
Cover Crop Innovations is a startup company based in Concord, Massachusetts with initial focus on aerial cover crop seeding. Our FAA licensed drone pilots, flying under Agricultural Aircraft Operator Certificate #2OVG250Q, use drones to seed cover crops over standing cash crops to allow maximum cover growth before the growing season ends.
Our drones can land and load from the edge of the field and spread seed evenly from a low height over the standing cash crop, typically field corn, soybeans, or pumpkins and other cucurbits. Seeding cover crop in August and September, before the cash-crop harvest, allows maximum growth and benefit from the cover crop before the next spring planting season. Because of their original use in videography, drone-controller systems have very accurate location ability and stability in flight. Turned to seeding, this means even coverage of seeding across the field. The process is efficient, accurate, safe, and cost effect as compared to manned flight operations. Drone flight lines can be preprogrammed from aerial photos of a field or a ground truth walkabout. Strict adherence to flight lines and the tight turning radius of drone flight mean obstructions at field edges can be avoided without a need to overfly.