Drone Spraying in Rusk County, TX for Pasture, Hay and Brush

Rusk County drone spraying prices

Drone spraying in Rusk County, TX is priced per acre for one pass, application only. Livestock and poultry bring in 91% of farm sales here, hay covers more than 30,000 acres, and woodland covers 52,000 more. More than 40% of farms are under 50 acres. The rates below are built for bahiagrass and bermudagrass pasture, hay meadows and brushy edges in the Piney Woods.

Service	Typical rate	Notes
Pasture broadleaf herbicide	from $11/acre	Dogfennel, ragweed, buttercup
Hay meadow weed control	from $11/acre	Timed around cuttings
Stem maggot and armyworm insecticide	from $12/acre	Bermudagrass hay, after cutting
Smutgrass spot spraying	from $13/acre	Mapped clumps in bahia pasture
Blackberry and brush spot work	from $19/acre	Fence rows and woods edges

Product is billed separately, or the landowner supplies it. Texas drone rates are about $12 per acre typical, and East Texas pasture operators publish $10–30. AgriLife's 2026 custom rate survey puts East Texas aerial herbicide at $11.67 and brush work at $23.20 per acre. The quote depends on water volume, brush density, timber edges, poultry barns and power lines, and travel distance. The minimum charge is $225 per visit.

Rusk County farm numbers

Measure	Rusk County, TX (2022 Census)
Farms / average size	1,309 farms / 164 acres
Farms under 50 acres	43%
Market value of sales	$105.0M, 59th in Texas
Livestock and poultry share	91%
Poultry and eggs	$67.96M, 18th in Texas; 2.39 million broilers
Cattle	40,965 head
Hay and forage / woodland	30,444 / 52,258 acres

Directory pages list "550 acres of alfalfa and hay" as Rusk County's top crop, which understates the real forage base about 55 times. Here, drone spraying is pasture and hay work around broiler farms, small cow-calf places and timber.

AgriLife's drone vs. boom trial in East Texas

In June 2023, Texas A&M AgriLife compared a spray drone at 2 gallons per acre with a ground boom at 18 gallons per acre. The trial ran on bermudagrass and bahiagrass pasture near Colfax, in East Texas. Weeds were 4–12 inches tall: false ragweed, goatweed, milkweed, blackberry, ironweed and dogfennel. Products included DuraCor, Grazon PD3, MezaVue, Chaparral and GrazonNext HL. Most treatments reached 98–99% control at one month, and every treatment hit 99% at two months. Drone and boom performed essentially the same, so the choice comes down to access, timing and ground conditions.

Dogfennel and smutgrass in bahiagrass pasture

Dogfennel is easiest to kill while small. University of Florida work shows GrazonNext HL alone becomes unreliable on plants 30 inches or taller. Tank mixes with 2,4-D, WeedMaster or Pasturegard HL gave at least 88% control on 40-inch plants, for about $4–7 more per acre.

Smutgrass spreads by seed through bahiagrass and bermudagrass and is avoided by cattle once it heads. AgriLife guidance on hexazinone (Velpar L) calls for a 38-day haying interval and a 100-foot buffer from desirable trees. Smutgrass often grows in scattered clumps, so mapped drone spot spraying can cut product use compared with a broadcast pass.

Stem maggot and armyworm in hay meadows

Bermudagrass stem maggot has been in Texas since 2013 and attacks bermudagrass and stargrass. AgriLife recommends a pyrethroid about seven days after cutting, with a second pass 5–7 days later if pressure is heavy. Fall armyworms can strip a hayfield overnight, often right after a dry spell breaks. The treatment threshold is three or more larvae per square foot. A drone treats the regrowth without running over fresh stubble or windrows.

Fire ants, pine stands and woods edges

Fire ant bait such as Extinguish Plus goes on pasture and rangeland at about 1.5 pounds per acre, ideally while ants are foraging. Hay can't be cut or baled for seven days after. East Texas drone operators already spread fire ant bait, where the product label allows that method.

For pine plantations, Texas A&M Forest Service guidance on woody release calls for an application in August–October the year after planting, using imazapyr, glyphosate and triclopyr. That is usually done by helicopter. On small stands and pasture edges, a drone can handle the same window.

Martin Creek Lake, Lake Striker and the oil field

Martin Creek Lake, 4,981 acres near Tatum, has cooled a power plant since 1974. Lake Striker, 1,954 acres on Striker Creek along the Cherokee County line, dates from 1957. The Angelina River rises in south-central Rusk County near Laneville. Fields near these waters get label setbacks, and products are checked for aquatic restrictions first.

Western Rusk County sits on the East Texas Oil Field, opened on October 3, 1930, when Daisy Bradford No. 3 came in near Joinerville. Old well pads, pipelines and power lines still cross many pastures, so obstacles get mapped before every flight.

Broiler houses and local airspace

With about 2.4 million broilers, Rusk County has poultry houses next to much of its pastureland. Operators map each barn as a no-spray zone and keep wind direction away from tunnel-fan intakes. Rusk County Airport, about 3 nautical miles west of Henderson, has a 4,006-foot runway and no tower. East Texas Regional in Longview, about 16 nautical miles northeast, adds controlled airspace to the north. Texas is a FieldWatch state, so operators check DriftWatch and BeeCheck before flying.

TDA licensing and herbicide rules

Rusk County isn't on the TDA regulated-herbicide list, and neither are Smith, Cherokee, Nacogdoches, Gregg or Panola. Label directions still govern every application. Texas requires a TDA license for drone application of restricted-use, state-limited-use or regulated herbicides. Commercial applicators add Category 9 Aerial to a use category, usually 1C for pasture and rangeland weeds, and Category 9 can't stand alone. Operators also need FAA Part 107, a Part 137 certificate, and a Section 44807 exemption for drones over 55 pounds.