Flying On Cover Crop Seed Steier Ag Aviation • Algona, Iowa
by Chaunce Stanton Marketing Manager
Like Albert Lea Seed, Steier Ag Aviation of Algona, Iowa, is a third-generation, family-owned business. A lot has changed since 1954, when Tony and Chad Meyer’s grandfather started with 20-gallon capacity in airplanes. (Chad is pictured above in the cockpit.) “Now we’re up to 500-gallon and even 800-gallon capacity in the planes,” Chad Meyer said. “My grandfather used to do 20-acre loads, and now we’re doing 250-acre loads. If a farmer’s field is close to the airfield, we can do a seed load about every 15 minutes.” Steier Ag has expanded its business from just aerial liquid application to becoming a full agricultural retailer of seed and chemical supplies – and aerial cover crop seed application, of course. Their typical
range is about a 60-mile radius from Algona, but they often fly further, depending on the volume of seed required. Chad said they’ve seen a spike in cover crop seed application over the past five years. “About 95 percent of the cover crops we fly on are oats and rye around here. We do some turnips and radishes. We’ve even applied some hairy vetch in mixes.” After removing the liquid system from the plane, they attach a 13-foot-wide stainless-steel spreader, which disperses the seed in about an 80-foot wide spread pattern. The hopper is pressurized and pushes air down on the seed.
