May 30, 2024

Bill Lavender, former ag pilot and publisher of AgAir Update, is celebrating 50 years in the aerial application industry in early June. In 1988, he obtained the rights from GAAA and converted AgAir Update from a newsletter into a newspaper. By the early 1990s, the newspaper expanded into the national market. He retired from ag spraying in the early 2000s to focus on his publications. Now a glossy magazine, today AgAir Update is distributed to more than 4,000 subscribers worldwide and continues to be a popular trade publication.

NAAA wishes heartfelt congratulations to Air Tractor for celebrating its 50th anniversary this week. Late founder Leland Snow dedicated his life to developing and designing quality ag planes for the world. In the early 1970s, after two-and-a-half years of coming up with about 600 production drawings, completing endless engineering reports to obtain FAA certification and the arduous task of acquiring financing, Leland began work on a prototype of the “AT-300.”