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by Bill Lavender
2007 was a year of initiation for many Mid-western ag-operators and pilots. It was the first year that a fungicide was applied to large acreages of tasseling field corn during a very narrow three or four-week time window. A strong export market and ethanol production’s high demand for grain products has increased corn prices beyond any level seen before. The economics of applying a fungicide for a 15-20 bushel yield increase in corn became a very simple decision. Even so, many of the applications in 2007 were trials, not so in 2008. The need for applying fungicides, primarily Headline and Quilt to almost every acre of corn, has grown even more.
Last year, AgAir Update visited four ag-operators in Illinois and one in Indiana to see how the overwhelming demand for aerial spraying was being handled. There was an element of chaos that was being dealt with efficiently and steadily. This year, Mother Nature threw a curve ball at the best of plans to improve on efficiency to spray more acres of corn. Just as corn planting was well underway in the spring, heavy rains hit throughout the corn-belt. Along the Mississippi River thousands of acres were flooded requiring replanting, or were abandoned. The biggest impact to the aerial applicator was the broken sequence of planting dates that split up the tasseling window.
In some cases, farmers would be part way through planting a field, stop for the day, only to wake the next morning to rain falling on his freshly prepared unplanted ground. For many, it was two to three weeks before they could return to finish planting. Because of this, some fields are receiving split applications, while others will be sprayed entirely when part of the field is at the end of the window for an application and the other part has just become ready to be sprayed, not ideal circumstances. While 2008’s corn run was just beginning at the end of July, this time last year the corn run was almost finished.
AgriFlite Services, Inc.
This year’s first stop of the 2008 corn run excursion was near Wakarusa, Indiana at Dave Eby’s AgriFlite Services, Inc. Last year, AgriFlite set a precedent by operating over 20 ag aircraft for spraying corn and using internet-linked mapping and billing. Like every ag-operation involved with the corn run, scheduling is still the key word. AgriFlite, last year, developed Aerial Tracker software that allowed the dealer and ag-operator to interface with scheduling and mapping of fields. Like anything this complex, it had its share of “bugs” but overall worked very well. This year, AgriFlite completely rewrote the software, using the experience gained in 2007 to develop AgSync. It is better in many ways than Aerial Tracker, allowing each dealer to enter into a secure section of the web site to place orders, initiate the orders’ applications and see when the order has been completed for billing. One of the best features about AgSync is its ability for the grower or dealer to locate the field on special geo-software, highlight and export its shape file directly into Satloc, AgNav, or Trimble GPS without the time consuming job files .
By using AgSync, AgriFlite can download the data onto the pilot’s GPS PC card and also hand him a hard copy packet of maps and field data for reference and confirmation of AgSync’s digital data. Office staff can also download multiple fields in a given area and see their position on a computer screen. The pilot is able to view multiple fields on his cockpit GPS screen. This makes assigning the correct fields much easier. Plus, it gives the pilot an enhanced view of how best to start working the series of fields.
“With AgSync, we have dramatically improved our scheduling procedure, allowing us to accurately treat more acres. AgriFlite has also increased its application rates by about 33% to help cover the increase in fuel prices and other operating costs. We had to sort out some of the less profitable acres, while picking up more desirable acreage,” explained Dave Eby. “We made a significant effort during the winter months educating the dealers about the concept of letting the aircraft treat the larger fields as the best way overall to treat more acres of corn.” AgSync will be formally introduced to the aerial application industry at the NAAA convention as a possible solution to order preparation, management and tracking for both the aerial and ground application industries.
For AgriFlite, most of the same pilots from 2007 will return for 2008. Corn fungicide applications in northern Indiana were just starting when AgAir Update arrived, July 15. This year AgriFlite will use 12 fixed wing aircraft and three helicopters. Three loading rigs will service the fixed wing aircraft. Two 8,000-gallon capacity tanker trucks will service the loading rigs. In most cases, the dealer will deliver the chemical to the load site in a “hot mix” configuration (pre-mixed). The load rigs have 1,600-gallon fuel capacity, enough for a day of flying for four aircraft.
