Ag Aviation Featured on The Scoop Podcast Focusing on Cutting Edge Technologies for the Industry’s Future

NAAA CEO Andrew Moore was featured on The Scoop Podcast (Episode 193: What Every Ag Retailer Should Know About Ag Aviation), released on April 17. The Scoop Podcast has 700+ podcast downloads per month. The Daily Scoop eNewsletter has a readership of 27,000 ag retailers, crop consultants and farmers. During the episode, he offered a deep dive into the evolving world of agricultural aviation.

Moore shared that ag aviation is a 104-year-old industry, continually growing technologically over the industry’s first century. As of 2017, there were 1,560 ag aviation businesses in the U.S and stated that the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) currently counts 1,082 spray drone operations with part 137 certificates.  Every year, aerial applicators treat approximately 127 million acres of U.S. cropland (not including pasture, rangeland, forestry and public health spraying). Of that, uncrewed aircraft cover around 10.3 million acres annually, according to the American Spray Drone Coalition.

Moore shared that a Texas A&M study highlighted the significant impact of aerial application: the top five treated crops see yield gains worth $37 billion annually. Reproducing that yield through traditional replanting would require an additional 24.7 million acres—roughly the size of Tennessee.

Moore focused on how the industry continually embraces technology, such as faster, more efficient aircraft and GPS-linked anemometers, to make even more effective and precise applications.  He also stated that the industry is working to update the computer coding of the atmospheric drift model, AGDISP, allowing these technologies and new ones to be factored into the spray model.  As a result, future product labels may reward those embracing such drift reduction technologies and not be based on worst cast scenarios.  In addition, risk decisions could become site-specific thanks to improvements in drift modeling.

Moore emphasized that with a global population now at 8.2 billion and climbing, the demand for efficient, large-scale agriculture is more urgent than ever. Ag aviation is uniquely positioned to help meet this need. “If you want the job done quickly and effectively to maximize yields, aerial application is a great way to go,” Moore says.

For ag retailers looking to partner with aerial applicators, Moore offered some advice: seek operators who are members of the NAAA and state associations. These memberships reflect professionalism and ongoing education. Be patient with delays in applications and always communicate field hazards to your applicator. He also stated that for those using drones to always give right of way to manned aircraft.   He closed by informing those trying to find an aerial applicator near them to visit the Find An Aerial Applicator database on agaviation.org, the NAAA website.

 Listen to the podcast here.