For this episode of Landowner Insider, I sat down with Jordan Smith of Calibrated Land Services, who has been spraying our own place for a few years now. We talked through timing, pre-emergent versus post-emergent treatment, where drones actually make sense compared to traditional ground rigs, and the biggest mistake he sees landowners make.
From Ag Teacher to Building a Drone Spraying Business
Jordan’s path here wasn’t a straight line. He got his ag degree at Tarleton, worked in animal health sales for a while, then went back and became an ag teacher, first in Forestburg, then Decatur, then back home to Stephenville. The business started almost by accident. When his dad got sick, the family’s hay and cattle operation landed in Jordan’s lap, and he realized he didn’t actually know when or what his dad had been spraying and fertilizing all those years. Around the same time, a former student mentioned wanting to become a drone pilot for crop spraying, which sent Jordan down a YouTube rabbit hole during his conference periods. What started as a side hustle he hoped might reach 30 customers in two years hit that number in about four months, and Calibrated Land Services was born.
Why Drones Work Where Ground Rigs and Planes Don’t
Jordan’s operation is now roughly 75 percent drone work and 25 percent side-by-side ground spraying. The advantage of the drone isn’t just efficiency, it’s access. Steep hillsides, washouts, brushy country a side-by-side can’t get through, areas around ponds and tank dams too steep for a ground rig, all of it is fair game for a drone with no soil compaction and no risk of getting stuck. Helicopters can cover some of that terrain too, but as Jordan pointed out, a helicopter isn’t going to show up for a 40-acre job. Drones fill exactly that gap, especially on smaller or oddly shaped parcels where a landowner might want a different mix on one section than another, something a 500-gallon ground rig isn’t set up to do economically.
The Biggest Mistake: Calling Too Late
Jordan was direct about this. The hardest conversation he has with landowners is the one where they’ve waited until a weed problem is already obvious, grass burrs established, broomweed waist-high and half-woody. A plant that’s actively growing takes up herbicide far more effectively than one that’s gone dormant or drought-stressed with no leaf left to absorb the treatment. Broomweed sprayed in February or March is a straightforward kill; the same plant knee-to-hip high in August with a woody stem and no leaves is a much harder fight. His advice is simple: treat early, before the problem is visible from the truck window.
Pre-Emergent vs. Post-Emergent: Getting the Timing Right
Jordan broke the calendar down clearly. Pre-emergent treatment for grass burrs and spring broadleaf weeds needs to go out in January or mid-February, ideally before the region’s typical late-February rain, since the product has to be watered into the soil to stop weeds from germinating in the first place. From there, post-emergent treatment, usually a 2,4-D broadleaf herbicide often mixed with fertilizer, goes out in April or May once soil temperature hits around 65 degrees and grass is actively growing enough to actually benefit from the fertilizer instead of just feeding the weeds. After that, the calendar gets more situational: brush and mesquite treatment works best in June through August when mesquite shows uniform dark green growth with minimal insect damage, and prickly pear treated with a root-activated herbicide can take months to fully die back.
Patience Pays Off, Especially With Brush
Not every treatment shows results the same day. Jordan described spraying a field of actively growing weeds in the morning and seeing them wilted down by evening, compared to prickly pear, which can take four to six weeks before you see real results, or longer. Timing brush treatment around rainfall adds another layer of complexity, since new growth after a rain means waiting roughly two weeks before mesquite is ready to treat again.
Beyond Pastures: Aquatic Weeds and Row Crops
Jordan’s business has grown into areas beyond standard pasture work, including aquatic herbicide treatment for ponds choked with coontail and pondweed, and occasional row crop perimeter spraying, where the drone’s ability to treat without a machine trampling the crop is a real advantage. His territory runs roughly 60 to 70 miles around Stephenville, covering areas from Abilene to Fort Worth and down through Hamilton and Breckenridge.
Watch the Full Episode
This article is based on my conversation with Jordan Smith of Calibrated Land Services on Landowner Insider.
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Work With Mock Ranches
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About Calibrated Land Services
Thanks to Jordan Smith and the team at Calibrated Land Services for the conversation. Calibrated Land Services works with Texas landowners on pasture and land management needs, including drone spraying and targeted applications built around each property’s treatment goals. If you’re considering a pasture treatment or want to learn whether drone application fits your property, visit calibratedlandservices.com to learn more.
