How to start a
drone spraying business in Canada
Licences, equipment, insurance, customers and pricing: a practical plan for your first season as an agricultural drone operator.
Step 1: Get the licences
- Transport Canada Advanced pilot certificate for every pilot. See the drone licence guide.
- Provincial aerial pesticide licence. Rules differ by province: Saskatchewan has had a drone applicator licence since 2026, Ontario proposed one in October 2026, and Québec needs a permit for the business and a certificate for the applicator. See the regulations guide.
- Agras training with your drone: setup, calibration, routes and safety. See Agras training.
- A registered, declared drone for the operations you will fly.
Step 2: Choose the equipment
| Starting out | Growing | |
|---|---|---|
| Drone | Agras T50 | Second T50 or an Agras T100 |
| Batteries | Three or four | Enough to never wait on charge |
| Power | D12000iE generator | Generator per drone |
| Payloads | Spray system; add the spreader for seeding | Both, plus spare sprinklers and a second tank |
| Transport | Trailer with water tank and battery rack | Second trailer |
A fully loaded T100 can pass 150 kg and then needs a Special Flight Operations Certificate (SFOC). See the field kit guide, financing options, and repair and support for parts in season.
Step 3: Insurance and records
Buy liability insurance that covers aerial application and drift. Ontario sets a minimum for aerial businesses; Saskatchewan requires drift cover for drone applicators. Keep records of product, rate, field, weather and GPS flight logs for every job.
Step 4: Find customers
- Farms with wet or tall-crop timing problems: fungicide in wheat, soybeans and corn, often small fields that would otherwise wait for a crop duster.
- Potato and forage growers: late blight passes on wet rows and pasture seeding.
- Greenhouse ranges that shade their glass each spring. See greenhouse shading.
- Cover crop growers who want seed on before harvest. See cover crop seeding.
- Orchards and vineyards on slopes. See orchard spraying.
- Agronomists and retailers who need someone to apply what they recommend.
Start with neighbours and local crop advisors. Farmers buy on trust and timing.
Step 5: Price the work
Build each quote from mobilization, a minimum charge, a per-acre rate that rises with water volume, who supplies the product and water, and weather terms. At 50 L/ha one T50 tank covers about 0.8 ha (about 2 acres), so time a full cycle (fly, land, refill, swap batteries) before you set a per-acre price. Seeding at low rates goes much faster per load than spraying.
Step 6: Plan the first season
- Winter: licences, equipment, insurance, trailer build.
- Early spring: practice on simple, open fields; calibrate on real seed and fertilizer.
- Spring and summer: take jobs within a short drive; measure acres per day honestly.
- Fall: cover crop seeding, then review the season's costs and rates.
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Frequently asked questions
How do I start a drone spraying business in Canada?
Get the Transport Canada Advanced pilot certificate and your province's aerial pesticide licence, buy a declared Agras with enough batteries and power, insure the business for aerial application, and start with local farms and crop advisors.
How much does it cost to start a drone spraying business?
Budget for the drone, batteries, a generator, spray and spreading systems, a trailer, training, licences and insurance. Batteries and power are a large share. Ask for an itemized quote and see financing options.
How much do drone sprayers make?
It depends on acres per season, your rate and your costs. Time a full spraying cycle first: at 50 L/ha a T50 tank covers about 0.8 ha, so refills and charging set how many acres you can bill.
Which drone is best for a spraying business?
Do I need insurance for drone spraying?
Yes. Liability insurance for aerial application, including drift. Ontario and Saskatchewan set requirements for aerial and RPAS applicators.
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