08/11/2026
🌱 GROWING KNOWLEDGE: CROP DUSTING & PESTICIDE APPLICATIONS ON THE EASTERN SHORE
If you have lived on the Eastern Shore, you are familiar with the occasional crop duster flying over ✈️🌾
"Crop Dusting" is an important tool Eastern Shore farmers can use to protect crops when timing, weather, and field conditions make aerial application the best option.
But here’s something many people don’t realize: seeing a crop duster does NOT necessarily mean a pesticide is being sprayed.
🌾 WHAT IS ACTUALLY BEING APPLIED?
🍃 Fungicides are often an important reason for aerial applications, particularly when wet weather creates conditions favorable for crop diseases and fields are too wet for ground equipment. Fungicides are often applied during the spring on potatoes.
🐛 Insecticides may be applied when scouting identifies insect pests at levels that could economically damage a crop.
🌿 Herbicides are used for w**d control, but aerial herbicide applications are very uncommon compared with other application methods.
🌱 Cover-crop seed can also be broadcast from aircraft into standing crops ahead of harvest. When non-treated seed is used, there is no pesticide being applied with that seed.
✈️ THIS IS PRECISION AGRICULTURE!
Modern crop dusting is much more than simply flying over a field.
GPS-guided mapping allows the applicator to know exactly where the aircraft has traveled and which areas have already been treated. This helps prevent unnecessary overlap and improves application accuracy.
💧 Drift-control additives may be used to help manage spray characteristics and reduce the potential for off-target movement.
💦 Larger-droplet nozzles can also be selected based on the product and application conditions to help reduce fine droplets that are more prone to drift.
🌬️ Applicators also carefully consider wind speed and direction, temperature, humidity, application height, nozzle selection, and other weather conditions before and during an application.
👨✈️ WHO CAN FLY A CROP DUSTER?
Aerial pesticide application requires specialized training and licensing.
In Virginia, commercial pesticide applicators must meet state licensing requirements, including passing the required examinations and maintaining their certification through continuing education.
Applicators must also recertify every two years, completing the required continuing education—typically involving 6–8 hours of approved training, depending on the certification category and requirements.
So that airplane flying over the field isn't just a pilot—it’s a trained, licensed pesticide applicator operating specialized agricultural equipment.
🌾 WHY USE AN AIRPLANE?
Aerial application can:
✔️ Cover large acreages quickly
✔️ Reach fields that are too wet for ground equipment
✔️ Reduce soil compaction and crop damage
✔️ Reach tall or mature crops
✔️ Allow growers to act during critical application windows
Farmers and applicators consider crop growth stage, pest and disease pressure, weather, wind, field conditions, and product labels before making an application.
🛡️ WHAT CAN YOU DO AT HOME?
If an agricultural application is occurring near your home:
🏠 Stay indoors during active application when practical
🚪 Close windows and doors
🐶 Bring pets, toys, and pet bowls inside
👕 Bring in or cover outdoor laundry
🌾 Do not enter treated fields
🌱 Agriculture is happening all around us. Growing Knowledge helps us understand what we're seeing in the fields—and why farmers use the tools they do.
