Rantizo received approval for agricultural drone spraying in three more Midwest states this week, bringing the total to five. In addition to Iowa and Wisconsin, Rantizo, based in Iowa City, has now received approval in Illinois, Minnesota and Nebraska.
“In early July we became the first company approved for drone spraying in Iowa. Since then, several other midwestern states have followed suit,” said Rantizo CEO Michael Ott. “In just a matter of weeks we have gone from one state approval to being able to provide drone spraying solutions to the entire Midwest.”
As word of Rantizo has continued to spread around the country, interest for drone applications has grown along with it.
“It’s very interesting,” Ott said. “As we continue to connect with growers and agronomists within the agriculture industry, the conversations start off typically with one area of focus – spraying their crops. By the end of our conversations we hear them saying things like ‘Oh, I could see this being a good tool to use for cover crops or reaching troubled areas. Once they understand how it works, you can just see the wheels turning on endless other uses they would have for the technology.”
Rantizo has used its drone spraying technology in various ways.
“We’ve sprayed fungicide applications on mature corn in Iowa, completed cover crop interseeding in drowned out fields, and even applied organic materials on a dairy farm’s field of Brussels sprouts,” Ott said.
Plans for expansion
Although the company has been the first and only approved in the Midwest for drone spraying, Rantizo plans to continue to expand across the country.
“The demand is definitely there,” Rantizo Director of Operations Craig Perry said. “We’ve had people reaching out to us from Hawaii to New York and everywhere in between. Some states will be easier than others to break into and we will continue to work on this.”
“I really thought a farmer we were spraying for last week in Wisconsin said it well,” Ott mentioned. “He said, ‘I knew drones were coming to agriculture, but I didn’t realize that day was today.’”
In August and September, the company is planning a regional demo tour including stops in Ohio, Illinois and Tennessee. For more information on those or to request attendance, contact info@rantizo.com.
For more information, visit www.rantizo.com or email emily.carlson@rantizo.com.