Benoit Aerial Spraying
Departing AgriFlight, AgAir Update headed west to Steve Benoit’s operation, northeast of Kankakee, Illinois. Last year the day AgAir Update arrived, Steve had been hospitalized after coming in contact with anhydrous ammonia from a ruptured hose. This year, AgAir Update found him beneath the belly of a radial Thrush changing out the spreader for the wet system. A highly unusual fertilizing job of ammonium sulfate on potatoes had put a temporary hold on launching 2008’s corn run. However, before sunset corn orders were being completed.
Benoit Aerial Spraying operates two Walter-powered Thrushes and two radial Thrushes, up from last year by one radial Thrush. Three of the aircraft use winglets for an 80-foot swath (WRK checked) at two gallons per acre with eleven ASC rotary atomizers per aircraft. Steve has called in an additional eight more aircraft to help during the corn run. “We need to be able to cover 20,000 acres a day,“ explains Steve.
When asked about the two radial Thrushes, “After 40 years in this business, I never thought I’d be training ag-pilots. But I see the need, especially here at Benoit Aerial Spraying. So, I’ve added a second radial Thrush to our fleet. I will break in two new pilots this year. I’ll pick the safest fields for them. They will each fly half a day and load for half a day. This way they won’t get too tired.
To make the 2008 corn run go smoother, this year Benoit Aerial Spraying is calling in the out-of-state aircraft sooner. The company also has a 2,500-gallon bulk tank for the fungicide. Steve noted there is about a half million dollars worth of chemical in the tank when full.
Lindell Aerial Ag Service
Close to the Iowa state line in Aledo, Illinois is Lindell’s Aerial Ag Service, owned by Garrett Lindell. While visiting last year, Garrett had been managing about 10 aircraft for over three weeks, averaging well over 10,000 acres a day. The stress showed. This year, the season had just started the day before AgAir Update’s arrival and Garrett had eight aircraft working with four more coming for a total of 12. These aircraft will be working from six or seven airstrips in the area.
Many of the same pilots from last year returned, along with some new ones. One of the new pilots is Garrett’s nephew, Reid Brown. Reid is a recent graduate of Flying Tiger Aviation in Louisiana. This is his first year flying ag and will be using a C-188.
Some of the changes for this year included hiring a full-time office/load manager, Gabe Van Nordstrand. This will allow Garrett to fly more. Also, BASF has helped Garrett with logistics by working with him on a sophisticated injection and mixing system. Garrett explained it should make loading and billing much easier.
The Junge Bulk Chem-Way handles fungicides in bulk (2,500 gallons) and quick-turn tanks (250 gallons). The unit uses pneumatic valves controlled by an electronic scale interfaced with a computer with special software. Basically, the operator inputs the load number, the pilot information, the acres and application rate of the job and the unit figures out how much fungicide to mix with water, adds surfactant if required and pumps it into the aircraft. It is both a flexible and sophisticated system. These units have been used successfully for seed treatment applications and by ground operators.
Holzwarth Flying Service, Inc.
Based in Virden and Lincoln, Illinois, Chuck Holzwarth’s company will be using a dozen aircraft to get the corn fungicide applications done in 2008. Covering a vast number of acres last year, Holzwarth Flying Service will most likely cover even more in 2008. Even with the large number of pre-booked acres, more acres are coming in every day from last minute decisions by the farmers.
Late planting has had a huge impact on all the mid-western ag-operations, starting three weeks later than last year. July 16 of 2008 saw Holzwarth Flying Service running wide open with 13 aircraft, with three or four more yet to arrive. The Holzwarth aircraft includes two AT-602s (in partnership with Brannon Flexsenhar), an AT-502 and two AT-402s. The other ten or so aircraft will come from out-of-state. Jobs will be flown from a half dozen nearby airstrips.
