When crops get too big to bring equipment into the field without damaging them or when field condition are too wet for working, there is another option available to farmers, crop dusting. Pesticides and fungicides can be applied aerially. I have seen this yellow bombardier in the skies in the last few days. When I heard him today, I was able to capture some cool pictures for our enjoyment.
But wait! What does the belly look like? {That’s a throwback to the snapping turtle post.}
Even though I think these pilots have to be a little crazy, I really admire their craft!
Just Make the Coffee 
Brings back memories of crop duster planes spraying defoliate on cotton so the picker can go through without picking up too much leaf trash. I grew up in the middle of Daddy’s cotton field all around the house and across the road as far as the eye could see. The pilots would even fly under the power lines to complete the row! Today in that part of the county those white fields of cotton are being transformed into subdivisions. This is the county that is next to Huntsville where the Space Center and Museum are. I remember the ground shaking when the Saturn rockets were being tested.
Thanks for the pictures.
Interesting! I hadn’t heard of defoliates. Sad about the subdivisions… I am glad I brought back some memories, though. Thank you for reading!
I am your neighbor! (Hazel Green) We still have them out here in summer. 🙂
Wow! The corn looks great. Crop dusters have to be a special kind of crazy for sure. Great pictures.
Thanks, Wendy. The corn is quite lush in this area for now!
I’m always afraid of being poisoned… and in fact my bees got it last summer when they sprayed the corn. Sigh…
And yet, it is fun watching their acrobatics! Nice captures of this particular bombardier, Marla. 🙂
Bees in your hives? 😦 That’s rotten.
Yup. The crop dusters came though and the next day I found them all in a pile on the ground outside the entrance. All of them. 😦
Ugh. That’s awful!
It was…
What cool shots those are. I know that they have to be skilled at what they are doing, that is for sure. I love the yellow color—definitely could not miss it!
I love that yellow, too!
We don’t see crop-dusters too often in our area, but they are definitely attention-getters!
Thanks for commenting, Dianna. I have been wondering if crop dusting is a mid-west “thing” or if it is done nationally. I have had a comment that cotton fields sometimes get sprayed to defoliate the plants before picking.
I hate that they have to use pesticides on food we will eat.
Agreed, but I fear without some use the supply would be greatly less than the demand which would drive grocery prices even higher. Sometimes it seems to be no-win.
Fun to see, we don’t see them in my neck of the woods.