About the company

Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. was started by Joel Meyer in 1994 in Wellsburg, Iowa. Joel, a first-generation pilot, relied on advice from his mentor and peers including Gary Paxton and Reynold Harksen.

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Joel's first ag plane was a 1975 Piper Pawnee 260D, which he used to apply granular insecticide to commercial corn as well as spraying fungicide on seed corn. With farming progression and increased seed production, the need for aerial application increased. Joel made the decision to incorporate a larger airplane and purchased a Weatherly 620B.

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Over the course of the next nine years, Joel was a one-airplane operation, providing aerial application services in three counties in Iowa as he implemented his business-growth strategies with the advancing technologies in agriculture.

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In 2005, Joel purchased his first Air Tractor 502B and hired a second pilot. He became more aggressively involved in agricultural aviation as fungicides were introduced into the commercial corn and soybean industry.

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Since then, Joel has grown his business exponentially by adding more airplanes, on-site hangars, and a Junge computerized chemical blending system at the main location in Wellsburg, Iowa. In 2014, a helicopter was added to Meyer Agri-Air, Inc.'s fleet to complete the needs of application on the diverse farming landscape. Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. now operates out of eight staging locations and serves 42 counties in the state of Iowa. The company is staffed with 4 employees throughout the year, but grows to over 50 during the spraying season. Throughout the year, Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. also sends airplanes to help with fertilizing rice and corn in Arkansas and Missouri.

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 Currently, Joel serves as Secretary of the National Agricultural Aviation Association (NAAA). Joel Meyer has served multiple terms as the President of the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association (IAAA).  He has also served on the Grundy County Memorial Hospital Board and currently serves on the Grundy County Hospital Building and Grounds Committee.

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In 2023, Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. reached a milestone serving Iowa producers in the aerial application business for 30 years. Additionally, Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. has been formally recognized by Old Republic Aerospace, Inc. for operating for two decades without an incident or accident.

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Meyer Agri- Air, Inc. is a 137 operator by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), a licensed pesticide applicator by the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship along with a consultant license. Meyer Agri-Air, Inc. participates as member of many organizations including the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association, National Agricultural Aviation Association, Arkansas Agricultural Aviation Association, Illinois Agricultural Aviation Association, Nebraska Aviation Trade Association, South Dakota Aviation Association, Agribusiness Association of Iowa, FieldWatch and the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA).