A Crop Duster Flew Over Today!

My first reaction was, "Wow!  A plane! Cool!"  Then immediately came the, "WHAT are they spraying?" So I went online to investigate and here is what I found.

The use and development of pesticides and other agricultural application materials comes with its share of environmental concerns. Spray drift, soil contamination, water pollution and occupational disease (often in the form of increased risk to cancer) are a few. Increased environmental regulations implemented by the FAA and EPA in recent years have reduced emissions and dangerous contamination. In order to stay current, aircraft and equipment in the agriculture industry are state-of-the-art. Crop-dusting planes today have on-board computers that monitor the rate of application and GPS units to make each field pass more accurate. The days of attaching a 50-gallon drum of chemicals to a rickety airplane are over, as the aircraft today have sophisticated spraying capabilities to improve efficiencies and reduce environmental impact.

Recent technology developments such as GPS swath guidance, aerial imaging and prescription mapping and dispersal systems, have revolutionized the discipline. Fertilizer prices have increased due to the demand, and operators and legislators are looking for a balance between environmental impact and operation cost. Therefore, manufacturers of application systems and aircraft are designing equipment that is aerodynamically “clean,” including optimal boom and nozzle placements resulting in a more predictable spray pattern that appeases both the client and the regulatory agencies. (Read full article here)

So now I feel better. The person dusting the rice paddy on the "back 40-acres" knew what he was doing. As you can see in the photo he was only turning around to go back and dust. Nothing dropping on us.  

Checking on this has taught me a lot.  Read more at the link above.