Ag Association Says ‘Tis The Season: Find A Crop-Duster Online!

The National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA) has announced that the aerial applicator industry, aka ‘crop dusters’ are ready and waiting to get the 2022 season underway.

The NAAA further emphasized that farmers/growers in need of aerial applicators, whether or not a prior relationship exists, can utilize the applicator database to locate an appropriate resource.  See FMI link

We’re told that 2021 was a very productive spraying season, and that 2022 is expected to be even better as farmers seek to maximize crop yield by staving off pests or weeds and using fertilizer. In a survey recently conducted by the NAAA, apparently 80% of aerial applicators flew the same or more hours and acres than they did in 2020. Of those nearly 60% had treated more acres than the previous year, and just over 50% flew more hours than the prior year.

With the ongoing supply-chain issues, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, and rumors of food shortages, the need for aerial application appears to be greater than ever. Subsequently, Mr. Andrew Moore, CEO of NAAA “strongly advises farmers to schedule work with them in advance whenever possible.” In the USA alone, in the aggregate, aerial applicators treated just over 125 million acres of cropland, in addition to nearly 8 mission acres of pasture and rangeland, some 5 million acres of forestland, and about the same for mosquito and public health applications.

FMI: https://www.agaviation.org/AF_AerialDirectory.asp