United States

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, in 2015, the United States was ranked 12th of 78 countries in the world’s production of rice. The lead country was China with 145.8 million metric tons, compared to the U.S.’s 6.1 million metric tons. There are three major rice producing areas in...

Another tool in the tool belt, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, commonly known as UAV’s, are finding their way into aviation and more specifically, aerial application. In time, I think drones will have a place in every corner of aviation to some extent. But for now, let’s take a closer look at...

The year was 1990. Ted Stallings was working his AT-400 on a Gypsy Moth contract, as he had done countless times since forming Aero Tech. Back then, grasshopper, gypsy moth, boll weevil - just about any eradication - was Aero Tech’s mainstay. Business was at an all-time high and Ted...

Chad M. Frei, 39, of Grangeville, died Saturday, April 23, 2016, as the result of a vehicle accident. He was born Aug. 11, 1976, in Cottonwood, the oldest of four children, to Mike and Jana Frei. He attended Sts. Peter and Paul School and graduated from Grangeville High School in...

With Air Tractor’s recent announcement of Federal Aviation Administration certification of the Air Tractor 502XP, President Jim Hirsch reports deliveries of the XP series aircraft are taking off—and just in time for the upcoming season. The new airplane was introduced at the 2015 National Agricultural Aviation Association Convention last December....

Often when one thinks of Colombia South America, the American drug eradication program with State department ag-planes spraying comes to mind. However, Colombia has had an aerial application industry for well over 50 years that began with Piper Cubs spraying bananas in the mountainous area of Armenia. There is even...

Who owns the aerial application? The grower and a range of experts are often involved in deciding what pesticides to apply, but the aerial applicator is the one most responsible for the application results. The best way for the applicator to get good results is to use his experience, good...

Are you applying any biologicals? If not, you probably will soon as their use is growing rapidly. The product volume for biologicals is currently small, particularly on the large-scale commodity crops where conventional or synthetic chemicals dominate. However, new technologies are announced every week, and many chemical manufacturers focus large...

Late-night television host David Letterman is retiring soon, but hopefully the "Top 10" lists that he has made so popular will continue. Here is our attempt to keep them going with our Top 10 mistakes made when applying pesticides. However, these mistakes can be prevented altogether. Even though some people...

Spray drift is the most important issue for the aerial application industry today, largely because of the urbanization of rural America and the increased scrutiny by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Many factors influence drift potential, but small droplets, also called fines, are the most important. What is the problem...