The DroneOn Show

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with Jnani from Vortex Advantage Ag in Texas for a one-year update on his operation. Jnani shares how nearly all of his work remains focused on pasture and rangeland spraying rather than row crops, explaining the pricing realities versus airplanes and why his chopped-up Texas terrain with obstacles fits his approach. He walks through his full background—from Army airborne Gulf War ...

In this DroneOn Show owners episode, Mike, Jason, and Kevin dive deep into the real-world challenges and strategies of scaling nuWay Ag and Drone Deer Recovery. They explore building a strong dealer program through local support and distribution rather than just SEO, leveraging their Drone Deer Recovery audience to grow nuWay traffic, and the importance of the New AG Track app. The conversation covers international content reach le...

In episode 54 of the DroneOn Show, Mike, Jason, Dennis, and 21-year-old Kaden Lamprecht from western Iowa sit down for a raw conversation blending spray drone business with faith. Kaden shares how his family started their operation three years ago (running T50s and P150 Pros, covering 20,000+ acres mostly fungicide on corn and beans) while navigating farming challenges and trusting God’s direction. The discussion turns spirit...

In this insightful DroneOn Show, Mike, Jason, and Kevin sit down for an open conversation about running nuWay Ag and Drone Deer Recovery. They break down their T100 swath testing results, the importance of strong CV coverage for uniform applications, why the drone industry needs to raise standards beyond traditional aerial 20-30% benchmarks, and practical settings for the best results. The trio also covers the New AG Track app, AI ...

Episode 52 of the DroneOn Show episode, Mike talks with Cody Davis and Clinton Giglio of Guardian Aerial in Louisiana — two former U.S. Army Black Hawk helicopter pilots with a combined 39 years of military flight experience. They share their transition from flying heavy-lift military and medevac missions to operating spray drones (primarily T50s with T100 interest), covering the unique challenges of sugarcane applications, p...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike and Jay talks with Bryce Matthews of StratoWorx Drone Solutions in Indiana. At 31 years old and brand new to spray drones, Bryce is right on the edge of pulling the trigger on a T100 and starting his own operation. He shares his extensive research process, why he’s leaning toward DJI, his conversations with current pilots at the conference, and how he plans to build the business alongside a ...

In episode 50 of the DroneOn Show, Mike and Jay catches up with Preston Cave of Pac Aerial Applications in North Carolina. Preston shares his journey from growing up on a tobacco farm and showing cattle to building a successful spray drone business. He talks about tackling rugged mountain terrain, Christmas tree applications, cover crops, pastures, and using a mini truck to access tough spots. The conversation covers upgrading from...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike and Kevin sits down with Jeremy Shelton, an Illinois drone deer recovery pilot, and his attorney Ed Fanning to break down a landmark court case. Jeremy received a citation for using a thermal drone to search for a wounded deer. The case went to trial and he was found not guilty — not on a technicality, but because the judge ruled that simply searching for a lost deer with a drone does not vi...

In episode 48 of the DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with 25-year-old Caden Wilburn of C&J Spray Drones in Laddonia, Missouri. Caden shares how he launched his drone spraying operation to carve out his own space on the family farm (1200 crop acres + 2400 hogs) and has now covered roughly 15,000 acres in just three seasons. He talks about starting with T40s, upgrading to two T50s, and seriously considering the T100, while r...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike talks with Johnney Staples of Nexus Solutions USA in South Carolina. Johnney shares his journey from tobacco farming and hand-weeding as a kid to earning a PhD in weed science at Auburn, then building a successful vegetation management and custom application business. He explains why he started Nexus to serve industrial turf, utilities, right-of-way, and rangeland clients that traditional ag reps ...

In this DroneOn Show episode from the Spray Drone End User Conference, Mike sits down with Dave and Jared from Bear UAV / Branch Enterprise in Eastern Oregon. They share how they started in custom application back in 1999 after a tough year in potatoes and onions, evolving from four-wheelers and pickups with hand wands to drones in 2017. The conversation covers the realities of rangeland and noxious weed spraying, post-fire habitat...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike talks with Josh from Kansas, a former Army veteran who built Midwest Drone Applications into a serious operation covering 66,000 acres in one season with a team of contractors. Josh shares how he got started through drone deer recovery, his wild first T40 season (self-taught in thigh-high grass), the rapid growth from one drone to a fleet, and the infamous J100 rollout that led to multiple in-flig...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike sits down with 20-year-old Hayden Crum from Midwest Air in southern Ohio. Hayden shares how he started his spray drone business as a freshman in high school through an FFA project, grew it alongside his family’s retail chemical and seed business, and is now in his sixth season of applications. At just 20, he’s already running multiple crews, selling DJI, XAG, and Talos drones, and expa...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike and Jay visits McLain Farms in Georgia with Vidalia onion grower Brett McLain. Brett shares what it really takes to grow sweet Vidalia onions — from hand-planting and hand-harvesting to the narrow weather windows and disease pressure that can wipe out an entire crop. He explains why he made the jump to the T100 spray drone after years of watching the technology, how it lets him cover his nea...

Episode 42 of the DroneOn Show, Mike talks with Trayton from Taft Drone Services in central Alabama. At just 24 years old and only two years out of Mississippi State (where he studied agriculture science), Trayton shares how he funded his first thermal drone (Mavic 3T) with money originally saved for an engagement ring. He started with deer surveys and recoveries, then transitioned into spray drones, beginning with a T-10 before up...

In this DroneOn Show episode, Mike and the crew sit down with Jamin Fleming from Oztech Drones in Australia. Jamin shares his journey in the spray drone space: starting with the classic DJI MG-1 in 2017–2018 (when most drones were still "dodgy"), becoming one of Australia's main XAG dealers, and navigating the unique Australian market—strict regulations, metric-only mindset (liters, not gallons!), vast remote properties...

In episode 40 of the DroneOn Show, Mike sits down with Aaron Clark, an agronomist and ag retail pro with 10+ years selling seed, chemical, and fertilizer in Eastern Ohio. Aaron shares why he jumped into spray drones—to solve chronic timing issues with airplanes and helicopters that left his customers hanging during critical fungicide windows. He details the painful transition from two unreliable Hylio 130s (crashes, software ...

In this DroneOn Show episode from the Kansas City, Missouri drone conference, Mike, Jason, and Dennis recap their 12-hour storm-dodging drive and the event’s huge growth—from a small hallway three years ago to a packed expo with new UAVs, trailers, and vendors. They break down the unreleased Helio big-drone prototype (full Hobbywing build, 3D-printed tank), its predecessor’s flop, and an upcoming July model. The g...

In this episode of the DroneOn Show, host Mike chats with Newt, a Florida cattle farmer with 150 mama cows across three ranches who's also a veteran applicator branching into spray drones after years in the business with ground rigs and spreaders. Newt shares how he jumped into drones to secure his customer base when a client switched to aerial spraying for tall corn that ground rigs couldn't handle without damage, leading him to b...