Colusa · Williams · Maxwell · Arbuckle · Grimes
Crop dusting in Colusa County.
Sutter Butte Dusters flies aerial application jobs in Colusa County, from Colusa and Grimes to Williams, Maxwell and Arbuckle. Southwest of the Buttes, one of the largest rice-growing counties in California.
- Towns
- Colusa, Williams, Maxwell, Arbuckle, Grimes
- Base
- Live Oak, about 17 mi from Colusa, about 11 min by air
- Crops
- Rice, Orchards, Row crops
- Call
- (530) 695-2294
Farming in Colusa County
Colusa County farms big acreage. Its 2024 crop report puts almonds first, at $279.0 million on 63,017 acres. Rice is second, at $199.8 million on 118,386 harvested acres. Processing tomatoes are third, on 14,700 acres. Growers also raised 9,619 acres of certified rice seed.
Colusa, the county seat, is about 17 miles from our strip in a straight line.
Rules for aerial work in Colusa County
Aerial application of a restricted material needs a permit and a notice of intent through the Colusa County Agricultural Commissioner. These are the main permit conditions and state rules that affect aerial spraying here.
Propanil: steady wind of 2 to 10 mph
Colusa County's 2025 propanil conditions require a steady wind of 2 to 10 mph for aerial work, blowing away from sensitive crops. State rule 3 CCR 6462 adds a 4-mile buffer from commercial prunes and a limit of 720 acres by air in the county each day.
Bispyribac-sodium: 2-mile walnut buffer
No aerial application within 2 miles of any walnut orchard. Wind must be 2 to 8 mph at 4 feet, with release no higher than 10 feet above the crop. A person on the ground monitors the job and can wave it off. Pilots and aircraft must be certified first.
Cyhalofop: fixed-wing only, away from peaches
Cyhalofop may go on by fixed-wing aircraft only, and not within 4 miles of commercial peaches or nectarines. Wind must be 3 to 7 mph, release no higher than 10 feet, and the temperature no higher than 85°F. Planes and pilots must be certified first.
Thiobencarb, phenoxy herbicides and notices
Liquid thiobencarb may not go on by air north of Highway 20 and west of the Sacramento River. Aerial phenoxy and dicamba work is prohibited from April 1 through October 15 unless the commissioner allows it. Restricted materials need a notice of intent at least 24 hours ahead (48 hours for thiobencarb and cyhalofop), and a new one if work does not start within 4 days. Thiobencarb also needs a notice of application within 24 hours after the job.
Rules change each year. Your PCA and the county Ag Commissioner have the current conditions.
Sources: Colusa County 2025 propanil conditions; Colusa County 2025 bispyribac-sodium conditions; Colusa County 2025 cyhalofop conditions; Colusa County 2025 thiobencarb conditions; Colusa County 2025 phenoxy and dicamba conditions; Colusa County 2025 general conditions.
Rice seeding in Colusa County
Rice seeding is the big spring job in Colusa County. Growers around Maxwell, Williams, Grimes and Arbuckle flood their checks, soak the seed and want the plane in the same few weeks. The 2021 UC Davis cost study for Sacramento Valley rice puts most planting from April 20 to May 20. The airplane broadcasts the soaked seed onto a few inches of water, at about 175 pounds per acre in that study.
The county's herbicide rules shape what follows the seed. Bispyribac-sodium cannot go on by air within 2 miles of a walnut orchard. Cyhalofop cannot go on by air within 4 miles of commercial peaches or nectarines. Check your fields against those buffers before you plan the season's program.
Services in Colusa County
Questions
Yes. We fly aerial seeding, spraying and fertilizer across Colusa County, including near Colusa, Williams, Maxwell, Arbuckle and Grimes, from our base in Live Oak.
Most Sacramento Valley rice is planted from about April 20 to May 20, according to the 2021 UC Davis rice cost study. The field is flooded first, and the airplane broadcasts soaked seed onto the water.
Colusa County's 2025 permit conditions require a steady wind of 2 to 10 mph, blowing away from sensitive crops. State rules add a 4-mile buffer from commercial prunes and a limit of 720 acres by air in the county each day.
About 11 minutes one way to Colusa. Colusa is about 17 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, Butte County, Glenn County, Placer County, Yolo County.
Field notes
Read before you fly in Colusa
- 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 Colusa?
Tell us the field and the job. In a hurry? Call (530) 695-2294, Mon–Fri, 8am–3pm.