Spring seeding of permanent grasses in a temperate zone can be subjected to many delays. Waiting for the soil to firm after frost and waiting for it to dry after spring rains can consume much of the available and valuable time needed for spring seeding. When complete seedbed preparation is required, along with the application of fertilizer and seed and the application of mulch, a contractor will find it difficult to complete 30 acres per day. Applying seed by aerial means when the ground is loose and friable from frost action, usually during the month of March, is cost effective. Seeding proceeds at the rate of 50 acres per hour. Average annual savings for a 15-year period of use is in excess of $0.5 million per year. Excellent results have been achieved in the establishment of turf because this method permits the seed to start to grow as soon as soil conditions are favorable in the spring. As a part of the grading operation, the roadsides are fertilized and seeded with a stabilizing crop seed. This crop residue then becomes the mulch to be used the following year for the permanent seed. This preparation is necessary for aerial seeding to be successful.

Aerial seeding is one way of applying seed by the overseeding method. Other equipment that will qualify for use in overseeding are (a) broadcast seeder,(b) field cyclone seeder,(c) hand cyclone seeder, and (d) hydraulic seeder. Since 1971, erosion control contractors have chosen to use aerial seeding equipment as a means of overseeding on more than 32,749 acres of highway right-of-way. Seeding by air is not a new technique. Iowa's first attempt at aerial seeding of highway right-ofway was made in the spring of 1962 using a fixed-wing aircraft.