For three months out of the year, Josh Snow travels from his home in Arkansas to live in rural Iowa. Why? He says, “For the most fun I can have while still working and making money.”
Josh flies our Air Tractor 602, more commonly known as a “crop duster”. Wells Ag Supply has two planes that work solely for our farmers. These dedicated aircraft allow us to serve your dry fertilizer, fungicide, insecticide, and aerial seeding needs in a very timely manner.
For Josh, becoming a pilot was a family tradition. He followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather, and dad. He got his pilot’s license in 2007, and stepped into his career of agriculture spraying in 2012.
“A lot of people ask if its a scary job,” says Josh. “Obviously around here you have to watch out for windmills, towers, and wires, but none of that is scary. Its just safety.”
Aerial application is most commonly used for tall corn in July, otherwise our team of ground applicators can apply your product during other times of the growing season, or on soybeans. Our planes load up right at our on-site runway with approximately 630 to 800 gallons of product at a time. Our pilots shoot to apply about 3,000 acres per day.
Robin Eddy-Knutson, our Custom Application Logistics Coordinator, typically dispatches these planes within a 30 mile radius. “We can still line up services if growers are located further out,” says Robin. “We’ve got different pilots across the countryside we can work with to get your field done.”
A new runway loading system was installed for this growing season. “We used to fill the planes off a tender truck,” explains Robin. “Our new system can fill up to 15 different products right on the runway. Its all about efficiency when we want to keep these guys in the air.”
If you are interested in aerial application, be sure to get ahold of our team. “Within a couple days of ordering, your field can be applied,” says Robin.
As he jumps on the wing to stoop into the cockpit, our aerial application pilot gets a grin on his face. “I love it. I don’t ever dread coming to work,” says Josh.
How could you when your office is a cockpit?
