June 2, 2022
NAAA eNewsletter

NAAA Operator Member Explains Adverse Effects a Proposed Wind Project Will Have on Minnesota Aerial Applicators, Farmers

A Minnesota aerial applicator did such a thorough job explaining the adverse effects a proposed wind energy project would have on aerial applicators and the farmers they serve in the affected area that his comments to a state official conducting an environmental review serve as an outstanding model for any aerial applicators grappling with infrastructure projects that could affect their ability to serve area farmers.

Ryan Lubben owns West Central Ag-Air Inc. in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, but has frequently spent time applying fungicides and insecticides on farms a few hours south of Fergus Falls in Dodge County, Minnesota. His comments to an environmental review manager at the Minnesota Department of Commerce systematically explain why the NextEra Energy Resources Dodge County Wind Project, as currently planned, would be incompatible with aerial applicators’ ability to safely provide services to farmers located within the wind project’s widespread footprint.


As an opening salvo, Lubben provided facts about the aerial application industry and his company’s operations, but then he went several steps further to highlight the importance of aerial application to farmers and clearly illustrate the unacceptable safety risks the densely clustered wind turbine project would present to aerial applicators. The comments came together rather quickly once he gathered a few Surety maps and overlayed his GPS logs onto them.

Before getting into the hazards of the proposed wind farm, Lubben gave examples of three reasons why growers need to retain the ability to use ag aircraft. The three reasons he cited were efficiency, economics and environmental benefits. For his economics example, Lubben wrote:

Growers in the area typically get an average of a 17 bushel increase in corn yield by applying a fungicide during the tassel stage of development. (Per conversation with a local grower) Using today’s cash corn price of $7.63/bushel, this equates to an increase of $129 per acre. My company would charge roughly $21/acre for this application including chemical. That translates to $108 per acre of profit for the farmer, or a 500% return on investment!
Lubben then moved into the “show” portion of his show-and-tell comments, using his own Surety maps and GPS logs to illustrate to the environmental review manager how the proposed wind turbine construction would jeopardize his and other aerial applicators’ ability to safely enter, exit and return to farmers’ fields in the areas surrounded by the wind turbine clusters and the associated transmission line.

Lubben included the map below of the Dodge County Wind Project area and explained that the GPS flight tracks from his operation for one season were overlaid onto it.


FIG. 1


Next, Lubben illustrated safe turnaround distances necessary to make aerial applications safely (see Fig. 2 below):

 


FIG. 2

This map shows the GPS flight tracks from a typical field being sprayed. The blue lines are the flight path and the red lines are the actual spray swaths.

As you can see, the aircraft needs quite a large area to have room in order to turn around on the end of the field. In fact, most of the flying takes place outside of the field being treated. The distance needed for this particular aircraft is approximately ¾ of a mile. As a rule of thumb, and [the] aircraft needs a full mile of distance on the end of the field to make a safe turn around. Obstacle free turn around areas is critical for these aircraft as the turnaround maneuver is when the aircraft is quite slow and vulnerable to an aerodynamic stall. The applicator must remain focused at this point and cannot be distracted by obstacles, and must have ample room to make the maneuver.

Finally, Lubben included a map showing the proposed locations of the Dodge Center wind turbines in the western portion of the project area (see Fig. 3).


FIG. 3

Each red dot indicates a turbine location. I have highlighted the fields in yellow which would not meet the criteria of having a one mile turn around obstacle free zone on the end of the field. I estimate this map to be a conservative representation of what fields cannot be serviced by ag aircraft. … this is just a portion of the wind farm area. There will be many more fields affected.

 

 Clearly this proposed wind farm will have far reaching impacts on growers in the area in regard to aerial application. Quite frankly the density and random turbine layout will make it impossible for aerial applicators to work safely. Furthermore, it may be impossible for growers in the area to even entice an applicator to come in and do any work in the larger area.

