With agricultural labor in short supply, knowing how to recruit and retain qualified workers is essential. From communication to compensation, find tips to help create and manage an effective farm team on page 12.
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Should You Be Drone Spraying?
Story by Dave Alexander, Publisher
Photos courtesy Kimm Seed Potatoes
If you’re shopping on Amazon for a new TV, or a new computer or a new-fangled widget you don’t need, chances are good that you read the reviews before smashing the “buy” button. But what if you want to know how well a product works that isn’t intended for mass consumption? Something that doesn’t have 5,000 Amazon reviews.
If you need a new tractor or planter or harvester, you can talk to neighbors and other growers you trust because every farm will have some variation of this equipment. But what about newer technology like drone sprayers? Reading an ad or website will tell you what it does, but if you want to know how drone sprayers actually work in the field, read on.
Speaking at the Montana Seed Potato Seminar in Missoula, Montana, tech enthusiast Willem Kimm gave attendees his real-world experience using an XAG P100 Pro drone sprayer this past season on seed plots at Kimm Seed Potatoes. The lessons he learned from his experience with the drone in potatoes can certainly be used as a guide if you’re thinking about a spray drone for carrots or other row crops.
Why Drones?
Father and son, Jason and Willem Kimm’s potato seed plots are five miles away from their main farm, on the edge of Bozeman, Montana. Towing a large spray rig on busy roads was always dicey, and spraying by plane risks exposure to neighboring fields and wasn’t even possible on their smallest plot. Jason used a makeshift sprayer he built from a rogueing cart, but it was difficult to run and inefficient.
Drones have better topographical access, are more cost-effective on small plots than large rigs, deliver liquids more accurately with less drift, and can be used for dry fertilizer and even seed. They can also target problem areas, increasing or decreasing application rates on the fly. The capabilities seemed to solve a lot of problems at Kimm Seed, so they made the investment.
Got Time?
The rugged, high altitude-capable XAG drone with an easy-to-clean atomizing disk system checked all the boxes for the Kimms when they went shopping, but there are licensing considerations that may cross one off your list.
The FAA requires three different licenses to fly large commercial drones. Part 107 allows for commercial, non-recreational flight, Part 137 authorizes agriculture spraying, and Part 137 Exemption allows for drones over 55 pounds, needed for heavy ag drones.
To get all these certifications, you’ll have to pass written exams and a physical exam, understand weather patterns and fronts, know airspace rules and sectional charts, and understand regulations and
aeronautical processes. Suffice it to say, you’ll need time to study before you can fly, and it can take months to get licensed.
In the Field
Kimm Seed uses a trailer with a 10 kw generator to charge batteries when spraying. A total of six batteries are used –two on the drone, two on the charger and two ready to swap in.
But before spraying can start, an aerial map needs to be made and the data needs to be processed. Kimm uses a small DJI drone and PIX4D mapping software for this. There is one Kimm plot close to the Bozeman airport, so documentation has to be filed pre-spray every time they fly in that restricted airspace.
The drone actually pilots itself and
The XAG P100 Pro drone sprayer used at Kimm Seed Potatoes has a 30-foot spray width.
controls its own flight from the mapping data, but two people are required to operate large agricultural drones efficiently. One person is batching and filling spray tanks, while the other is swapping batteries, and both people watch the laptop and recalibrate spray rates as needed to ensure what is seen onscreen matches what is seen in the tanks.
The XAG drone holds 13.2 gallons, which is 110 pounds of fluid. Maximum takeoff weight is 255 pounds, and fully loaded, the drone will fly for seven minutes without changing batteries. Spraying at 4 gallons per acre, Kimm has found their drone averages about 30 acres per hour, well below what the manufacturer claims.
real-World results
Though slower than planes or ground rigs, the Kimms have found the ease of access to remote fields, flexibility that the drone provides, and accurate sprays with less drift made their drone a wise
purchase. They did have to work through a learning curve, FAA compliance and glitchy software at times, as expected with all new technology.
Perhaps the biggest impediment when employing a drone sprayer is the tech itself. For Willem Kimm, a self-proclaimed tech lover, he adapted to his drone intuitively, but if you are someone who isn’t “techy,” you’ll have more significant challenges getting up and running. He recommends getting training from the manufacturer as he knows of people who have crashed their drones when trying to learn on their own.
“We haven’t crashed ours yet,” Kimm said.
Future or Fad?
Drone spraying has certainly found a spot at Kimm Seed Potatoes, but there are issues to keep an eye on for future use.
