25 Years in Weed Science: SC Veteran Applicator on Drones & Vegetation | The DroneOn Show Ep 47

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 often overlook. The conversation covers his early drone experiments (including wild stories with the first DJI models), why XAG became his go-to platform, post-fire and habitat work, herbicide mode of action, calibration lessons, and the realities of government contracts and regulations. Honest, experienced wisdom from a true veteran applicator on building a drone + spray service that lasts. Chapters (00:00:00) - Flying a Drone(00:02:12) - Farmers Turn from Row Crops to Turf(00:06:43) - How a spray business helped farmers control weeds(00:10:37) - Prior to drones, vegetation sprayers were essential(00:13:51) - Hand Hoses for UTVs(00:14:11) - Chemical Guys(00:15:28) - Do glyphosate and paraquat cause cancer?(00:19:16) - How to Choose the Right Herbicide(00:21:53) - Farmers get their hands on a drone(00:23:28) - Farmers get weed control certificate(00:26:41) - Blaze Drone Exemption(00:30:43) - Flying a drone through a power line(00:34:12) - Drones go into the Catawba River(00:37:34) - Drone Gone Missing in the River(00:41:15) - Drones for Forestry: Growing(00:44:31) - How many acres of forest land do you spray now?(00:46:03) - Is there enough work in your area for what you guys do?(00:49:23) - Flying the T50 on M+(00:51:25) - New Ag Demo: Drone Hunting(00:54:29) - What Keeps You Flying Your DJI Drone?(00:58:21) - DJI Launches in China(00:58:38) - Jason Jay on His Mistakes