Lubben isn’t opposed to all wind turbine projects and has even had success working around another wind energy site not far from the proposed NextEra Energy Resources wind project. He closed his comments by pointing out the distinctions between the two wind projects:

The incredibly large scope and density of the Dodge County wind turbine layout is what is the issue here. Changes can be made for the area to keep aerial application while still producing wind power. A perfect example of this is the McNeilus wind farm located just two miles south of the Dodge Center airport. This wind farm has the towers lined up and contained in a small area. I have actually been quite comfortable spraying fields in this area because I know I can exit the turbine area in a straight line and make my turn arounds outside of the wind farm. This could easily be done in the proposed wind farm by orientating the wind towers in groups or in straight lines and leaving a mile buffer between groups or lines to allow room for aircraft turn arounds.

Lubben’s full comments are available here. NAAA commends Ryan for his sophisticated yet simplified explanation of the ramifications that ill-planned wind energy projects can inflict on aerial applicators and their farming customers.

Brazilian, U.S. Aerial Application Have Solid Diplomatic Relations


Fernandes de Souza with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture (right) visited Jeff Chorman at his aerial application operation in Milton, Delaware.


 

Last week NAAA and Delaware aerial applicator Jeff Chorman were treated to a solid introduction to Brazilian aerial application when Lucas Fernandes de Souza with the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture visited the nation’s capital. De Souza traveled to the U.S. to learn more about the U.S. aerial application industry as well as educate about Brazilian ag aviation. De Souza works in a division within Brazil’s Agriculture Ministry that specifically deals with aerial application. The country is currently trying to modernize its regulations dealing with aerial application, and de Souza was on a fact-finding mission to learn more about the U.S. ag aviation industry’s government regulations.

 


NAAA CEO Andrew Moore met with de Souza at NAAA’s headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia.

 

De Souza visited Jeff Chorman at Allen Chorman & Son Inc. at their operation in Milton, Delaware, and then visited NAAA headquarters in Alexandria, Virginia. Brazilian regulations require a human observer to be in the application field to relay field conditions to the ag pilot. NAAA informed de Souza that ag aircraft in the U.S. are equipped with either smokers or meteorological measurement technology, such as AIIMS, to provide the pilot information about wind direction, movement, etc., in lieu of requiring a human observer in the field. Brazilian aerial application operations must submit monthly reports to the Brazilian Ag Ministry documenting the type of aircraft they used, the crops and type of pesticides used, and total acreage and acreage location, whereas U.S. operations only need to keep such records on file at their operations’ headquarters. Brazilian operators must also have containment pools equaling the capacity of all of their aircraft’s hoppers to contain the water from their washed aircraft. The pools are typically enclosed to allow the water to evaporate more expeditiously.

NAAREF In-Season Safety Session on Monday, June 6

NAAREF will be holding an in-season safety session on June 6 at 8 p.m. CDT. The session will feature a small panel of PAASS presenters who will discuss several safety topics. The topics will be based on trends in ag accidents seen last season and this year so far. These include fostering a safe mentorship to bring new ag pilots into the industry, helicopter operations and avoiding wire strike accidents.

The safety session will be presented via a Zoom webinar. Use this link to join the event. The passcode is 579806.

 

During the Zoom webinar, you will be able to see and hear the PAASS presenter panelists, but they will not be able to see or hear you. If you wish to ask a question, you can use either the Q&A function or the chat option. For more information on participating in a Zoom webinar, visit here.


Please try to join the NAAREF safety session, and please spread the word about the session so that others may participate. As we enter the busiest time of the season for much of the ag aviation industry, it’s critical to keep safety at the forefront of everyone’s thoughts.

Register for InfoAg Conference at the TFI Member Rate

The Fertilizer Institute invites NAAA members to register for the 2022 InfoAg Conference at the TFI member rate—the lowest rates offered. InfoAg is the premier event for ag retail agronomy leaders and field professionals to explore innovations in agriculture, including aerial application and drone technologies. The conference takes place July 26-27 in St. Louis, Missouri. Click to register and learn more. Use promo code FERT22 at checkout to save. Contact Alice McKinnon at amckinnon@tfi.org for more information.

NAAA Earns Solid Returns for News Release Promoting ‘Find Aerial Applicator’ Public Database


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:

  1.  Log into AgAviation.org with your username and password.
  2. Once logged in, click on “Your Account” in the upper right-hand corner.
  3. When your profile information pops up, scroll down to the Find an Aerial Applicator Public Search field.
  4. 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.)
  5. 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.
  6. 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.

