Gridley · Biggs · Richvale · Durham · Chico
Crop dusting in Butte County.
Sutter Butte Dusters flies aerial application jobs in Butte County, from Gridley and Biggs to Richvale, Durham and Chico. North of Live Oak, with large rice acreage around Richvale, Biggs and Gridley.
- Towns
- Gridley, Biggs, Richvale, Durham, Chico
- Base
- Live Oak, about 21 mi from Oroville, about 14 min by air
- Crops
- Rice, Orchards, Row crops
- Call
- (530) 695-2294
Farming in Butte County
Butte County is north of our strip. Oroville, the county seat, is about 21 miles away in a straight line. Rice, walnuts, almonds and prunes are among the county's main crops.
Rice runs deep here. The Rice Experiment Station, which develops rice varieties for California growers, is on the Butte City Highway in Biggs.
In Butte County we fly mostly rice. We also fly almonds, walnuts, peaches, prunes and persimmons, and grasses such as wheat, rye and Sudan grass.
Rules for aerial work in Butte County
Aerial application of a restricted material needs a permit and a notice of intent through the Butte County Agricultural Commissioner. These are the main permit conditions and state rules that affect aerial spraying here.
Propanil: 4-mile prune buffer and a daily acre cap
State regulation 3 CCR 6462 covers propanil in Butte County. No aerial application within 4 miles of commercial prunes, and no more than 720 acres treated by air in the county each day. Nozzles must make droplets of at least 600 microns. The rule lets the Butte County Ag Commissioner allow the California Rice Research Station to spray closer, under a work plan of 45 acres a day or less.
Thiobencarb near the Feather and Sacramento rivers
DPR's recommended rice permit conditions name Butte County. Within half a mile of the Sacramento or Feather River, aerial thiobencarb needs air moving steadily away from the river, and it stops when the wind there is over 7 mph.
Phenoxy herbicides on rice: no aerial work April 1 to October 15
DPR's suggested permit conditions for phenoxy herbicides on rice cover all of Butte County. They prohibit fixed-wing and helicopter applications from April 1 through October 15. At other times, aerial work needs wind of 2 to 7 mph.
Rules change each year. Your PCA and the county Ag Commissioner have the current conditions.
Sources: 3 CCR 6462, propanil (state regulation); DPR recommended permit conditions for rice pesticides (Compendium Vol. 3, Appendix D).
Seeing planes over Gridley or Biggs?
Not every low plane over Butte County rice is a crop duster. The Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District flies its own aircraft. By June 23, 2026, its planes had treated 7,085 acres of rice and 2,454 acres of wetlands for mosquitoes that season. The district also posts a notice before each planned evening ULV (ultra-low volume) flight. Its notice for West Biggs on July 29, 2026, gave a window from sunset to 11 p.m.
To check a mosquito flight, read the district's notices or call it at (530) 533-6038. To see scheduled farm applications of restricted-material pesticides near you, use SprayDays California, the state's free map. You can sign up there for email or text alerts. To report a pesticide problem, call 1-87PestLine (1-877-378-5463).
Services in Butte County
Questions
Yes. We fly aerial seeding, spraying and fertilizer across Butte County, including near Gridley, Biggs, Richvale, Durham and Chico, from our base in Live Oak.
It can be either. The Butte County Mosquito and Vector Control District flies its own aircraft over rice and wetlands, and it posts notices before its evening flights. Scheduled farm applications of restricted materials show on the state's SprayDays California map.
About 21 miles in a straight line from our strip on Clark Road in Live Oak.
About 14 minutes one way to Oroville. Oroville is about 21 miles from our strip in a straight line, and our airplanes fly at up to about 95 mph.
The field location (address, APN or FSA farm and tract number), crop, approximate acres, product and rate, and timing.
Also serving Sutter County, Yuba County, Glenn County, Colusa County, Placer County, Yolo County.
Field notes
Read before you fly in Butte
- RicePlanting rice by airplane: soak, seed rate and timingPlanting rice by airplane in the Sacramento Valley: seed soak and drain times, seed rates per acre, planting dates, check prep, stand counts and 2021 UC costs.8 min read
- Cost and planningCrop dusting cost per acre: 2026 rates and what drives themCrop dusting cost per acre from university surveys: aerial spray, seed and fertilizer rates, season totals for rice, what moves the price, how to get a quote.8 min read
- Cost and planningHow do crop dusters know where to go? Field IDs, maps and GPSHow do crop dusters know where to go? A Sacramento Valley operator explains field IDs, the work order, GPS swath guidance and what growers send first.8 min read
Flying in Butte?
Tell us the field and the job. In a hurry? Call (530) 695-2294, Mon–Fri, 8am–3pm.