By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
From ag to invasive species management, drones get the job done.
Several years ago, Rick Jordan launched CNY Drone Services in Clinton that has expanded to two states (two more are pending) and several types of service.
So, what was the catalyst for Jordan to launch his drone enterprise?
Boredom.
He grew tired of working in IT doing the same thing repeatedly and began to think about starting a business.
He stumbled across drones and wanted to find something he could do with his unmanned aerial craft other than flying it as a hobbyist at a friend’s farm.
The farmer asked if he could use the drone to map the farm for a corn maze. This caused Jordan to consider other agricultural uses, like crop reports, weed detection and runoff scouting. He also realized that a larger drone would enable him to spray crops.
Of course, farmers can use portable crop sprayers in small areas. For large areas, airplane spraying can be costly and raises risk of the spray drifting to other areas. Pilots find it challenging to target some fields surrounded by hedgerows. Initially, helicopter and airplane applicators viewed him as competition. However, once they realized that he could perform jobs they can’t — and vice versa — they refer jobs to him, and he sends business their way as well.
Tractor-drawn sprayers work well for large fields, except that the weight of the equipment passing over the field causes soil compaction. This can hamper soil health because it makes it more difficult for the soil to absorb water and nutrients.
Within a year, Jordan had begun CNY Drone Services. About 20% of what he does is agricultural work. The rest is invasive species management. He performs insecticide spraying, applies aquatic herbicides and helps with invasive species control. Mosquito abatement is a new area for CNY Drone Services.
During the busy season, Jordan employs four full-time workers, serving New York and Pennsylvania.
The company’s season begins in April with fungicide for tree farms and some work spraying pre-emergent herbicide on farms. Occasionally, CNY Drone sprays to control thistles in pastures.
In May and June, the team works on invasive species such as the spongy moth (formerly “gypsy moth”) and in July, they shift to aquatic spraying for water chestnut, hydrilla, and harmful algae bloom monitoring.
“The problem with using an airboat they’re displacing the water underneath, which pushes plants downwards,” Jordan said. “The herbicide isn’t getting on them. You find big, long streaks where the airboats drove. With the drone, we don’t have that problem. It’s 100% coverage.”
From August to mid-September, farmers want the company to start applying fungicide, granular fertilizer and seeding cover crops.
Also in early fall, CNY Drone works on controlling phragmite, the common reed.
“Looks like cattails,” Jordan said. “It’s often in ditches and by the highway. Most instances of that, it’s an invasive species. There are native variants but they’re not as prevalent as invasive. They out compete all native growth. It’s a monoculture ecosystem that removes food sources for ducks, mice and other wildlife. It can have devastating effects on the entire area.”
A regional wildlife refuge has tapped his company to assemble a plan to combat common reed.
By November, CNY Drones’ season jobs end for the year and it’s time for Jordan and his employees to work on their equipment and their education, which maintains their licenses.
In addition to New York and Pennsylvania, Jordan would like to work in Vermont and New Hampshire. Drone licensing is nationwide. However, pesticide licensing is state-by-state. Currently, New Hampshire requires a 90-day advanced notice, including the time before applying any spray — an impractical rule for work that requires specific weather conditions.
“I’ve met with legislators about how drones operate and they’re working on legislation that will change how this works,” Jordan said. “A lot of our jobs come through one day and they need it done by the end of next week. We look at weather patterns and I say, we have to come tomorrow or it won’t get done.”
The New Hampshire laws also require public notification within a 10-mile radius for drone spraying work, even though the equipment flies 15 feet above the top of the crop, an altitude that nearly eliminates risk of spray drift.
Finding labor has been challenging for Jordan. He must find people with an aptitude and license to fly 800-plus-pound drones and with New York state pesticide licensing. Operators can begin as a tech and work under an applicator for a year until upgrading to applicator status.
“Most people who are interested in drones have no licensing for pesticide use, so they start from scratch,” Jordan said. “They have to be licensed and understand how to fly these drones, which isn’t easy. They have to be of a mind as to how to safely handle hazardous materials, especially aerials. Normal applicators who drive a tractor across a field, it’s very basic. And the candidate has to be able to travel for weeks at a time doing all that spraying.”
Legally, he cannot use 1099 contractors.
One challenge that Jordan doesn’t have is finding work. He never advertises and still turns down jobs because he’s so busy. And that’s a great “problem” to encounter.