NAAA Joins National Ag Coalition Expressing Concern Over the White House’s Reversal of Federal Support of Pesticide Preemption Policy

NAAA joined 54 national and regional agricultural organizations in a letter to President Joe Biden expressing grave concern with his administration’s recent change in longstanding federal policy regarding the regulation and labeling of pesticide products.

On May 10, Solicitor General Elizabeth Prelogar submitted a brief to the U.S. Supreme Court advising the Court against hearing a case, arguing that federal pesticide registration and labeling requirements do not preclude states from imposing additional labeling requirements, even if those requirements run counter to federal findings. This position is a stunning reversal from numerous past administrations, Democratic and Republican alike, and poses great risks to our science-based regulatory system and global food systems. The product label at issue in this case involves the herbicide glyphosate. Nearly every pesticide regulatory body in the world, including the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, has conducted robust scientific evaluations of glyphosate and reached the conclusion it is not a carcinogen and can be safely used.

The Solicitor General’s brief adopts a position that permits states to mislabel glyphosate—or any pesticide—with cancer warnings despite overwhelming scientific evidence that it does not pose a cancer risk. The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, the primary statute governing pesticides, is quite clear that “a pesticide is misbranded if its labeling bears any statement … which is false or misleading in any particular.”

The letter states that:

[This] dangerous reversal in position defies this federal statute, decreases access for farmers and other users to much-needed tools to produce food, fiber, and fuel safely and sustainably, and presents threats to science-based regulation and international trade. … At a crucial time when American farmers are striving to feed a world threatened by food shortages and insecurity, the likes of which we have not seen in decades, this reversal of policy greatly risks undermining the ability of U.S. agricultural producers to help meet global food needs. This policy also poses significant risks to farmers and other herbicide users for whom these tools are essential to combat climate change and other environmental challenges. With so much at stake, it is vital that we have durable, predictable, science-based policy on this matter that does not fluctuate between administrations. We strongly urge you to withdraw the brief establishing this new policy, fully considering the implications it holds for global food security, environmental sustainability, and the future of science-based regulation.
Read the full letter here.

C-PAASS: 2023 Coming Soon

Exhibitor Details for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo: Booth Sales for Aircraft & Large Booth Space Now Open

Join us for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo in the new location of Knoxville, Tennessee, Dec. 5‒8. NAAA Expo attendees and exhibitors will take over several hotels and the convention center in thriving downtown Knoxville, which is full of restaurants featuring great southern cuisine, fun bars and unique shops. Knoxville is also a short drive to the Great Smoky Mountains, which offer excellent pre and post-Ag Aviation Expo trip ideas.


Because Knoxville is a day’s drive for more than half of the U.S., we’re expecting a large crowd at this year’s Ag Aviation Expo. Exhibiting allows you to get your company, product/service and brand in front of an expected 1,500 attendees. We hope to see you and your company in Knoxville!
 
The NAAA Trade Show will take place Dec. 6, 12 p.m.–5:30 p.m. and Dec. 7, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. Review the NAAA Exhibitor Prospectus and exhibitor webpage for further details, pricing and dates. Click here for a full schedule of events.
 
Booth Sales for Aircraft & Large Booth Space Now Open: If you plan to bring an aircraft, need a 20’x20’+ island booth, a 10’x30’+ inline booth or plan to be a Diamond or Platinum Sponsor, please contact Lindsay Barber ASAP to ensure the best placement on the trade show floor.