A commercial drone ban has been talked about in political circles. Chinese-
Willem Kimm uses a drone to spray a seed plot near Bozeman, Mont.
made DJI, in particular, has been accused of spying and collecting geographic data. Kimm doesn’t see a ban happening, but acknowledged it is a possibility.
Better batteries, swarm spraying, and more controlled and more precise spot spraying are already in the works. Five years from now, technology will be completely different, possibly making a drone bought today obsolete. Technology keeps advancing at a rapid rate, and the possibilities excite and energize young growers.
Kimm envisions a fully autonomous farm one day, operating 24/7. For now, he’ll keep spraying with their drone and the farm may even invest in another one for the coming season. He said he loves their drone, but there are certainly challenges. If he was rating it on Amazon, he would give it four out of five stars.
Testing Technology
By Denise Keller, Editor
Researchers at Oregon State University (OSU) are integrating newer technology into their research systems in ways similar to what growers might use on their farms and are working to measure the impacts. Kristie Buckland, a vegetable and specialty seed crop specialist with OSU, is working on two such projects with a team of colleagues.
Precision Seeding and Weeding
OSU is working on a precision seeding and weeding trial with FarmDroid, a Denmark-based company. The company’s solar-powered field robot performs autonomous seeding and weeding. The machine was delivered to Oregon in May 2024, and the crew at OSU has been learning the nuances of its operation. Through the use of RTK GPS, the FarmDroid records the location of each plant at seeding within 8 mm accuracy.
This allows it to then perform inter-row and intra-row weed control without relying on cameras or AI to distinguish plants from weeds.
“We were really interested in figuring out the chances that it’s going to work and that we’re going to get seeds where we want them and also ‘what’s the efficacy of the weeding? Are we going to be taking out plants or doing damage to the plants with the weeding arm?’” Buckland said. “That was really our question on top of the ‘could we actually farm a vegetable field and not put a hand crew through it?’ For us in the Willamette Valley, especially in organics, that would be a game changer.”
OSU will continue the project in cooperation with FarmDroid for another two years. An Oregon State Department of Agriculture specialty crop block grant will fund replicated trials to measure the efficacy of the robot versus hand weeding. Researchers will also calculate the associated costs of each method to determine the impact on a grower’s bottom line.
Attendees of an OSU field day get an up-close look at a solar-powered field robot from FarmDroid that performs autonomous seeding and weeding. Photo by Kristie Buckland, OSU
Drone Spraying
In a drone spray trial, OSU researchers are looking at how effective is it to aerially apply fungicides to control blackleg in an overwintering turnip seed crop planted last fall near Corvallis, Oregon. Researchers have been spraying fungicides throughout the winter with a drone and with a tractor-driven boom. At harvest, they will measure yield and disease ratings on harvested seed. However, the researchers have noted that the drone is providing significantly less coverage on the plants than a typical boom.
“Generally, you think that means it’s not going to be as effective,” Buckland said. “The particulates move in a different pattern than a boom going across the field, so one of the questions is ‘are we getting product under the leaves, around the leaves in a different way than we would with a tractor-driven boom,’ and we don’t know that yet. There is some literature out there about that. But we will hopefully make our own with this project.”
With OSU’s Cindy Ocamb leading the plant disease work and Pete Berry leading the drone applications, this project will continue during the next couple years and might include evaluation of spray applications made from a drone flown at various heights and speeds.
Cards show the spray coverage achieved via drone spraying in an OSU field trial.
A drone applies fungicide to control blackleg in an overwintering turnip seed crop near Corvallis, Ore. Photo by Pete Berry, OSU
Crop Inputs Essentials Buyers’ Guide
Corteva Agriscience
Salibro
corteva.us/salibronematicide
Salibro nematicide with Reklemel active received U.S. EPA registration in 2023. For carrots, it offers quick and effective protection from root-knot nematodes without disrupting the healthy balance of beneficial organisms in the soil.
As the first sulfonamide nematicide, Salibro will provide a new mode of action for effective resistance management. Reklemel active, discovered and developed by Corteva, is a non-fumigant. It received a “reduced risk” designation from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Office of Pesticides Program. The signal word is “caution”.
Salibro offers a more favorable environmental profile than certain other nematode control products used in carrots. It has exceptionally high compatibility with soil health, including beneficial nematodes, beneficial soil fungi and soil bacteria.
