Agronomist Switches from Hylio to DJI: 7,500 Acres & Proven Results | The DroneOn Show Ep 40

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 headaches, slow parts) to DJI T-50s, spraying 7,500 acres last season and finally hitting consistent productivity. They dive into real talk on building farmer trust, the grind of relationship-based sales, disease pressure (tar spot, vomit toxin), tight budgets, and why "it depends" is the agronomist’s favorite phrase. Aaron also drops wisdom for new operators: be willing to travel, grind hard, and understand that equipment is only half the battle—reliability and relationships win acres. Chapters (00:00:00) - How To Survive A Long Weekend Hunting(00:01:40) - Deer Chasing(00:05:57) - Farmers Get a Drone(00:09:04) - Helios 1, First year(00:13:46) - Fly drones on a full-time basis(00:18:07) - Drones for Farming: Growing Demand(00:18:58) - Fungicide Coverage on Corn(00:23:23) - Fungicide Resistance or Mother Nature Will Win?(00:29:12) - Budgets are ugly right now(00:33:24) - Drones and the farm budget(00:38:06) - President Trump on America's Drone Industry(00:41:00) - Are You Ready to Upgrade to a T50?(00:44:53) - Do drones cause corn to snap?(00:47:47) - Have you got any acres lined up for the 2017 crop?(00:48:54) - DRIVES: The Challenges of Selling Drones(00:54:22) - Farmer Talk: Diversifying the Farm