 

10’x10’ and 10’x20’ Booth Space: Booth sales for 10’x10’ and 10’x20’ spaces will begin on Thursday, July 14, at 12 p.m. ET/11 a.m. CT. All details will be emailed to Allied members and posted online

Details for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo

  • Dates: Dec. 5-8, 2022
  • Location: Knoxville Convention Center
  • Kickoff Breakfast Speaker: Captain Scott Kelly, first astronaut to complete year-in-space mission.
  • General Session Speakers: Dr. Stan Musick & Michelle Miller
  • Schedule of Events: See the current, tentative schedule here.
  • Hotel: Details here.
  • Attendee Registration: Opens July 1.
  • Exhibitor Booth Sales: Large booth sales open. 10’x10’ and 10’x20’ booth sales open on July 14. Please email Lindsay Barber if you would like to secure a large booth space.
  • Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsorships are now available. View the opportunities online. Please email Lindsay if you would like to secure a sponsorship from last year or would like to be contacted about 2022 opportunities! We have sponsorships available for all budget sizes.
  • Auction Donations: Thank you to Pratt & Whitney Canada for donating a PT6-34AG to this year’s NAAA Live Auction. While we are still several months away from the Ag Aviation Expo, we are already accepting donations for the Live and Silent Auction. The earlier you inform us of your auction donation, the more advertising you will receive on the NAAA website and in NAAA publications. Support the aerial application industry by donating an item today. Email Lindsay with your donation details.

Beware of Fraudulent Company Trying to Book Hotel Rooms for NAAA Ag Aviation Expo

NAAA received notification that an independent third-party company called Expo Key Booking is contacting our NAAA Allied members to book sleeping rooms in Knoxville for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo. This company is NOT associated with NAAA or any hotel in Knoxville; your hotel room should only be booked through the information we provide. Ignore their calls/emails and do not return their calls.


Please remember that no one from (or on behalf of) NAAA or any of the hotels will contact you (phone, email, etc.) to book a hotel room. NAAA recommends that you make your own hotel reservations using the information in our NAAA publications or at AgAviation.org/hotel. Do not trust these companies; they will take your money, and you may not have a hotel room in Knoxville.


The hotels in the NAAA room block for the NAAA Ag Aviation Expo Dec. 5-8 in Knoxville are the Marriott, Tennessean, Hilton, Crowne Plaza and Hyatt Place. Booking details are at AgAviation.org/hotel.

Bullet Strikes Texas Operator’s Ag Plane During Morning Corn Application

A Texas operator escaped injury after his plane was struck by a bullet sometime during a routine corn application. An investigation by the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office remains ongoing.

After spraying a cornfield on the morning of May 7, Dennis Whitlock of Whitlock Air Service in Bonham, Texas, returned to Jones Field Airport to refuel and prepare for his next job. As he was about to fuel up, he noticed a hole on the side of the cowling surrounding the engine of the PA-36-400 Piper Brave. “I said to myself, ‘That looks like a bullet hole,’ and went to look and it,” Whitlock said. Sure enough, a large bullet hole had punctured the cowling (see photos below).

 



Whitlock opened the cowling to discover that the bullet had ripped through a scat hose that feeds air to the oil cooler and then hit an air intake tube, which deflected the bullet. “Luckily, it didn’t hit the fuel servo on the fuel injection or penetrate the crankcase or any part of the engine itself. It’s kinda like in the movie when the old boy got shot and he pulled out his cell phone or his pocket watch and stopped the bullet,” Whitlock said. “That air intake tube stopped the bullet for me.”

Ultimately, the damage to the plane was relatively minor, but it could have been much worse. If the bullet had taken a slightly different path and penetrated the fuel injection system, it would have shut the airplane down. If it had penetrated the crankcase, the plane would have lost oil and also shut down.

Whitlock never heard any shots fired, but he’s sure the shooting occurred sometime during his morning corn run. He always visually inspects the aircraft before flying, and everything was fine before he ferried to the cornfield 4 miles north of the airport. There were a few houses near the field he sprayed, but he didn’t notice anything unusual.

After discovering the bullet hole, one of Whitlock’s first calls was to his friend and occasional pilot, NAAA President Jim Perrin, who sent NAAA’s shooting-response checklist to him.


Whitlock followed the checklist’s suggestions and began by contacting the local Sheriff’s Office. When a pair of deputies arrived at his hangar and examined the bullet hole, they told Whitlock the bullet was bigger than he had initially assumed. (No slug was recovered.)

“I thought just looking at the hole where it penetrated the outer cowling of the airplane, it was a small caliber, like maybe even a .22. They said, ‘Oh, no, much bigger than that.’ When you look inside the cowling where it impacted the air intake tube on the engine, it is much bigger. It’s like maybe half a dollar or bigger size around.” (See photo below.)