Crop Vitality KTS
cropvitality.com/kts
KTS, by Crop Vitality, will provide the boost growers need for a larger, more uniform carrot harvest. KTS, a liquid potassium thiosulfate fertilizer, supplies soluble potassium and sulfur to support root growth, transport of water, and nutrient uptake in the plant. Foliar applications allow direct access to these nutrients when plants demand it most. A Washington field trial showed that where 1 gallon/acre of KTS was applied twice as a foliar, yield increased by 3.2 tons per acre over the check.
Gowan Company
Fungicides, Herbicides, Insecticides
gowanco.com/products
Since 1962, beginning as a crop consultancy, Gowan Company has been rooted in agriculture, providing trusted expertise and innovative solutions for growers. This familyowned, American business works to understand growers’ challenges and is committed to delivering products and services that maximize yield and quality. Gowan provides solutions for the unique needs of carrot producers. Gowan USA’s dedicated sales representatives and development teams regularly work with carrot growers and researchers to ensure that each product performs optimally in the field.
Gowan offers Reason and Badge SC fungicides, as well as Eptam 7E, Treflan HFP and Treflan TR-10 herbicides. The product lineup also includes OMRI-Listed products EcoSwing, Aza-Direct, Badge X2 and Captiva Prime.
JH Biotech
Biomin
jhbiotech.com/chelation-and-mineral-nutrition
Biomin is a line of fully chelated plant nutrients resulting from the chelation of mineral nutrients with amino acids. These chelates protect the nutrient from combining with other elements or losing nutrient value for absorption. JH Biotech’s Biomin chelated line is OMRI, CDFA and WSDA organic certified and is compatible with humic and fulvic acid products. Without using harsh chemicals, it provides plants with stable nutrients, balancing mineral deficiencies more quickly than conventional inorganic nutrients. It can be used for soil and foliar applications without compromising environmental quality and safety. Biomin may be applied to all crops and turf. It reduces the effects of saline soils, water deficiency and weather conditions while encouraging increased yield, homogeneous ripening, more flavored and high quality fruit, and greater nutrient absorption.
NovaSource
Lorox
novasource.com
Combat and manage annual weeds with Lorox, a Group 7 herbicide. A necessary tool to complete an IPM program, Lorox helps suppress problematic weeds that inhibit growth and yield of a carrot crop. The active ingredient linuron targets over 20 broadleaf weeds and grasses, making it useful across the U.S. Leveraging a different mode of action, Lorox breaks the cycle of herbicide-resistant weeds.
Terramera
Rango
rangonow.com
Combat pests such as mites and mildew and ensure a thriving carrot crop with Rango, a triple-action biopesticide with multiple modes of action, including insect growth regulation, anti-feedant properties, molting disruption and repellency. Rango is an ideal tank-mix and rotation partner for resistance management. A zero-day pre-harvest interval, a four-hour reentry and application flexibility make Rango a go-to choice for effective pest management.
What sets Rango apart is its versatility, offering comprehensive disease, insect and mite control in one jug. It’s a proven solution for fungal diseases and managing both sucking and chewing insects across various lifecycle stages. Rango is EPA registered and OMRI approved and is formulated in the U.S.
Vive Crop Protection Fungicides & Insecticides
vivecrop.com
Vive Crop Protection offers a wide range of crop protection products.
AZteroid FC 3.3 fungicide delivers early-season disease protection. An at-plant application maximizes yield potential and farming efficiency to get crops off to a strong start.
For growers looking to improve standability, maximize vigor and maintain greener plants, AZterknot fungicide provides excellent disease control of major foliar and soil diseases while boosting plant performance under stressful conditions to increase crop quality and yield potential.
Viloprid 4 provides an easy-to-handle imidacloprid solution. The insecticide is compatible with liquid fertilizers and other crop inputs and stays in suspension longer compared to other leading imidacloprid brands.
Dutch Company Debuts vertical Packaging Machine
JASA, a packaging company headquartered in The Netherlands, has introduced a new vertical packaging system. The NXXT platform is designed for modularity and ease of use. With 52 interchangeable modules, operators can adjust settings for tasks like pouch-making, perforation or zip sealing. NXXT is built to prioritize speed and precision, minimize downtime and boost productivity with features such as automatic sensor adjustments and real-time monitoring.
Visit www.jasapackaging.com.
BW Flexible Systems Presents new Palletizer
BW Flexible Systems recently launched the Symach 3500S. This push-type palletizer is designed to deliver highspeed stacking and palletizing performance for bags, bales, crates and cases. Its stacking cage is built to contain bags within the specified dimensions, reducing and preventing product overhang for a sturdy and stable pallet. According to the company, the machine is intuitive to operate and has a more compact footprint than a robotic palletizer, making it a good fit for tight spaces.
