Drone Spraying in Montague County, TX for Pasture, Hay and Wheat

Montague County drone spraying prices

Drone spraying in Montague County is quoted per acre for application only. Product is billed at cost, or you supply it. The Texas A&M AgriLife 2026 Custom Rate Survey puts North region aerial herbicide at $9.27 per acre and insecticide or fungicide at $8.36. Drone operators serving the county list $11–30 per acre for application only. Chemical-included pasture packages elsewhere in Texas run about $29–72 per acre.

Service	Typical rate	Notes
Pasture broadleaf herbicide	from $11/acre	Broomweed, ragweed, thistle
Wheat fungicide or insecticide	from $10/acre	Rust, armyworm, greenbug passes
Bermudagrass hay insect passes	from $10/acre	Armyworm, stem maggot, grasshoppers
Mesquite leaf spray	from $16/acre	At least 4 GPA
Pecan orchard passes	from $18/acre	Casebearer timing

Price depends on acres per trip, brush density and timber, tanks and creeks, gallons per acre on the label, and how scattered the parcels are between Bowie, Nocona and Saint Jo. Jobs are billed on a 20-acre minimum per trip.

Montague County runs on cattle and hay

The 2022 USDA Census of Agriculture counts 1,644 farms on 465,118 acres in Montague County, averaging 283 acres. Sales reached $62.1 million, up 86%, and 81% of that came from livestock. Cow-calf and stocker cattle dominate, with about 73,300 head, plus 1,896 horses and small flocks of sheep and goats. AgriLife reports bermudagrass and other hay worth about $5 million in 2023 cash receipts.

Crop	Acres (2022)
Hay and forage	49,609
Wheat for grain	9,474
Pecans	1,085

Much more wheat is grazed than harvested, so wheat pasture and bermudagrass hay set most of the spray calendar.

Cross Timbers brush: mesquite and redcedar

Large parts of the county sit in the Western Cross Timbers, where post oak and blackjack oak grow on sandy soils and eastern redcedar has spread as wildfire has become rarer. Mesquite takes over open pasture. For mesquite leaf sprays, the soil 12–18 inches deep must reach 75°F. The best windows run 42–63 days after bud break (late May to mid-June) or 72–84 days after (early July). Aerial work should be done in winds of 2–10 mph, below 95°F, above 20% humidity and at 4 gallons per acre or more. For eastern redcedar, OSU and AgriLife guidance favors prescribed fire and mechanical removal, with herbicide used for individual trees. A drone helps most on rough, timbered pastures where a tractor can't reach the patches.

Bermudagrass hay pests

AgriLife's forage insect guide sets the thresholds Montague County hay growers use:

• Fall armyworm: treat at more than 2–3 larvae half an inch or longer per square foot. Pressure peaks from midsummer to early November, and early-morning or evening passes work best.
• Grasshoppers: treat at 21 or more per square yard on field margins or 8 or more inside the field, while they are still small.
• Bermudagrass stem maggot: treat 7–10 days after cutting.
• True armyworm: watch for it in spring.

A drone treats hay meadows right after cutting without running wheels over the regrowth.

Wheat pasture: Hessian fly and rust

AgriLife reported above-average Hessian fly damage across North Texas wheat in 2022, along with leaf rust and leaf stripe. Hessian fly lays eggs from September to December, so planting in late October or November and choosing tolerant varieties such as TAM 204 do more than spraying. Foliar passes target rust and armyworm on grazed and grain wheat. Check grazing intervals on any product label before stockers go back on the field.

Pecans and Saint Jo vineyards

Montague County has 1,085 acres of pecans. In North Texas, pecan nut casebearer pheromone traps go out by May 1, and most eggs are laid in late May and early June. AgriLife's threshold is two or more infested clusters out of the first 310 sampled, with treatment one to two days after egg hatch. Saint Jo is wine country, with Blue Ostrich Winery & Vineyard and the Arché estate vineyard. Vines are extremely sensitive to 2,4-D and other growth-regulator herbicides, so pasture work near vineyards needs extra buffers, careful product choice and wind blowing away from the vines.

Regulated herbicides: Montague vs. Clay County

Montague, Cooke, Wise and Jack are not TDA regulated-herbicide counties under 4 TAC §7.53. Clay County to the west is regulated north and east of a line from the Little Wichita River to the Wichita County line. In that area, from June 1 to September 15, ester 2,4-D and MCPA are banned, amine 2,4-D needs a permit, and aerial applications need a 5-mile buffer from susceptible crops and wind of 10 mph or less. Ranches that straddle the line are checked before any summer pass. The Red River forms the northern border with Oklahoma, so drift toward Love and Jefferson counties is also watched.

Montague County spray calendar

Months	Typical drone work
February–April	Wheat foliar passes; spring broadleaf in pasture
April–May	True armyworm; thistle and early ragweed
Late May–June	Mesquite window 1; pecan casebearer
July	Mesquite window 2; hay stem maggot after cutting
August–October	Fall armyworm and grasshoppers in hay and wheat seedlings
October–November	Fall broadleaf in pasture and wheat

Licensing and Sheppard training routes

For-hire drone work in Texas requires a TDA commercial applicator license with the Aerial Application category and a site category such as Pasture & Rangeland. Operators also hold FAA Part 107 and Part 137 certification and a Section 44807 exemption for drones of 55 pounds or more. Sheppard AFB flies T-38 and T-6 training routes over the region at 500–1,500 feet, and a 2023 near-midair collision between a T-38 and a crop duster shows the risk. Drones fly below those altitudes, but pilots still check routes and NOTAMs. Bowie Municipal (0F2) is the main local airport.