Last week, NAAA issued a news release declaring that aerial applicators are ready to support farmers in need of fast, timely and effective applications this growing season. The release also noted that NAAA’s “Find an Aerial Applicator” public database is available to connect those in need of aerial application services to an NAAA aerial application operator near them.
To date, NAAA’s “Find an Aerial Applicator” news release has garnered coverage from Farm Journal’s AgWeb website and AgWeb AM newsletter, The Daily Scoop, the Aero-News Network, WHBL.com in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, and AgAir Update’s website.
After a productive 2021 spraying season, the release stated that NAAA expects demand for aerial application services to be even greater this summer as farmers strive to protect their crops from yield-robbing weeds, disease and insect pests in an effort to bolster the global food supply. “With everything going on in the world, including food supply issues, aerial application is going to be vital this year,” NAAA CEO Andrew Moore said. “Because aerial applicators will be in such high demand, NAAA strongly advises farmers to schedule work with them in advance whenever possible.”
The release cited an NAAA survey that found that 4 out of 5 aerial applicators treated the same or more acres in 2021 than in 2020, including 57% that treated more than they did the year before. Several signs point to aerial applicators being even busier this summer. Leading pesticide manufacturers recently informed NAAA that they believe fungicide applications could be 20% higher than in 2021 when 55 million acres of plant health products were sprayed. Furthermore, even with tight supplies and higher input costs, farmers will be counting on aerial applicators to help them maximize their crop output while commodity prices remain high.
Agricultural aviators treat 127 million acres of cropland in the United States each year and perform a variety of services that help farmers increase productivity and protect their crops. Data from a Texas A&M University economics study calculated that the aerial application industry’s value to farmers, input suppliers, processors and agricultural transportation and storage industries for corn, wheat, cotton, soybeans and rice production alone in the U.S. is about $37 billion annually. That figure is expected to grow substantially and in importance as food prices increase and food production becomes an issue of growing importance due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, supply and demand issues, and a growing global population.
A downloadable version of the “Find an Aerial Applicator” news release is available here.
Update Your ‘Find an Aerial Applicator’ Listing
NAAA’s “Find an Aerial Applicator” search tool can be found at AgAviation.org/findapplicator or on any page of NAAA’s website by clicking on the “Find an Aerial Applicator” link in the upper right-hand corner.
The “Find an Aerial Applicator” lookup tool gives NAAA Operator, Affiliated Operator and Lifetime Operator members the option of promoting their services to farmers and other potential customers by listing their company in NAAA’s narrowly tailored public database. The database only provides enough information to give farmers, municipalities and others who may need the services of an aerial applicator a mechanism to locate and contact the NAAA operators nearest to them. Search results return the name of the company, the business number on file, the operator’s city and state, and the aerial application operation’s website if there is one.
Operator, Affiliated Operator and Lifetime Operator members can update their “Find an Aerial Applicator” listing by following these steps:
- Log into AgAviation.org with your username and password.
- Once logged in, click on “Your Account” in the upper right-hand corner.
- When your profile information pops up, scroll down to the Find an Aerial Applicator Public Search field.
- To opt out of the public database, change the setting in the dropdown menu from Opt-In to Opt-Out. (The opt-in/opt-out field for “Find an Aerial Applicator” is only available on Operator, Affiliated Operator and Lifetime Operator Members’ accounts.)
- Scroll down to the bottom of the page and click SAVE CHANGES. Any changes to your profile information or account settings will not be recorded unless you click SAVE.
- Repeat these steps at any time to opt back in to the public database.
In addition to adjusting their “Find an Aerial Applicator” preferences, Operator, Lifetime and Affiliated Operator members may add a company logo or edit the contact information that appears in their search results. If you need help updating your listing, please contact the NAAA office at (202) 546-5722 or information@agaviation.org.