Maryland

Spray Drone Season Hits Full Throttle: 3 Service Providers Flying Acres and Boosting Yields

Tue, 29 Jul 2025 19:22:38 GMT

Nebraska native Andy Kreikemeier’s phone hasn’t stopped ringing all week, and it won’t go silent anytime soon.

That’s because his former hobby and volunteer side hustle, flying drones for the county emergency response team, transformed into a full-time gig as a spray drone operator. Kreikemeier is one-third of a team of spray drone pilots with business partners Brett Scheiding and Brad Eisenhauer. Together, the three local volunteer firefighters started Infinity Precision Ag, a custom drone application service provider in southeast Nebraska.

The Infinity team is in the crunch of the summer plant health application season, and farmers without access to a Hagie high-clearance sprayer or an aerial application service need the timely sprays these certified drone pilots provide to get their crop across the finish line and in good shape for fall harvest.

The trio is in their sophomore season offering per-acre spray drone application services to farmers, and the group learned “a ton” from last year’s rookie campaign.

“Spray drones are definitely a good tool because they can do a lot of specialized things, and it’s fun to see the old farmers come out and watch these things. They’ll tell me ‘Never in my day would I have thought this was something I’d be using’,” Kreikemeier says. “It’s a fun change, and it works. You can get more precise with your applications, and you get the stuff where you want it at all times.”

The team at Infinity exclusively flies Hylio spray drones, which are manufactured in Texas. Hylio was among the first U.S. service providers – Iowa-based Rantizo being one of the others – to receive FAA approval to swarm , or operate in concert, multiple spray drones in one flight mission. Swarming is exactly how Kreikemeier and his team prefer to operate the mostly automated quadcopters. By operating multiple spray drones together in a fleet, Infinity can cover more acres per hour.

Related: Trump Issues Executive Order Making Ag Drones More Efficient

Kreikemeier says the service requests from farmers this summer are “about 50-50” fungicide on corn applications and insecticide or foliar-applied biological sprays. There hasn’t been a lot of Tar Spot disease pressure in his area yet, but Gray Leaf Spot in corn is something farmers need to proactively spray for.

(Lindsey Pound)

While he won’t go as far as saying the drones are a superior application tool to a large ground rig or aerial application plane, he does see some advantages to using the technology.

“The drones can definitely get the products deeper into the plant canopy — at least that’s what I’m seeing right now,” Kreikemeier says, adding he’s also seeing improved application quality on end-rows and sensitive areas near buffers, streams and rural housing developments. An aerial applicator would usually have to pull up and gain altitude to avoid those obstacles, potentially leaving some spray to drift off-target. But an unmanned drone can stay low and keep blasting active ingredients directly into the canopy.

“Guys are definitely telling me they can see a difference between what the drones have done and what the planes have done,” he says.

From Photographer to Pilot-In-Charge

Drone shots of a drone spraying fungicide on corn field sprayer spray - By Lindsey Pound

(Lindsey Pound)

Over on the East Coast, Joshua Berry got his start in the drone world along the same lines as many early adopters: he built up a custom photography and videography business for years before making the decision to integrate aerial photography to stay relevant.

The first drone he purchased is widely considered one of the “OGs” in the drone world: DJI’s Phantom 1. Berry recalls his aerial photography service didn’t take off right away, but he always knew ag was an industry he wanted to join. The realization came fast and hard that he was facing an uphill battle to make that dream a reality, as his family didn’t own land or have a legacy in farming.

Berry’s big breakthrough came when he started using drones equipped with thermal cameras to help deer hunters locate fallen prey deep in the woods. The service gave him a foot in the door with local farmers – many of whom are avid hunters or at the very least friends with hunters – along Maryland’s specialty ag-rich Eastern Shore.

refilling drone spraying fungicide on corn field sprayer spray - By Lindsey Pound

(Lindsey Pound)

“A guy out in Ohio saw what I was doing and wanted to get into the deer recovery stuff, so he befriended me, and I helped teach him a couple things,” Berry says. “One day he calls me up and he’s like, ‘Yo, have you seen these agricultural drones?’ I was like, ‘Yeah, I have my eye on it.’ And he tells me it’s going to be the next big thing.”

