Marysville · Wheatland · Olivehurst · Plumas Lake
Crop dusting in Yuba County.
Sutter Butte Dusters flies aerial application jobs in Yuba County, from Marysville and Olivehurst to Plumas Lake and Wheatland. Just east of our base, across the Feather River. Short ferry flights to rice and orchard ground.
- Towns
- Marysville, Wheatland, Olivehurst, Plumas Lake
- Base
- Live Oak, about 8 mi from Marysville, about 6 min by air
- Crops
- Rice, Orchards, Row crops
- Call
- (530) 695-2294
Farming in Yuba County
Yuba County lies east of our strip, across the Feather River. Marysville, the county seat, is about 8 miles from Clark Road in a straight line. Rice, walnuts, prunes and peaches are among the county's main crops.
Yuba County's rice herbicide rules differ from its neighbors'. Two common rice herbicides, propanil and cyhalofop, may go on by ground only. Plan the program with that in mind. The airplane can still seed the rice, fly fertilizer and apply the products that the county allows by air.
In Yuba 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 Yuba County
Aerial application of a restricted material needs a permit and a notice of intent through the Yuba County Agricultural Commissioner. These are the main permit conditions and state rules that affect aerial spraying here.
Propanil: ground application only
Yuba County's propanil permit conditions prohibit aerial application of all propanil formulations. Non-emulsifiable propanil may go on by ground, at least 1 mile from commercial prunes and half a mile from other sensitive crops unless the commissioner allows less in writing, and not in wind over 10 mph.
Cyhalofop (Clincher CA): no aerial work
Aerial application of cyhalofop is prohibited in Yuba County. Ground applicators must attend a stewardship training first and keep set distances from peaches and nectarines.
Bispyribac-sodium: 1-mile walnut buffer
No aerial application within 1 mile of a walnut orchard. The wind must be 2 to 8 mph at 4 feet, in daylight and with no low inversion. A person on the ground watches the conditions and can wave off the job. A product registrant must certify each aircraft first.
No aerial phenoxy herbicides from April 1 to October 15
Fixed-wing and helicopter applications of phenoxy herbicides, such as 2,4-D, are prohibited from April 1 through October 15. At other times, the wind must be 2 to 7 mph, the release no higher than 10 feet above the crop, and the boom no longer than 75 percent of the wingspan.
Rules change each year. Your PCA and the county Ag Commissioner have the current conditions.
Sources: Yuba County Department of Agriculture permit conditions.
Services in Yuba County
Questions
Yes. We fly aerial seeding, spraying and fertilizer across Yuba County, including near Marysville, Wheatland, Olivehurst and Plumas Lake, from our base in Live Oak.
Some can. Yuba County's permit conditions prohibit aerial application of propanil and cyhalofop, so those go on by ground. Bispyribac-sodium may go on by air, but not within 1 mile of a walnut orchard. Your PCA and the county permit decide each product.
About 8 miles in a straight line, across the Feather River from our strip in Live Oak.
About 6 minutes one way to Marysville. Marysville is about 8 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, Butte County, Glenn County, Colusa County, Placer County, Yolo County.
Field notes
Read before you fly in Yuba
- 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
- 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 to Hire a Crop Duster: 10 Questions to AskHow to hire a crop duster in California: 10 questions about FAA and DPR licenses, pilots, insurance, calibration, drift and records to ask first.8 min read
Flying in Yuba?
Tell us the field and the job. In a hurry? Call (530) 695-2294, Mon–Fri, 8am–3pm.