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EPA Leadership States Movement Towards More Realistic Refinement and Use of Aerial Drift Model

EPA OPP Deputy Assistant Administrator Jake Li announced yesterday at the 2024 CropLife and Rise Regulatory Conference that EPA plans to schedule a workshop for growers and other stakeholders at the end of the year to explain its FIFRA risk assessment process. It will include a discussion of how EPA assesses off-target risks to endangered species. Li said that EPA is also looking at refinements to the process to reflect better real-world data. As part of those refinements, EPA plans to update how it assesses drift based on research and recommendations from NAAA to ensure that EPA’s AgDRIFT model reflects modern agriculture practices. This is welcome news to the aerial application industry from top leaders of the EPA office that registers pesticides. NAAA has been urging the agency for years to default to Tier 3 of the AgDrift atmospheric model used to calculate movement of pesticides in the environment applied aerially. Tier 3 of the AgDRIFT model takes into account more realistic conditions of pesticides applied aerially, such as larger droplet sizes, shorter boom lengths in proportion to wing/rotor span, and other variables that mitigate drift and increase the likelihood of a pesticide being available for aerial use sans overly burdensome and unnecessary label conditions. Hearing from top EPA political leaders that the default use of these more realistic conditions will be part of the calculus is promising and has been a long-sought goal of NAAA to benefit aerial application operations.
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NAAA Comments on American Drone Part 137 BVLOS Petition

NAAA recently submitted comments on a petition from American Drone LLC seeking to amend their existing exemption to conduct “Limited” Beyond Visual Line-of-Sight (BVLOS) Part 137 Operations with an Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS). 

The proposed BVLOS operations would take place within application sites wherein portions of the site are “hidden by topology or surrounding trees and a direct line of sight is not practical to obtain.” While neither the remote pilot-in-command (RPIC) nor the visual observer (VO) will maintain line-of-sight with the UAS, American Drone did state that the airspace above and beyond the defined fields in which it was treating as well as the UAS’ flight paths from take-off/landing areas to the point above the field in which the UA will descend into BVLOS would  be visible to both its RPIC and VOs. 

While acknowledging the impracticality of maintaining line-of-sight in hilly fields or those with irregular shapes and tree lines, NAAA’s comments centered on ensuring the safety of crewed Part 137 operations. NAAA expressed concern over the scope of BVLOS permitted and maintains the need to define more clearly what “Limited” BVLOS would entail. 

NAAA further reiterated the need for detect and avoid (DAA) technology which is certified by the FAA as effective against both cooperative (ADS-B equipped) and non-cooperative aircraft. Because the petitioner would be conducting the same type of operations (Part 137) and in the same seasonally congested regions/airspace, crewed aerial application operators will be the primary mid-air collision risk-bearers. 

You can view NAAA’s full comments here.  
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Raise Awareness about Your Business’ Local Ag Aviation Activities with NAAA’s Customizable ‘Preseason’ Press Release

With the 2024 aerial application season underway or soon to be underway in different parts of the country, NAAA is reminding you of the customizable, “preseason” press release that members can use to call attention to the fact that ag aircraft will soon be a common sight as ag pilots assist local farmers during the new growing season. 

The press release emphasizes the vital role aerial applicators play in the production of abundant food, fiber and bioenergy. The release also details the training, professionalism and safety of aerial applicators by highlighting the drift-reduction technologies they employ, recurrent training they receive and credentials they must maintain to work as a professional ag pilot. 

NAAA encourages members to adapt the generic “preseason” press release for their own use and distribute it to the public via traditional and social media outlets. Just fill in the blanks, add your own comments and either insert your company logo at the top or print it on company letterhead. Rename the file, save it to your computer, and send it to your local media outlets via mail, email or through their website. 

It doesn’t take long to personalize the press release with your information and send it to local media and the results in reminding citizens about the beneficial work your operation conducts could save time and effort from public inquiries unfamiliar with aerial application in your area. The press release template is available for download here.

Besides the preseason ag aviation awareness press release template, the following do-it-yourself press release templates may be adapted to suit member applicators’ specific needs. Log into your NAAA account at AgAviation.org to access them:

These PR resources and more are available in the NAAA Media Relations Kit on our website. 

If you’re logging into the new NAAA website for the first time, click Login in the upper right-hand corner, and on the next screen, click Forgot Password. This will auto-generate an email with directions on how to change your password to log onto the website. Contact NAAA for questions or issues.
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NAAA Seeking State/Regional Association Candidates for 2025 Leadership Training Program

Since 1995, NAAA has offered a Leadership Training Program (LTP) sponsored by Syngenta Crop Protection. More than 365 NAAA members have benefited from this training over the course of 28 leadership classes, including NAAA’s 2024 graduates. The program includes training that enables its participants to develop a strong ability to clearly communicate the important role aerial application plays in the production of our country’s agricultural products to the public, media and government. The training also involves teaching managerial philosophy to help the participants in their own businesses and to more effectively serve as a leader while serving industry organizations, such as NAAA and state agricultural aviation associations.

Congratulations to the 2024 Leadership Training Program graduates. 

The February 2025 NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings will take place in Montreal, Canada, which will not allow for Leadership Training Program participants to be trained in visiting with congressional leaders in person on Capitol Hill, which is one of the primary goals of the course. Because of that, NAAA and Syngenta have agreed that the 2025 program participants will attend Syngenta’s larger Leadership At Its Best (LAIB) program February 10-13, 2025. LAIB participants receive the same training that they would receive during the NAAA Leadership Training Program with the added benefit of meeting participants from other commodity groups and ag associations. Due to the size of LAIB, NAAA will only have four seats for the 2025 LAIB program with the plan that Syngenta will provide a larger NAAA-only leadership training program once again in 2026 when our February NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings are located back in Alexandria, VA. 

To select the four applicants for the 2025 LAIB program, each state/regional association, plus the Canadian Aerial Applicators Association, may submit one candidate of their choice for possible entry into the program. Since the number of applicants will likely exceed the number of positions available, a selection committee will be formed by the NAAA President to select the four most qualified candidates. 

How to Apply for the Leadership Training Program

If you would like to be considered for the 2025 Leadership Training Program, contact your state or regional association executive director. NAAA’s state/regional agricultural aviation association partners can only nominate one candidate for the 2025 Leadership Training Program. Applications must be submitted by July 15.

Criteria and selection process information are as follows: 

  1. Industry Involvement – Must be involved in an agricultural aviation business or a related allied industry organization as deemed appropriate by the nominating state/regional AAA. This includes partial or total ownership of at least one agricultural aircraft; and/or a managing employee, stockholder or pilot of an agricultural aviation business; and/or an employee of an Allied Industry member company or State Association.
  2. Leadership Involvement – Must have leadership experience developed from past involvement in regional or state industry associations, community service involvement, and/or school or professional organizations.
  3. Industry Future – Must indicate intent of future involvement in the aerial application industry.
  4. NAAA Membership – Must be a member of the appropriate state/regional agricultural aviation association and NAAA in the applicant’s own right—both in 2024 and 2025. Acceptable NAAA membership categories that a Leadership Training candidate could come from include: Operators, Pilots, Affiliated Operators, Support, International Members (in the case of Canadian AAA), Allied Industry Members and Affiliated Allied Industry Members, and State/Regional Organization Members.  

If you have any questions about the 2025 NAAA/Syngenta Leadership Training Program, please contact Amy May.
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