Berry started doing research and soon enough he agreed with his buddy in Ohio that spray drones would be his ticket to a career in farming. He ordered a pair of DJI Agras T-40 models and started working on getting licensed to legally apply chemicals.

That took him a few months (today the FAA licensing process has been streamlined), and he was able to start flying and applying midway through the 2024 growing season.

“I did a lot of research and networking before I flew a single acre, so I felt like I set myself up for success (early on),” Berry says. “Even though it was a dry year – dry and hot means there’s not a lot of pressure on farmers to spray – I ended the season with between 2,500 and 3,000 acres. For a guy in his first half of a season, I was happy with that.

Related: How Spray Drones Revolutionize Corn Farming, Make Farmers More Efficient and Sustainable

This year, Berry’s acreage will double to about 6,000-7,000. That’s an impressive figure, considering how fields are laid out on the East Coast. This isn’t Iowa, Berry says, where a drone operator can park at an intersection and knock out 300 acres of flat, continuous fields without having to move the truck and tender trailer.

As far as the job mix this summer, he is putting on a lot of single pass fungicide-insecticide-liquid fertilizer applications across a diverse mix of crops. Berry is also hearing some farmers in his area are buying drones themselves and skipping the whole FAA licensing process to spray their crops themselves.

“That’s going to hurt us as an industry, big time. And also, it’s going to hurt the farmers eventually. Even though the enforcement wing of the FAA is almost nonexistent, there is enforcement out there,” he says. “They may not have the manpower (now), but if that changes, you’re going to see these unlicensed guys really start to get dinged.”

Tendering for Spray Drones

The Mitten State is a good proving ground for spray drone applications, says Leon Thelen, agricultural drone application specialist, On Point Application Group (Battle Creek, Mich.).

For one, there aren’t many options for custom aerial application services available to growers like there are in the western Corn Belt. And Michigan farms are often broken into collections of smaller, oddly shaped fields with power lines, tree stands and residential developments nearby. That makes plane applications dicey.

And finally, the state has a diverse crop mix that features a lot of high-value, specialty crops like cranberries, cherries, potatoes and sugar beets. There are a lot of farmers looking to make applications without running over expensive plants with a ground rig.

Related: 7 Expert Tips To Maximize Spray Drone Efficiency

Thelen says On Point Application Group is doing a lot of field border insecticide applications, spot spraying tough weed escapes like water hemp, and putting out full field broadcast applications of fungicides with its XAG P140 spray drones.

One critical aspect of the business Thelen and his team have sorted out over the past few months is tendering. He says the giant, bi-level prefab drone tender trailers you see around the Midwest are good for most operations, but a smaller footprint tender that can fit in the back of an extended pickup is ideal for the type of work he’s doing in Michigan.

“Being that I’ve backed a trailer into a lot of fields, I like lightweight equipment that’s nimble,” he says. “We’ve got a trailer with 1,000 gallons of water and a mix tank that we can leave at the field edge and unhook. Then we have this 200-gallon hot tank with our charging equipment , batteries and everything we can take into the field. This setup works well when you’re working off (irrigation) pivot lanes or back in behind the woods. I like to be close to the field.”

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Founder of Willard Agri-Service, De Willard, Passes Away

Mon, 18 Nov 2024 20:37:18 GMT

On November 13, 2024, the agricultural industry lost one of its legends in ag retail. De Willar, founder of Willard Agri-Service died at the age of 93.

He had a 76-year career as a custom farmer, ag retailer and auto dealer.

Per his obituary:

De founded Willard Chemical Co., Inc. in 1970 (later renamed Willard Agri-Service) as a companion business to his custom farming operation. Willard Agri-Service grew to become a nationally recognized agricultural retailer serving Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Virginia, and West Virginia from five locations. De’s thirst for knowledge motivated him to become active in numerous ag retailer organizations across the nation, where he built a network of cherished friends.

In August 1981, De launched a second business endeavor in the automotive industry which grew to five dealerships located in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Virginia. Similar to the network of friends he developed in agriculture, he grew another network of treasured colleagues in the auto world.

De loved his work and businesses, never carving out significant time for hobbies and recreation. He often remarked that “if you love your job, you’re having fun every day and don’t need a hobby!”

