Fulton, New York's Empire Drone Company (EDC) recently received a Part 137 certification from the FAA that allows the company to use UAS to spray crops.

According to EDC, using UAS for crop spraying offers a number of advantages over traditional crop spraying methods, including helping growers save on equipment, application, and labor, cutting back on time and traffic in the field, and reducing applicators exposure to potentially harmful chemicals.

“We are incredibly excited to be one of the first companies in New York to be given the go-ahead by the FAA to spray crops with drones,” says Sean Falconer, partner at Empire Drone Company.

“This new spraying service, in combination with our agricultural drone sensors and spraying drone sales offerings, help make us the one-stop-shop drone resource for agricultural professionals in New York State and beyond.”

EDC says that spraying UAS can cover up to 24 acres per hour. They can be flown either autonomously in a grid or manually for spot spraying. With the help of its onboard radar system, the UAS can fly a consistent elevation a few feet above a field.

EDC adds that the prop-wash effect from the drone’s propellers effectively force inputs down and around each plant.