Brazilian Agtech Startup Brings Aerial Application Management Platform to North American Market
Editor’s note: Mauricio Nicocelli Netto, a Precision Agriculture Consultant in Brazil, is currently working with agtech startup Perfect Flight. Perfect Flight provides monitoring services for aerial spraying of crop protection products through a digital platform. Mauricio says the aerial application software has proven its value to the Brazilian agricultural market, and is poised to expand its operations to the U.S. Below is his take on the emerging agtech company and why North America makes perfect sense for Perfect Flight’s next market.
The U.S. is one of the largest exporters of processed and fresh foods. According to USDA data, agriculture and livestock correspond to almost 50% of the entire territory of the country. As a result, there is a constant search for new technologies that improve the quality and efficiency of production in such a large, fertile area.
One such technology is aerial application analytics. When ag retailers stake their reputations on a product recommendation or when a grower’s bottom line depends on effective pest management, it pays to make sure the chosen aerial applicator is using cutting-edge technologies that will optimize performance. These technologies include:
- Pattern testing to reduce the risk of incorrect spray volumes, inaccurate swath width, streaking, leaking and droplet size errors, which may lead to evaporation, poor distribution and drift of the applied product;
- Full and accurate use of GPS to not only make sure applicators target the right field, but to also provide swath guidance for increased uniformity and reduced gaps or mistakes in coverage;
- State-of-the-art spray equipment that includes a reliable flow control system to ensure a steady distribution of the product; and
- Analytical software for gauging and continuously improving application accuracy.
One example of analytical software is Perfect Flight, a Brazilian startup and developer of an aerial spraying intelligence platform. I first wrote about Perfect Flight in 2020 and how it became a success story in Brazil. The company has monitored more than 75 million acres in Brazil and has been working since 2021 with U.S. companies specializing in spraying through the acquisition of early adopters. The agtech company now has an office in Ames, IA, which is America’s heartland.
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As part of its strategy to expand in the North American market, the startup has participated in several events in the U.S. Among them, they recently participated in The InfoAg Conference, in Saint Louis, MO, and Tech Hub LIVE, in Des Moines, IA. These events organized by The Fertilizer Institute and Meister Media Worldwide, respectively, offered educational sessions that addressed agronomic challenges through precision agriculture, environmental stewardship, sustainability, and product innovation. In addition to the lectures, companies like Perfect Flight exhibited their innovative technologies and products for the entire agricultural sector, including producers, cooperatives, and spraying companies.
Application Technology
Precision spraying consists of practices and the use of tools that perfect the aerial application process, ensuring that crop protection products are applied only in the exact places and quantities desired. This consequently reduces the use of agrochemicals, generating a reduction in operating costs in addition to making it more sustainable.
The system developed by Perfect Flight, for example, improves the efficiency of aerial application, resulting in several benefits: preservation of the environment, reduction in the use of pesticides and water used in the process, and the reduction of flight time and consequent reduction in the use of fuel and pollutant emissions.
Aerial Application of Pesticides in the U.S.
According to the National Agricultural Aviation Association, the U.S. has the largest fleet of agricultural aircraft in the world, totaling 3,600 aircraft. Despite this, the use of technologies for the management of pesticides applied by air is still very limited, according to VinÃcius Velho, Business Development Representative with Perfect Flight.
While there are huge opportunities to expand aerial application technologies in the U.S., Velho says there are some adoption challenges, too. For example, the difference between temperate and tropical agriculture and their respective management needs, or even even the apprehension of market players regarding the involvement with the aerial application and the possible legal issues related to the risks of environmental contamination.
On the other hand, these same challenges can, in reality, demonstrate the value that the traceability offered by Perfect Flight’s technology delivers to producers and companies in the sector. As the platform’s reports indicate areas of restriction — such as urban areas, other crops, apiaries, rivers, lakes, or preservation areas — this is a tool that guarantees support for these stakeholders.
The idea is that these same early adopters in the U.S. prove in practice the benefits of using an aerial applications management tool, and over time this becomes part of a process that prioritizes governance and sustainability, as can be seen taking place here in Brazil through current agtech clients of mine.
I have been using and monitoring technology in Brazil for several years now and as a consultant, I would like to congratulate Perfect Flight’s work here in our country and the new global steps it has been taking.
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