 



The gravity of the situation started to sink in for Whitlock then. “My first thought was .22, could have just been a kid or anybody just taking a pop shot, and I didn’t think a whole lot about it. Then when they told me it was a larger caliber, that changed my thinking. Then it’s more like, ‘You know, somebody was really trying to do me harm.’”

Whitlock also contacted the FSDO regional operation center in Fort Worth and later spoke with a contact at his local FSDO office about the shooting incident.

On May 12, the Fannin County Sheriff’s Office called Whitlock to inform him that they were making some progress on his case. They didn’t offer more details, but Whitlock thinks they may have identified a person of interest. He has lots of questions that he hopes he’ll get answered eventually.

“I’d love to know the age of the person involved. Were they male, female? What was the caliber of the weapon? There’s a lot of things I’d love to know, but I don’t know if I’ll ever get the opportunity to know it or not.”

Whitlock adds, “In the world I live in, in the spray business, I’m what I call cautiously optimistic. So I’m trying to be cautiously optimistic here.”

NAAA will keep members informed as news develops in the shooting investigation of Whitlock’s ag plane.

Tips for Responding to an Aircraft Shooting

Over and above state laws, it is a federal crime to shoot at aircraft, including unmanned aircraft systems. Penalties can be as severe as 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Even the threat of shooting down an aircraft can result in a five-year prison sentence.

Five years ago, after a series of shootings directed at ag aircraft, NAAA developed a checklist of actions operators and pilots can take in the event someone discharges a firearm at their aircraft. The checklist includes tips on how to report a shooting incident and spread the word to bring the perpetrator to justice. NAAA’s shooting-response checklist is available here to print. It contains the following steps along with NAAA’s advice.

Checklist for Pilots Subjected to Discharge of a Firearm Targeting an Ag Aircraft

  • Inform Local Law Enforcement
  • Contact the FBI
  • Report it to the FAA National Safety Hotline
  • Call your Local Flight Standards Office (FSO)
  • File a NASA Aviation Safety Report
  • Tell Other Pilots
  • Notify Local News Media
  • Contact Your Insurance Agent if Warranted
In addition to its shooting-response checklist, NAAA is available to offer additional assistance in the event of an ag aircraft shooting. Contact NAAA at (202) 546-5722 for further support.

NAAA Members Promote Careers in Agricultural Aviation to North Dakota Fifth Graders


Steve Iglehart (back right) and Brian Rau (middle) with Medina, N.D., fifth graders in front of Steve’s AT-402.


 

Last month, NAAA members Steve Iglehart and Brian Rau of North Dakota spoke to 834 fifth graders about agricultural aviation. They met with groups ranging from 10 to 30 students at a time. The career day they participated in is an annual event facilitated by Bismarck Aero Center and the North Dakota Aviation Association that exposes area fifth graders to many potential careers in aviation. The students rotate to stations featuring various aspects of aviation, including agricultural aviation. Steve and Brian gave a brief overview of what an agricultural pilot does and how to get started in the business. They emphasized why it is important to do well in school, especially in math, science, business and technology for careers in aviation, particularly agricultural aviation. The rest of the time is spent fielding questions about an ag pilot’s work and the aircraft they fly. This cycle repeated throughout the day until all 834 students made it through the stations.

 


Iglehart speaks to a group of fifth graders about flying an AT-402.

Changes to EPA’s Application Exclusion Zone Continue to be on Hold

At the end of 2020, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) revised the Application Exclusion Zone (AEZ) from the original requirements laid out in the 2015 Worker Protection Standard (WPS). NAAA and other agricultural groups had supported the 2020 revisions as an improvement over the original AEZ. Before the 2020 revisions could take effect, though, the EPA was sued in two separate cases over the changes to the AEZ laid out in the revision. A preliminary injunction from the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York stayed the effective date of the 2020 rules, meaning the 2015 AEZ rules are still in effect.

