United States

An aerial spraying aircraft was shot at by a resident claiming that the aircraft was a drone on Wednesday. Law Enforcement was called to a residential address in Monroe, Louisiana after reports of a resident firing at an aircraft were received where they located the alleged suspect Stacy Nguyen Rodgers,...

Swooping as low as ten feet from the ground, crop dusters provide a thrill ride for pilots, and a valuable service for farmers. These aerial applicators can quickly cover acres in a hurry, protecting a farmer’s investment. Brandon Hamer, director of precision crop management for Aurora Cooperative said, “We've been...

A 1958 U.S. Navy plane, once used to spot enemy submarines, will now serve as the newest asset for Kansas wildland fires. The privately-owned twin-engine recently arrived at the Hutchinson Regional Airport from a Nevada museum. Stripped of its paint and with exposed wires, Bill Garrison’s Grumman S-2 Tracker looks...

On a clear day in mid-May, the small airport in Park Rapids, MN, was abuzz with an influx of helicopters and fixed-wing planes for R.D. Offutt Farms’ aerial applicator clinic. The annual event, now in its 21st year, brings together applicator pilots, crop protection product manufacturers and suppliers, and other...

Matt Woolard Continues Family Operation Matt Woolard was born and raised in agriculture, amongst the farm fields of Corning, Arkansas. Early on, Matt knew he wanted something a little different, but he wasn’t exactly sure what that was. His questions were soon answered when Matt met Cindy Coleman, daughter of...

When I graduated from UGA from Ag school, my first job out of college was working for a cotton company in Burke County. My employer grew, ginned, warehoused and marketed cotton among other agriculture-related interests. Read more at the Augusta Chronicle

ALBANY — Eric Rojek, the vice president of sales at Thrush Aircraft, gave members of the Albany Kiwanis Club a tour of the agriculture aircraft manufacturer’s facilities recently. Club members who took part in the tour called it “interesting, educational and eye-opening.” Thrush manufactures aircraft that are purchased by countries all...

In 2018, there were 52 agriculture aviation accidents in the U.S., 8 of them were fatal. So far this year, one was reported in North Dakota. The National Agriculture Aviation Association says that pilots put in over 400 hours each year, while operators behind the scenes a little over 300,...

An Iowa City-based agritech start-up has become the state’s first company approved to spray agrichemicals from aerial drones. Rantizo, which develops and sells enhancements to existing aircraft, this week received licensing and certification for aerial pesticide application from the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship. To read more on this story,...

Andrew Moore, Executive Director of the National Agricultural Aviation Association, issues a response from the NAAA on a recent article published by CropLife Magazine about drone spraying in Iowa. Below is Moore's letter, which was published on the CropLife Magazine website here. Dear Crop Life Media Group, On behalf of...