Ecorobotix, an AI company specializing in precision agriculture, has added a carrot algorithm to the catalog of options for its ARA Ultra-High Precision Sprayer. The sprayer uses AI software and high-definition cameras to precisely apply plant protection products and fertilizers. This technology is designed to decrease inputs, reduce manual weeding and enhance crop health.
Before the launch of each crop-specific algorithm, the company makes it available free of charge to users to evaluate its performance under real-life conditions. After a season of successful field testing, the carrot algorithm is now available as a paid feature.
Visit www.ecorobotix.com.
FDA Completes
E. Coli
Investigation Tied to Grimmway Farms
The FDA has concluded its investigation into an outbreak of E. coli possibly related to carrots. The outbreak involved 48 cases in 19 states; 20 people were hospitalized and one person died.
Grimmway Farms issued a voluntary recall of select organic whole and organic baby carrots in mid-November 2024. A month later, an investigation showed that none of the 274 samples the FDA collected at Grimmway Farms facilities tested positive for the E. coli strain linked to the outbreak and that none of the samples collected from inside the company’s processing facilities tested positive for E. coli. Two samples collected outside the facilities did test positive for different strains of E. coli, but no illnesses from the outbreak are associated with the two positive samples.
vive Welcomes
Four new Employees
Vive Crop Protection has expanded its team with the hiring of an agronomist and three territory sales managers.
Art Graves is the new northeast technical sales agronomist. He will use his knowledge of crop health and disease management to provide agronomic recommendations, conduct on-farm trials and deliver technical training to customers.
Darren Bodine brings 27 years of experience in agriculture to his new role as Midwest territory sales manager. He will cover Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky and southern Indiana.
John Rouse has been named Vive’s new Mid-Atlantic territory sales manager. His nearly four decades of industry experience will be put to use covering North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, West Virginia and eastern Tennessee.
Mark Reinert brings nearly three decades of experience in agriculture to his new position as southern plains territory sales manager. He will cover Kansas and southern Colorado.
Early maturing. Tender texture, excellent culinary quality. Smooth exterior, deep orange interior and shoulders.
High quality, uniform roots have excellent interior color and taste. Widely adapted.
70 days. Smooth, cylindrical vigorous roots. Adaptability to muck, mineral and deep peat soils. High yield potential.
10-inch cello type that displays excellent tops as well as a smooth exterior. Good root shape and vibrant orange color.
Creating and Managing an Effective Farm Team Research-Backed Tips for Improving Employee Relations
By Alexandra E. Hill, Assistant Professor of Cooperative Extension, Department of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of California, Berkeley
Agricultural employers across the country are reporting too few qualified workers to meet their employment needs. There are no quick fixes for this problem. But in this article, I offer a variety of operational changes aimed at improving your ability to recruit, satisfy and retain an effective farm team. I will start with a few recommendations for effectively choosing and implementing these changes.
One Thing at a Time
Nearly all business owners and operators have laundry lists of possible changes that could increase profits, enhance social impacts, or contribute to other business and personal values. My first suggestion is to narrow this list. Choose one area to focus on and one to three specific changes within that area that you can commit to implementing. You can repeat this process once those
changes are integrated in your operation. Implementing fewer changes at once is less burdensome and simplifies evaluating their effects. This will also help you prioritize your laundry list and take a strategic approach to improving your operation.
Know, Articulate reasons for Change
Next, for each change you identify, understand and convey why the change is important. Is the change addressing a perceived or reported shortcoming of your operation? Are you hoping the change will reduce turnover? Making any change requires effort and perseverance, so it’s important to continue reminding yourself, management and employees why the effort is worthwhile.
After you have selected your changes, there are many actions that can improve their success. In general, I recommend
that you train, reinforce, evaluate and troubleshoot. Most changes require trainings to ensure a smooth transition to the new system or norms. When possible, I recommend piloting the change with a small group of workers to inform your training needs. Next, you can encourage acceptance and support of the change with positive reinforcement or financial incentives. These might be bonuses or recognition for participating in trainings or exhibiting desired behaviors. Next, you should regularly evaluate the impacts of the changes on outcomes linked with your reasons for the change. Be sure to communicate your successes, identify shortcomings, and troubleshoot and adapt to address challenges along the way. Armed with some ideas for effective change management, you might now want some inspiration for changes to support one of your business’s greatest assets –your team. I suggest three change areas for targeting your efforts and offer specific changes within each.