The 2015 AEZ rules, which are currently the law of the land, define the AEZ as an area surrounding the application equipment that must be free of all persons. For aerial applications, the distance is 100 feet. The applicator must suspend the application if any person enters the AEZ, even if the person is not on the property being treated. This suspension must occur for both workers and other persons within the AEZ. The only exception is for properly trained and equipped pesticide handlers. Property owners and their families are required to leave homes or buildings if they are within the AEZ. The 2015 AEZ rules do not clarify that the application suspension is meant to be temporary—it simply states the application must be suspended when someone enters the AEZ. For more information on the AEZ rules, visit here.


The preliminary injunction on the 2020 rules, which are still not being implemented, was to remain in effect until August 2022. However, according to a recent EPA publication in the Federal Register, the EPA will be starting a new rulemaking effort to address the AEZ. This rulemaking process may modify the original 2015 AEZ, the 2020 revisions or both. The EPA expects to issue a proposal for its new AEZ rules sometime in 2022. NAAA will closely monitor this rulemaking process to ensure the EPA does not return to the original 2015 AEZ requirements, which did not recognize the impact that wind has on drift or that applicators cannot control people who are not on the property being treated.

Ag Aviation Expo Sponsorships Available—Boost Your Company’s Brand!

Join us for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo in Knoxville, Tennessee, Dec. 5-8. Sponsorship sales are open for this year’s convention, where we’re expecting a large crowd at this new Ag Aviation Expo location. Branding at the Ag Aviation Expo is a great opportunity to get your message in front of the agricultural aviation industry and reach a targeted and nationwide audience of aerial applicators in North America—an audience responsible for applying 28% of crop protection products to commercial cropland in the U.S.
 
Take advantage of getting your company name in front of the expected 1,500+ operators, ag pilots and other attendees directly related to the agricultural aviation industry through an Ag Aviation Expo sponsorship.

Six reasons why you should be a sponsor at the 2022 NAAA Ag Aviation Expo:

    1. A targeted audience will see your company’s name and/or logo.
    2. Sponsorship enhances your company’s credibility and rapport.
    3. You will gain brand awareness and recognition.
    4. You will generate new sales and/or leads and potential business partnerships.
    5. You can drive attendees to your booth and message through your sponsorship.
    6. According to a post-convention survey, 75% of aerial applicators stated that they would be “very likely” to use the products and services of a company that sponsors an event at the Ag Aviation Expo. View sponsorship opportunities here.

    By becoming a sponsor, attendees will:

    • Remember your company, services and products.
    • See you as a supporter of the ag aviation industry.
    • Recognize your brand.
    • See you as a partner and industry visionary.
    • Hold you above others in purchasing decisions.

    For more information, contact Lindsay Barber by email or phone at (202) 546-5722.

    Details for the 2022 Ag Aviation Expo

    • Dates: Dec. 5-8, 2022
    • Location: Knoxville Convention Center
    • Kickoff Breakfast Speaker: Captain Scott Kelly, first astronaut to complete year-in-space mission.
    • General Session Speakers: Dr. Stan Musick & Michelle Miller
    • Schedule of Events: See the current, tentative schedule here.
    • Hotel: Details here.
    • Attendee Registration: Opens July 1.
    • Exhibitor Booth Sales: Large booth sales open. 10’x10’ and 10’x20’ booth sales open July 14. Please email Lindsay Barber if you would like to secure a large booth space.
    • Sponsorship Opportunities: Sponsorships are now available. View the opportunities online. Please email Lindsay if you would like to secure a sponsorship from last year or would like to be contacted about 2022 opportunities! We have sponsorships available for all budget sizes.
    • Auction Donations: Thank you to Pratt & Whitney Canada for donating a PT6-34AG to this year’s NAAA Live Auction. While we are still several months away from the Ag Aviation Expo, we are already accepting donations for the Live and Silent Auction. The earlier you inform us of your auction donation, the more advertising you will receive on the NAAA website and in NAAA publications. Support the aerial application industry by donating an item today. Email Lindsay with your donation details.

    Shine a Light on the Industry’s Unsung Heroes!


    Eight recipients received NAAA Awards in 2021. Who will be among this year’s awardees? Nominations are due by Sept. 9.


