After having someone come out and spray their crops for a few years, Karisa’s realization hit her. She was fully capable of spraying crops, and why not make a profit if the opportunity was there!
Karisa Bailey has been helping on her partner’s farm for over two decades - from the fruit trees, to cider, and deliveries – she was a part of it all. Now, she’s taking steps to become more involved and assist other operations in the process!
She said they had found the idea of using a drone to spray crops a few years ago and had contacted someone local to try it out on their operation. “I was just in awe watching; I knew I could do that,” Karisa exclaimed.
There are quite a few steps between getting a drone for spraying and being operable. Right now, Karisa is fully licensed but waiting on a few logistical pieces to be 100% in business. Her goal is to spray her partner’s operation and offer the service to other operations local to their area.
While waiting on approval, Karisa was able to use the CultivateGrowth grant to attend the Spray Drone End User Conference. She was able to learn about vegetation management, the importance of adjuvants while spraying, pesticide management, and many other topics. Before the conference Karisa said she was having a hard time choosing which sessions to attend because there were so many great options to choose from. In hindsight she says, “I knew I had a lot to learn, but I was able to get so much great information!”
She was grateful to learn more about starting a business and hearing others share their experiences in the same fields. Karisa noted, “Something that stuck with me was if you look out for your customers first, you’ll have customers for life. If you look out for you first, you won’t have as many customers.”
Karisa is excited to start this new opportunity of spraying fields with her drone and already has plans for her first season spraying. She is ready to hit the ground running once the final requirements are complete!
GreenStone is proud to support individuals like Karisa who are embracing options to propel forward in the agriculture industry. GreenStone aims to provide opportunities for all young, beginning, and small farmers and support their educational and personal growth efforts with our CultivateGrowth grant. To learn more about our CultivateGrowth grant program, click here.
