Page 22 Stories of the Heartland • Sunday, April 19, 2026 hometownsource. com / heartland /
The drone farmer:
How aerial tech is transforming Central Minnesotan agriculture
BY JOSEPH STANICHAR STORIES OF THE HEARTLAND
Natural North LLC owner Kevin Behrens, right, demonstrates the differences between various drones that can be used for agriculture at the Upper Mississippi Irrigation Association and the Morrison / Crow Wing Minnesota Corn Growers Associations’ annual meeting on Jan. 14 in Bowlus.
“ But if you are doing the pre-planning, there are advantages to reduce the chemical inputs by 30 % to 80 %.”
— Kevin Behrens
ALEXANDRIA – Kevin Behrens stands in an open Minnesota field, operating a drone that makes tight, precise passes to spray only where crops need it. The operation takes a careful, dexterous hand combined with deep knowledge of the exact altitude, velocity and amount of chemicals to spray to yield the best results for the field’ s crops.
In his five years of experience, Behrens has logged over 500 hours of flying drones for agricultural purposes. In 2025 alone, he registered 1,107 flights over 95 hours, covering 3,113 acres and 1,516 miles.
Wanting to share his knowledge of the benefits and drawbacks of drone use for agriculture, Behrens attended the Upper Mississippi Irrigation Association and the Morrison / Crow Wing Minnesota Corn Growers Associations’ annual meeting on Jan. 14 in Bowlus to give a thorough presentation on everything there is to know about the subject.
Behrens started by acknowledging that there has been hesitation to adopt the use of drones for agriculture in the form of applying pesticides because of fears that doing so would put many traditional pilots of crop dusters out of business. However, Behrens said that when appropriate, switching to using drones can reduce safety concerns, reduce costs and result in better crop yields.
“ There’ s been a lot of pushback from air pilots of your crop dusters, and rightfully so, but this is an alternative to reducing those safety concerns for, for others,” Behrens said.“ So when we were looking at aerial pesticide applications, again, there’ s a significant cost savings when used correctly. If you go out there and use the same blanket application across the entire field as you would with an airplane, a helicopter, your ground rate, it’ s not saving you anything, unfortunately. But if you are doing the pre-planning, there are advantages to reduce the chemical inputs by 30 % to 80 %. Those 80 % is a little bit dramatic, but that is the reality of what we are looking at, as far as how much cost savings that you would get from just doing the scouting ahead of time.”
Behrens’ first experiences with farming came at a young age, as he grew up on his family’ s farm in Traverse County, Minnesota. He then decided to enlist in the Air Force, serving at the Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota as well as abroad in places all over the world, including Diego Garcia, Guam and England.
Following six years of service, Behrens obtained his Bachelor of Environmental Science and then Master of Natural Resources Science and Management in the forest hydrology track, both from the University of Minnesota. He then went on to work with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources as a woodland stewardship plan writer and in aquatic plant management, as well as working with the Natural Park Service and National Resources Conservation Service. He currently serves as the vice president of the Minnesota Farmer Veteran Coalition and has applied pesticides in Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Behrens has an abundance of experience in both aviation and agriculture, making his current position as owner of Natural North, LLC a marriage of two of his deepest areas of expertise. Beyond agriculture, Natural North also specializes in forestry, wetlands and land-management solutions by using emerging technologies such as drones, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles. In addition to applying pesticides, these drones can also be used to take high-quality images that can assist in mapping fields and analyzing data through variable-rate prescriptions, weed-mapping, multispectral imaging and thermal scouting.
According to Behrens, all of these new technologies and techniques are used with the commitment to stewardship and sustainability, helping farmers, landowners and organizations manage resources more efficiently and cost-effectively. Challenging the notion that new technologies are created to disrupt and even destroy natural resources, Behrens said that the core vision of Natural North is a future in which cutting-edge drone technology harmonizes with nature to promote sustainable agriculture, conserve natural resources, protect wildlife and enhance the well-being of humanity.
Although the first thing many people think of when using drones for agricultural purposes is the application of pesticides on crops, aquatics, forestry or lawns, Behrens said there are many services they can provide beyond this. At Natural North, he also uses drones for aerial fertilizer and aerial cover crop applications, mapping rocks and weeds, doing vegetation health assessments, thermal imaging, 2D and 3D mapping, aerial mosquito treatments, aquatic plant management, forest planning and brush mulching.
For those licensed to fly drones themselves, Natural North has also sold many different types of drones, including brands such as DJI, XAG, Raptor, Ceres Air, ABZ Innovation, Freefly, Inspired Flight, Autel Robotics and more. However, some brands of drones may be affected by recently changed federal regulations.
Behrens also said he hopes to add to what Natural