     

    One of the highlights of each NAAA convention is the chance to honor a distinct group of committed individuals and companies for their service to the agricultural aviation industry. The aerial application industry is filled with exceptional people who go above and beyond the call of duty, often with little fanfare. Make someone’s day, year or career by nominating him or her for a 2022 NAAA Award!

     

    NAAA’s online submission form is the fastest and simplest way to nominate someone in just a few clicks, but the traditional PDF-based awards forms are also available options. The following submission methods are available at AgAviation.org/awards.

    Completed entries using the traditional PDF forms may be emailed or faxed to NAAA at information@agaviation.org or (202) 546-5726 (fax).

     

    There are nine NAAA Award categories and one NAAREF Award. The nomination deadline is Sept. 9, but early nominations are encouraged. The longer you wait, the busier you’ll be as the summer season approaches.

    NAAA Award Categories

    Agrinaut Award: Honors an agricultural aircraft operator, operating organization or allied member company that has made an outstanding contribution in the field of ag aircraft operations. The achievement cited shall have contributed to the “state-of-the-art” for the benefit of the agricultural aircraft industry as a whole.

     

    Allied Industry Individual Award: Recognizes an NAAA member or staff and/or an allied industry individual who has significantly contributed their efforts for the benefit of the allied industry and the aerial application industry. (Presented by the NAAA Allied Industry Committee.)

     

    Delta Air Lines “Puffer” Award: Recognizes an individual who has made an outstanding contribution to the design of agricultural aircraft and/or related equipment.

     

    Evans-Christopher Operation S.A.F.E. Award: Recognizes individuals or entities that have made outstanding contributions to the Operation S.A.F.E. program. (Presented by NAAREF.)

     

    John Robert Horne Memorial Award: Honors a pilot with five or fewer years of experience in the agricultural aviation industry who has an exemplary safety record and has contributed to safety in ag aviation. This award no longer has carryover nominations from year to year; a new nomination must be submitted every year.

     

    Larsen-Miller Community Service Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by a member to his or her community.

     

    Opal and Bill Binnion Memorial Award: Acknowledges those who contribute to NAAA in its efforts to educate the public about aerial application.

     

    Richard “Dick” Reade Memorial Award: Recognizes outstanding contributions by an allied industry member and their company.

     

    William O. Marsh Safety Award: Recognizes significant achievements in safety, safety education or an outstanding operational safety program.

     

    Zoren and Joan O’Brien Memorial Outstanding Service Award: Awards outstanding service to the commercial agricultural aviation industry or to its association.

     

    The 2022 NAAA Award recipients will be announced in the fall and honored at the Excellence in Ag Aviation Banquet Dec. 8 in Knoxville, Tennessee.

    We All Have a Telling History: Use Yours and NAAA’s Materials to Broadly Communicate Agricultural Aviation’s

    By Andrew Moore, NAAA CEO

    If you are an active citizen in the world of aerial application, don’t be a static audience member during this epic centennial event. Take the stage with us and bring out your inner thespian as we enunciate the gospel of agricultural aviation to the public. 

     

    History is not just documenting famous or infamous people, times and events. We all have a history—a story to tell about ourselves that can contribute to the next and future generations’ betterment. One could also believe that sharing our history is one of the meanings of life—to improve and evolve our world by sharing the key to living a good life and sharing the hazards and obstacles that may hinder such living.

     

    NAAA has reached the climax in the centennial epic of sharing our industry’s history to the public, which of course was Aug. 3, 2021. But just because the official centennial anniversary date is behind us doesn’t mean all efforts to share the importance of our industry to the public have passed you by. We will be celebrating the centennial of agricultural aviation for an entire year. We continue to reach out to policymakers, our brethren in the fields of agriculture and aviation, to the trade press, to the public and to the national news media. We continue to share our history of improving the cultivation of food, fiber and bioenergy consumed globally and how we’ve learned from harrowing experiences and evolved technologically to fine-tune our craft, use less product to cover more acres and better care for Mother Earth. We are continuing to use all types of media to educate the public—three different length video documentaries, a comprehensive book of our history, social, print, trade and news media releases and a special website, AgAviation100.com, to share the 10-decade story of ag aviation and we will continue to due so through July of 2022.

