Nodak Drones: Ready for takeoff

Drones: They aren't just for photography anymore. Or military applications. Or weather. Or even delivery purposes.

The next wave of airborne crop spraying technology has now hit central North Dakota, and Mason Wede of rural Carrington has jumped in on the burgeoning niche business.

Wede opened Nodak Drones in an announcement on a Facebook post Monday, March 11, which will operate from his farm just outside Melville and 10 miles south of Carrington at 645 Highway 281 S.E.

"I first heard of drones in agriculture back when I was still in college," Wede said. "I thought it was exciting that this new technology could help on farms."

When he came home to farm in 2021 following graduation, Wede wanted to purchase one, but waffled on making a decision due to his belief at the time that the tech didn't quite match with his family's needs quite yet.

"Over the last few years, battery technology and gallon capacity has gone up to where I felt comfortable taking the jump," he says.

However, it's not as easy as saying you want to buy a drone, Wede explains.

"I actually couldn't buy it outright because most companies won't sell to you unless you get your FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] Part 107 license due to liability issues to selling to a non-licensed pilot," he said.

Once he took and passed a competency test, Wede says that he had to apply for a Part 137 exemption, which covers application of chemical for crops.

"You also have to be certificated in North Dakota for aerial application," he added.

Once those prerequisites were satisfied, Wede could purchase the drone, and get started on the process of learning how to fly it properly. He says he's also working on getting a trailer setup so his custom spraying can be done from the trailer on the road next to clients' fields.

His drone in question is a XAG P100 agricultural drone, which is operated via an app from Wede's smartphone that connects to a remote control. The program makes use of GPS mapping and wi-fi to allow the operator to manipulate the applicator.

"In the app, I can draw the boundaries of the field's needs, so if a producer has two different crops in one field, I can draw the divide and not worry about spraying over the different crop," he said.

Wede can also create no-spray zones from the app, so that the drone doesn't illegally spray on federal and/or state protected wetlands, for example.

During the entire flight, the drone tracks its battery power and payload amount, and if it doesn't have enough juice on either front to complete the job, it is programmed to return to the pilot for a freshly-charged battery and a refill.

He likened the process to a "NASCAR pit crew setup," and says that his drone can cover around 70-75 acres per hour depending on refuel time and battery replacement.

Some advantages Wede cites for using drone technology include spot spraying for targeted areas within a field, instead of having a larger sprayer come to the cropland.

"Nontraditional fields that would be difficult for a regular ground rig to spray can be covered now, because the drone can move a lot better in a triangular field, for example," he explained.

Wede hopes that Nodak Drones can take off, both literally and figuratively.

"I'm hoping to make this a nice side business to add to my family's operation," he said. "Maybe add another drone to the fleet, but I can't get the carriage in front of the horse right now."

He is currently in talks with local producers and seed companies to cover their test plots over this growing season.

"I'll also be using this on our farm to cover my acres this season too," he says.

When not in the field, Wede is also the co-owner of Central City Wellness Center in downtown Carrington, with business partners Ryan Zink and Josh Sherman.

Nodak Drones provides spraying services for local ag producers, including cover crop, herbicide, pesticide, fungicide and spot spraying.

To contact Nodak Drones for a free consultation, visit their Facebook page, send an instant message, contact via email at [email protected] or call Wede on his cell phone at (701) 650-8536.