As professional success grew, De fostered important relationships within the ag industry by serving on the Boards of The Fertilizer Institute, Brandt Consolidated, Ouachita Fertilizer, Ag Chem Equipment, the National Fertilizer Solutions Association, and the Maryland and Virgina Milk Producers Cooperative.

He is survived by his former wife and mother of his children Frances Amato Willard; brother William G. Willard (Jane) of Little River, NC; and sister Sarah Ann King (David) of Derwood, MD. He is also survived by his four children Bobby Willard (Lynda) of Key West, FL; Billy Willard, Sr. (Ann Marie) of Poolesville, MD; Jimmy Willard of Jefferson, MD; and Patti Weiss (Mike) of Charlotte, NC., sixteen grandchildren and seventeen great grandchildren.

You can read more about De Willard on the company’s website.

The Willard family of Montgomery County, Maryland was a 2023 inductee in the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame . Over the years, both the farm and the agri-service business have received numerous awards, including the ARA Lifetime Achievement Award and ARA Distinguished Service Award .

Will The Collapse Of The Baltimore Key Bridge Impact Agriculture?

Wed, 27 Mar 2024 18:21:53 GMT

Early Tuesday morning, a cargo ship struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, causing it to collapse. The Port of Baltimore later announced all vessel traffic in and out of the port is suspended indefinitely.

pic.twitter.com/VUDcNw0z5T
— Port of Baltimore (@portofbalt) March 26, 2024

Mike Steenhoek, executive director at the Soy Transportation Coalition, joined the AgriTalk podcast shortly after to share what this devastating event could mean for shipping and the agriculture industry.

“[The Port of Baltimore] doesn’t accommodate a lot in terms of agricultural exports,” he says. “Sugar would be No. 1, then soybeans No. 2, grain products including corn and wheat are No. 3 and then coffee and grocery items.”

According to Steenhoek, the Port of Baltimore exports around 200,000 metric tons of soybeans. In comparison, the Mississippi Gulf near New Orleans is the No. 1 export region for soybeans and exports 35 million metric tons.

He shares the port is a larger importer and exporter of automobiles and light trucks, but the supply chain can have a ripple effect.

“It’s all a part of this big issue that when it comes to supply chains: don’t put all of your eggs in one basket,” Steenhoek says. “The more you can spread your eggs across multiple baskets, the better you are, and the more resilient you are. So, we take real concern when you’ve got a major disruption at one of our ports.”

During a press conference, Maryland transportation secretary Paul J. Wiedefeld said it’s too early to tell how long the port will be closed.

Willard Family Named to Maryland Agriculture Hall of Fame

Fri, 12 Jan 2024 20:40:04 GMT

The Willard family of Montgomery County, Maryland has been named the 2023 inductee in the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame .

“It is an honor to welcome the Willard Family into the Governor’s Agriculture Hall of Fame,” said Kevin Atticks, Maryland Agriculture Secretary. “The legacy of this farm family is truly admirable, from their conservation practices to their strong business sense. I’m looking forward to welcoming them to the Governor’s Ag Hall of Fame this February.”

The Willard family farm has been operating for more than 150 years and they also began Willard Agri-Service in 1970 to offer plant fertility solutions.

Willard Agri-Service was inducted into the Fertilizer Hall of Fame in 2018.

Today, the farm is comprised of 900 corn acres, 600 soybean acres, 400 sorghum acres and 600 wheat acres. It is operated by Scot Poffenberger, Billy Willard Jr. and Joe Sayer.

“The Willard Family have a long and storied history of conservation excellence and serve as exemplary stewards of the lands that they both own and operate across the region. They are both initiators and innovators when it comes to adopting new technologies and practices that help to promote the conservation of soil and water resources while balancing the environmental benefits with the economic viability of their farming enterprises”, said John Zawitoski, district manager for the Montgomery Soil Conservation District.

Over the years, both the farm and the agri-service business have received numerous awards, including the ARA Lifetime Achievement Award and ARA Distinguished Service Award .

The Willards will be honored on Feb. 1 at the annual Taste of Maryland Agriculture event.

Related Stories:

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Willard and West Inducted into Fertilizer Hall of Fame