UNITED STATES
INSIGHTS
National Agricultural Aviation Association
2021 NAAA/NAAREF Fall Board Meeting: Centennial, Togetherness and Substantive Planning for Ag Aviation’s Healthy Future Last week your National Agricultural Aviation Research & Education Foundation (NAAREF) and National Agricultural Aviation Association’s (NAAA) board, committee and staff members met in Fort Worth, Texas, to conduct business for the betterment of the U.S. agricultural aviation industry. The meetings began with the presenters of the Professional Aerial Applicators’ Support System (PAASS) gathering to fine-tune and practice the program’s 2021–2022 PAASS curriculum, which will focus on preventing the likely fatal results of flying into IIMC or Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions. Also, substantive data on applying efficaciously and environmentally in a crosswind will be presented in the upcoming PAASS season that starts today in Michigan. NAAREF committees also met to consider future curriculum for the program that will include increasing ag pilots’ awareness when flying around wires and highlighting an operation undergoing a chemical storage risk management audit to maximize security and safety. NAAA’s Political Action Committee—AgAv PAC— hosted a breakfast at the meetings for U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne (R-TX) whose district includes Irving, Texas. The Congresswoman serves on the Aviation Subcommittee of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, as well as the House Small Business Committee. The Aviation Subcommittee has jurisdiction over all aspects of civil aviation, including safety topics B 4 | agairupdate.com
related to marking and logging of towers in rural areas—an issue of paramount importance for the agricultural aviation industry—in fact, Congresswoman Van Duyne offered her services to move the FAA to promulgate the tower-marking statute NAAA successfully urged Congress to enact in 2018 and offered her service on the Small Business Committee to press action of federal officials to help our industry’s small business aerial applicators. The general session of the board, once called to order by 2021 NAAA Mark Kimmel of Mississippi, followed precedent with an overview of the status of the association and ag aviation industry by Andrew Moore, NAAA’s chief executive officer. He began with stating positive ag economic statistics that USDA is forecasting for 2021 net farm income--$113 billion—up $15 billion from 2020. The 2021 income is less dependent on government dependency from 2020 when $46 billion subsidized agriculture versus $28 billion in 2021—a decline of 40%. In addition, cash receipts for crops were up 20% in 2021. This is due to record ag exports of $173.5 billion in 2021 for a $16 billion surplus this year. USDA projects 2022 exports at $177.5 billion for an $18 billion surplus. Much of the trade is due to the phase 1 trade agreement with China and the Trump Administration. China purchased $16.7 billion in U.S. ag products in 2020, $37 billion in 2021 and $39 billion in 2022. Farm expenses, such as aerial application services, were $383.5 billion for 2021, up 7% compared to 2020. ➤
