| January 4, 2024 | Happy New Year! |
| Drone Collides with Helicopter in Daytona Beach |
 A drone collided with a helicopter that conducts sightseeing tours this past weekend over the Daytona Beach, FL flea market. Although no one was injured, the drone collision caused $60,000 in damage to the helicopter and the incident is under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The drone operator was reportedly looking down at his computer tablet when the collision occurred. Read More |
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| NAAA Comments on Article About Virginia Residents Wanting Notification Before Pesticide Spraying |
| Last year, a Virginia state delegate proposed a bill in Virginia’s General Assembly that would require all agricultural aviators making an aerial application west of the Blue Ridge Mountains to provide a seven-day notification for all such applications. Advocacy by NAAA, the Virginia Farm Bureau and other ag interests was able to convince the delegate to withdraw the legislation. Read More |
| Top 10 Agricultural Aviation Articles of 2023 |
| The Agricultural Aviation magazine published many informative articles in 2023. This article contains a list of the top 10 digital articles from Agricultural Aviation’s 2023 issues based on the most viewed articles at AgAviationMagazine.org and the Agricultural Aviation Magazine App. Read More |
| NAAA Family Grows, Congratulations to Matt & Carina Gill |
 The NAAA family has grown. Congratulations to NAAA’s Manager of Education, Safety and Policy, Matt Gill and his wife Carina, who welcomed baby boy Weston Michael Gill on Dec. 27, 2023. Read More |
| Set Yourself Up for Success by Renewing Your Membership for 2024 |
 Thank you for your support of NAAA as a 2023 member. We request your continued support by renewing your NAAA membership for 2024. While you have been busy aiding farmers to produce a safe, affordable, and abundant supply of food, fiber, and bioenergy, NAAA has been busy making sure low altitude airspace is safe for your aerial application business to operate, as well as ensuring that you have the pesticide products you need to do your job.
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| NAAA & NAAREF Board Meetings Feb. 15-17 in Alexandria, VA |
The February 2024 NAAA & NAAREF Board and Committee meetings will take place Feb. 15-17 in Alexandria, Virginia. All meetings are open to NAAA members. If you are not a board or committee member but are interested in attending, please contact Lindsay Barber for more details. Read More |
| In Case You Missed It! |
| EPA Provides Update on Future of Chlorpyrifos After Court Reverses 2021 Ban – NAAA Engaging with EPA to Protect Aerial Application on Labels |
 In November of this year the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals vacated EPA’s 2021 ban on the use of chlorpyrifos on all food or feed crops. This week EPA released an update on what their next steps will be regarding chlorpyrifos. Once the Eight Circuit’s court mandate is officially issued, which at the time of this writing hasn’t occurred, EPA intends to reinstate all chlorpyrifos tolerances, making it once again legal to apply chlorpyrifos to food and feed crops. Read More |
| NAAA and Ag Aviation Highlighted in the Key U.S. Ag Journals The Hagstrom Report and National Journal Daily |
 Jerry Hagstrom, a veteran and well-respected national agricultural journalist attended the 2023 Ag Aviation Expo in Palm Springs, Calif. to learn more about the industry. Last week, he published an article about the industry in the National Journal Daily and The Hagstrom Report, both of which reach national policymaking audiences. Read More |
| NAAA Comments on Two EPA Pesticide Endangered Species Evaluations Supporting Aerial Use Without Unnecessary and Burdensome Restrictions |
| This week NAAA submitted comments to EPA on the biological evaluations (BE) for two neonicotinoid insecticides – acetamiprid and dinotefuran . A biological evaluation is the first step in the pesticide registration review process involving EPA’s compliance with the Endangered Species Act (ESA). Once completed, EPA sends their biological evaluations to the Fish and Wildlife Service and the National Marine Fisheries Service, who conduct their own ESA risk assessments. Read More |
| Your GPS Data May Save a Life |
| As the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) marches in lockstep with some corporate interests in the uncrewed aircraft systems (UAS) space, it is becoming clear that green lighting and expanding UAS beyond visual line of site (BVLOS) operations may be being prioritized over safety. Donate your GPS data logs. Read More |
