From L-R in foreground: NAAA CEO Andrew Moore, NAAA Director of Education & Safety Dr. Scott Bretthauer, Syngenta N.A. President Vern Hawkins, NAAA President Jim Perrin, and former CropLife America President and current DCLRS consultant Jay Vroom meet at Syngenta’s North American headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.

Last month NAAA road-tripped to North Carolina, the North American corporate headquarters of Syngenta and U.S. testing and corporate offices for BASF and UPL—three major global manufacturers of pesticides. Syngenta and BASF are two of the three largest pesticide manufacturers in the world. The meetings’ focus was to work to ensure that the pesticide products manufactured by these companies are registered for aerial use using more realistic industry data—much of which NAAA collects about the ag aviation industry via its surveys—and more realistic aerial application variables within Tier 3 of the AgDRIFT atmospheric model on drift, which more accurately reflects the application conditions of acres treated by air today.

NAAA representatives meet with BASF crop protection product corporate leaders in their offices in Research Triangle Park, N.C.

All three companies have been extremely generous supporters of NAAA through the years, whether it be sponsoring a multi-decade comprehensive leadership training program for individuals in our industry, to sponsoring our educational program, PAASS, and educational events at the annual Ag Aviation Expo, to scholarships bringing new ag pilots into the industry. One topic raised was ensuring the population of aerial applicators in the U.S. can service the expected increase of acres expected to be treated this year. Discussions centered on NAAA networking programs such as its convention and directory for operators to enlist needed pilots to help them address demand.

NAAA representatives meet with Syngenta crop protection product corporate leaders in their North American headquarters in Greensboro, N.C.

Another idea that was raised was NAAA’s professional certification program that is in development and how that program will be designed to showcase ag pilots with top-level education and training backgrounds that might enable them, via label language, to limit gallons per acre of carrier-mix and still ensure an efficacious application.