spare recharges from our generator in 7 to 9 minutes, so there is always one ready and the drone swaps and carries straight on. In spraying the tank is the real limit anyway. Seventy litres at 15 litres per hectare covers around 11 acres per load, so we are back on the ground for product at about the same time the battery wants swapping.

We carry spare batteries and have contingency plans for every job. DJI equipment is industry-leading in reliability, and we maintain our fleet to the highest standard. If something does go wrong, we'll communicate with you immediately and arrange to complete the work as quickly as possible.

Just click "Get a Quote" anywhere on the site, or give us a call. We'll ask about your acreage, what you need done, and any timing requirements. Quotes are always free and there's no obligation.

It's helpful to meet us on arrival so we can walk through the job, but you don't need to stand with us the whole time. We'll keep you updated throughout and you'll get a full report once the job is done.

Every job comes with a report including coverage maps, application rates, and flight data. For crop mapping, you'll receive NDVI maps, orthomosaic imagery (a stitched aerial map), and analysis you can act on. All data is yours to keep, delivered through your secure Farmers Portal, with maps, reports, invoices and messages all in one place.

Yes. Public liability insurance of £5 million with Coverdrone, subject to policy conditions. Our Operational Authorisation is in assessment, expected late October 2026. We work to HSE guidance with a written risk assessment and method statement for every job. The schedule is available on request, and the details are on our compliance page.

It's our voluntary evidence and benchmarking programme. With your consent, anonymised data from your jobs will be used, over its first season, to build real-world evidence comparing drone application with conventional ground methods. You own your data, participation is optional, and it doesn't change how your job is delivered. Learn more here.

We publish our prices openly, no hidden fees, no surprises, and the same fair price for everyone. As a guide: drone seeding from £14 per acre, spreading £18 per acre, spraying £19 per acre, and orchard spraying £25 per acre. Crop mapping is £495 a visit, with everything included: the stitched map with boundaries and acreages, NDVI and NDRE plant health, the Barley's Eye crop report and the interactive field map in your Farmers Portal (any number of fields, up to 50 acres in one visit, then £5 per acre). You can see the full list on our Pricing page, and a free, no-obligation quote confirms the exact figure for your fields. Prices are shown without VAT. HarvestHawk is not currently VAT registered, so nothing is added today; if we register, VAT will be added on top at the standard rate. Once we have mapped your farm for a full season it gets better value: a returning season is £1,295 for four mapping visits.

Yes. The season package is £1,485 for four mapping visits in your first year. Renew for a second year or more and a returning season is £1,295 for the same four visits, a further £190 off. We already know your farm, so that time goes into turning the maps into something your sprayer can actually drive. If you apply with your own equipment, a variable rate prescription is £95 per mapping visit, bought whenever you want one.

Per acre, a drone pass can cost more than a ground rig, and we are upfront about that. What you are paying for is the return, not just the pass. Precision placement means less wasted input: published variable-rate nitrogen trials report around 10 to 18% less nitrogen for the same yield for the same or better effect, which is not a HarvestHawk figure. There are no wheelings or soil compaction, which quietly cost yield season after season. And because the drone flies when the ground is too wet for a tractor, you do not miss the window that matters most for growth. Timely, precise application is one of the biggest levers on final yield and crop quality, which is where the value shows up in your revenue. We would always rather earn our fee by growing you a better crop than by being the cheapest pass in the field. See the science and the value →

Yes. Many farmers benefit from regular drone services throughout the season, whether that's scheduled spraying, seasonal mapping, or a combination. We're happy to discuss ongoing arrangements that work for your farm's calendar.

There are several grant schemes that may help fund precision agriculture services. We've put together a guide to the most relevant ones. Visit our Grants page for details.