Communication
Effective communication is a key predictor of job satisfaction and retention. Communication is broad and involves different forms (for example, face-toface, calls, texts or emails), different systems (for example, binders or online platforms) and different strategies (ranging from quietly listening to yelling). Accordingly, there are many potential communication changes that could streamline processes and operations, improve employee satisfaction and safety, and generally create a more enjoyable work environment.
Suggestions for new systems of communication include: pre-shift “huddles” to clarify daily objectives; post-
shift “debriefs” to discuss daily challenges and identify solutions; direct growerworker communication channels; shared task lists for management and teams; and systems for workers to file anonymous grievances or suggestions.
Suggestions for improving communication strategies include: trainings for management on conflict resolution and effective communication; no-yell policies; including communication policies and norms as part of the onboarding process; and when assigning employees with a new task, ensure they understand the importance and value of the task for their team, the business or broader society.
Total, Fair Compensation
A total compensation package consists of wages, salaries, bonuses, and benefits like health insurance or paid time off. Ensuring that total compensation packages are internally and externally equitable, and that workers perceive them as such, is vital for successfully recruiting, retaining and motivating high-performing
workers. Are packages competitive with those offered by others in the industry and area? Are workers motivated to perform better or remain with your company longer by their potential for a better package?
Suggestions for creating attractive total compensation packages include: use structured pay and benefit scales that clearly link compensation to performance, experience or company tenure, and ensure workers understand them; create and explain pathways for raises and promotions; offer bonuses for behaviors that are valuable to your operation like individual or team productivity, company performance, retention (return, rehire or end of season) or making employment referrals; offer partial reimbursements for costs from commuting, childcare or work attire; and provide paid vacation and sick days for permanent and more tenured employees.
Work Environment
Many farm workers express appreciation for working outdoors,
working alongside friends, feeling like their bosses care about their well-being and having flexible working arrangements so they can meet familial obligations. Improving the work environment can thus play an important role in attracting and retaining workers. Many aspects of the work environment are regulated, and while ensuring compliance with the ever-evolving legal landscape is critical, this should be the starting point. Striving to make your work environment stand out will bring you closer to becoming an employer of choice.
Suggestions to improve the work environment center around safety, organizational culture, flexibility and education. Develop safety trainings and procedures that address potential issues specific to your operation or workforce; coordinate teambuilding and worker appreciation events; offer workers reasonable flexibility in their scheduling so they can fulfill regular and emergency family needs; promote opportunities for learning at local community centers or community colleges; and offer workers
NAPOLI
Very full-sized Nantes with strong dark green tops and cylindrical, smooth blunt roots. A specialized variety with a sweet taste when sown in fall for winter harvest.
Resistance IR: Ar / Cc / Ps, Pv
YAYA
Similar to Nelson, with more uniform roots and plant vigor. The 5 1/2–6 1/2” roots have mild flavor and crisp, juicy texture with early sugar development. Strong, compact tops for bunching.
Resistance IR: Ar / Cc / Ps, Pv
Chelsey Lenczyk - Organic Lead, Home & Farm Market Manager
T: 267-838-0078 E: c.lenczyk@bejoseeds.com
NAVAL
A Nantes type that produces very shapely, uniform, hairless roots 7-9 inches long. Crisp and sweet, Naval resists cracking with an added bonus of a long shelf life.
Resistance IR: Ad / Ar / Cc
Consider Unique needs of Your Workforce
Finally, the suggestions I have offered reflect what I have learned from my own lived experiences, research, teaching and conversations. The best advice I can offer you is to identify and implement changes based on your own experiences and understanding of the specific needs of your operation. A vital starting point is conducting an honest personal assessment of your operation and using a survey to identify shortcomings from the perspective of your team. I highly recommend using anonymous surveys, structured and semi-structured focus groups, and regularly engaging in conversations with employees across your operation to identify areas for potential improvement. Of course, if you keep collecting information and never act, employees will become understandably frustrated. So be sure that you are able and willing to not only make changes, but to effectively communicate what they are and why they are being made, including explaining how employee feedback was used to identify appropriate changes.
Jerada RZ Delivers
Jerada RZ is an early Nantes hybrid for fresh cello, processing and bunching. Jerada RZ has an average of 90 growing days to reach full blunt shape and offers great uniformity, foliage health and taste. This early variety is high yielding and has long field standability.