     

    If you are an active citizen in the world of aerial application—whether an operator, pilot, crew member, service-parts-equipment provider or related tangentially to the industry in another way—don’t be a static audience member during this epic, year-long centennial event. Take the stage with us as we enunciate the gospel of agricultural aviation to the public. Inform your local television stations, newspapers and radio stations about the industry’s 100th anniversary, even if it is by simply directing them to AgAviation100.com. On that site, there is a “Get Involved” tab with a draft press release about the 100th that discusses the importance of the industry, its progressive evolution, and directs readers to AgAviation100.com to learn more. Feel free to cater that press release to your own operation and experience and send it to your local news outlets.

     

    You can also brush up on the ag aviation script about the importance of ag aviation, environmental safeguards that are common practice today and other industry talking points on NAAA’s media relations kit webpage that may be found here.

     

    The media relations kit also includes suggestions on how to best communicate to the media and public when espousing ag aviation’s significance. If you don’t feel comfortable communicating directly, no worries. NAAA staff and an assortment of ag aviation ambassadors can be used as understudies and take over that role, but do make sure the public and news media in your area are informed of our centennial milestone to maximize the value of this pivotal once-in-a-lifetime event. 


    Don’t forget, we all have a great story to tell about this industry. Whether it is how one got into the industry; the training to fine-tune ag aircraft and the application equipment; how ag aviation provides to local employment and the local economy; or how after five generations, our technology and experience are such that we produce more per acre, showing that our care for the environment continues to progress—all of these anecdotes are both important and fascinating to public audiences.

    It’s up to us all to tell the story to continue this industry’s remarkable legacy. And again, just because the official anniversary date has occurred, our centennial lasts a year and you can still contribute plenty. Please join the ag aviation cast for this once-in-a-100-year performance that is leading to glowing public reviews and will continue to do so throughout the year.

    NAAA Releases Book of the Century! Buy It Today

    NAAA has released the book of the century—a century of agricultural aviation, that is.

    One hundred years ago, an aerial crop dusting experiment spawned the birth of the agricultural aviation industry. To commemorate agricultural aviation’s 100th anniversary, NAAA is pleased to present Agriculture’s Air Force: 100 Years of Aerial Application.


    Agriculture’s Air Force provides a new, updated account of aerial application’s history, 35 years after Mabry Anderson’s masterpiece, Low & Slow: An Insider’s History of Agricultural Aviation, was published. NAAA’s meticulously sourced book is based on a collective history of the agricultural aviation industry based on material from Agricultural Aviation magazine, AgAir Update, Low & Slow and other resources.


    Beginning with Agricultural Aviation’s Spring 2021 issue, NAAA published excerpts from Agriculture’s Air Force and continued to do so through the Fall 2021 issue. Those stories are just a small slice of what’s in the 268-page hardback edition, however. The complete book contains so much more.


    Agriculture’s Air Force delves into the intersection of agriculture and aviation. It chronicles the agricultural aviation industry’s growth from its infancy in 1921 through the boom times after World War II and on to today’s modern era of high-tech aerial application.


    The finished hardback book has been years in the making but well worth the effort. “This is a significant piece of work covering not just the industry’s history, but its essence,” NAAA CEO Andrew Moore said. “We are proud of it and believe it will make a lasting contribution to the industry.”

    The story of agricultural aviation is much like the broader story of aviation: It is mostly punctuated with interesting smaller moments sandwiched between milestone developments. Aerial application is also the story of technological leaps and bounds.

    Agriculture’s Air Force covers five eras spanning more than 10 decades. In addition, it features 34 Spotlight pieces focused on significant individuals, organizations, trends, technologies and topics related to aerial application.


    Agriculture’s Air Force: 100 Years of Aerial Application may well be NAAA’s most enduring 100th anniversary initiative. One thing’s for sure: It is no textbook. The commemorative book is written from a fresh perspective that is entertaining and enlightening. Readers will come away with a new appreciation for agricultural aviation as a profession and the dedicated individuals who propel it forward.

    Order Your Copy of Agriculture’s Air Force Today!

    Agriculture’s Air Force retails for $45, excluding shipping. Order it from AgAir Update’s Online Store.