Drone applications taking business to new heights

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BROOKINGS – When you see a drone overhead, your first thought might be that it’s recording video – but that’s typically not the case with Derek T. Ver Helst’s drones.

His business, Brandt-based Dakota Unmanned Aerial, specializes in custom aerial application solutions for area farmers, such as spraying crops. It goes beyond that, though, as Ver Helst said his drones can also be used in residential and commercial mosquito control, maintenance of golf courses, sanitation of stadiums, playgrounds and even inspections and cleaning of wind turbines.

“Your imagination is the limiting factor when it comes to drone uses,” he said.

Ver Helst, who is from Spearfish and earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from South Dakota State University in 2005, said multiple factors – including public safety concerns, accuracy and drift control – contributed to him using unmanned aerial vehicles for his business. He added that UAVs allow access to smaller areas and places that are more difficult for crop dusting planes and ground-based rigs to service.

“There’s a lot of opportunities and room for growth in this industry,” he said.

One technique Ver Helst focused on was the use of “swarm sprays.” He said these are comprised of five drones controlled by one operator, allowing the swarms to cover far more acres.

“It’s one more option for local farmers to give them the opportunity to care for their crops,” Ver Helst said, especially as precision and versatility – the right seed, the right spot and the right time – become driving factors in American agriculture.

The twin inspirations for his business originated in childhood – the 1980s movie “Top Gun” and Ver Helst’s uncle, Steve Ver Helst, who flew the A-10 Warthog “tank killer” aircraft along with F-16 fighter aircraft for the U.S. Air Force.

“I’ve always been fascinated aviation,” he said.

Ver Helst, who also earned a master’s degree in agronomy from Iowa State University in 2018, isn’t in this venture alone. He works full time at ABG Ag Services in Toronto as a research agronomist, where he also uses UAVs. His wife of 10 years, Amanda Ver Helst, who grew up on a ranch in the Roscoe area, is the operations director at SGS in Brookings. They have two children, a 10-year-old son and a 6-year-old daughter.

“I have a great deal of gratitude toward ABG Ag Services for giving me the opportunity to work on the drone business,” Ver Helst said.

Launching his newest venture earlier this spring took time and effort, he said. In all, Ver Helst said he spent 18 months earning his FAA licensing agricultural aircraft operations license, part 137, allowing him to serve farmers in South Dakota, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska and Indiana.

“I just saw a need to offer this service to the area for better precision applications and then to reduce the amount of chemicals that are going into the environment,” Ver Helst said.

While Ver Helst’s drones aren’t facing much competition at the moment, he said that, overall, he sees it as more of a cooperative approach to serving agriculture rather than competitive. 

It’s about working hand-in-hand with crop dusters, co-ops and ground-based large rigs, he added.

Basically, “if the farmer is happy, we’re happy,” Ver Helst said.

For more information on Ver Helst’s business, go online to dakotaunmannedaerial.com.

Contact Mondell Keck at mkeck@brookingsregister.com.