Chuck invested a great deal of time working with both the growers and dealers during the winter. Using a Power Point presentation, Chuck explained the virtues of aerial application and how early order placements were essential to getting sprayed in a timely fashion. Chuck also discussed and explained the differences between aerial and ground applications and how Holzwarth’s Flying Service is changing to meet the demands of its growers and dealers.
Holzwarth’s Flying Service has two Junge mixing systems, one in Virden and the other in Lincoln. They will play a big role in helping to make the flying and billing jobs more efficient and productive. With over 5,000 gallons of Headline and Quilt on site at any given time, along with other chemicals, as well as insecticides, it makes one a little uneasy about the dollar value of the product on site.
Reed’s Fly-On Farming
Not too far east of Holzwarth Flying Service is Reed’s Fly-On Farming in Mattoon, Illinois. Based on the public airport, Rick and Becky Reed are using seven aircraft of which three are Reed Fly-On Farming aircraft. Another four Air Tractors are on standby in Michigan.
Arriving at Rick’s office was like stepping into a southern ag-convention. With the exception of John Barber from South Dakota, Rick has a contingent of southern pilots, three from Mississippi and one from Alabama. It was somewhat amusing in the Reed Fly-On Farming office hearing the drawl of the southern pilots communicating with the locals.
Like other operators, Reed’s Fly-On Farming is using a combination of plat maps, Rockford maps and Surety mapping. Many of the pilots are not accustomed to flying more than a few miles from home. They find themselves dependant upon the lat-long coordinates to find the field, not acknowledging the townships nearby. While local pilots, Rick and Dominque Youakim know the area well and use the townships as reference points. The combination of field location techniques, a new loading facility and a full-time Office Manager Becky Reed and Logistics Manager Chris Bradford, Rick plans to cover more acres than last year.
Epilogue
“No matter how well man plans, God laughs,” someone once said. This is very true for the operators in the Mid-west planning through the winter for a more successful corn-spraying season. Heavy rainfall came at a critical time during planting; splitting planting dates by as much as three weeks and ultimately delaying the spraying season by three weeks. This was probably the most defining factor of the corn-spraying season of 2008 in the Mid-west.
Scheduling was the key word at every operation. How well the work is scheduled and billed is paramount to how many acres can be treated. Operators have to make do with a system of scheduling that has yet to see perfection. The key element is not only timely booking of the acreage, but also having that acreage imported into a file format that can be digitized across multiple platforms that allow for billing, dealer and operator tracking and helping the pilot find the field in an organized fashion. In principle, it seems like a simple task. In reality, it is extremely difficult. Great progress has been made over last year’s efforts. Without a doubt, more progress will be made this year.
Another significant change for 2008 is the way the chemical is being handled. Last year many of the loads were pre-mixed by the dealers before being delivered to the airstrips. That meant hauling around a lot of water, plus the risks associated with transporting pre-mixed loads. That method is still going on for remote strips. However for a few select base operations, bulk tanks have been designed and installed with sophisticated loading systems. It is the right direction to be headed for improved efficiency.
There is talk, nothing definitive, about the possibility of application rates for corn fungicides being lowered to one-gallon per acre. Operators are grateful for the two-gallon rate BASF introduced that makes the corn run possible. Many have mixed feelings about a lower rate, realizing that the preciseness of applications will have to be raised even higher. Others welcome the idea of lower application rates. However, at that point, aircraft fuel management will become a serious factor.
More unqualified rumors hint there may be research going on for a hybrid corn that does not require a fungicide application. That will be years down the road.
Developing a hybrid plant is not as easy as planting a few rows of corn and picking out the plants that don’t develop disease. It is not even a sure thing that such a hybrid can be developed, while all along, Mother Nature continues to change as more corn is planted in denser populations, inviting other issues that aerial application will be called upon to manage.
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