Flying Into 2024 with Reed Aviation

Story, photos and recipes by Cynthia Nobles

Bradley Reed is president of Reed Aviation, and for him, January means that it’s time to begin prepping for the rice-planting season. 

For over 50 years, the Reed family has been flying seed, fertilizer, herbicides, insecticides, and fungicides, mostly for Mowata and Iota-area rice farmers. They also do specialized work as far as Lake Arthur, Elton, and Duson.

“This time of year we get fields ready for planting,” says Reed. “That mostly means applying glyphosates for weed control.” As any rice farmer knows, March and April are the months for seeding. Fertilizer is usually applied in April and May, and liquid herbicides and fungicides are sprayed in June and July. 

“I do some soybean and pasture work,” says Reed. “But most of my farmers plant rice, so I get 75 percent of my income in March, April, May, and June.” 
November and December are the company’s least busy months. That’s when Reed’s crew performs maintenance, like doing air field work and washing airplanes. “Aircraft maintenance is something we do constantly, not only in winter,” he says. “About 60 percent of the work we do on planes is corrosion fighting.”

Farm crop aerial application is a business that began in the U.S. in 1921. That August, a U.S. Army pilot flew his Curtiss JN-4 Jenny over an Ohio orchard and dropped powdered lead arsenate insecticide, trying to kill caterpillars. His technique worked and quickly caught on. These “crop dusters” of that time gained the nickname the “Farmer’s Air Force.”             

Reed’s company was started by his recently deceased father, Norman, who started flying for Welsh businessman and ag flyer Emery Lyon in the early 1960s.

“In 1968, daddy started his own business right here, on his grandfather’s land,” Reed says of the corporation’s hangar and office on McCain Road, just east of Iota. “I grew up in the business. The hangar and planes were less than 100 yards from my house and all I ever wanted to do was fly ag planes.” 

Reed started flying when he was 15 years old. He flew his first ag plane at age 19, in 1981. He bought his company from his father in 1988. 

Reed is a former president of the Louisiana Agriculture Aviation Association and former Treasurer for the National Aviation Association. He has a staff of 4 permanent employees, along with several seasonal pilots. 

His company has 4 agriculture airplanes: 2 Air Tractor turboprops - a 602 and 502B, and 2 Eagle DW-1 bi-wings. He takes off from 2 of his own airstrips, as well as from 5 satellite airstrips owned by local farmers. 

“Our territory is about a 15-mile radius from our base of operation,” Reed says. “We try to keep an airstrip within 5 miles of a field.” 

Pilots must refill liquid product from Reed’s home base, but not the dry materials. “Sometimes we put out 60 loads of dry material a day,” he says. “It would cost too much to fly back to the hangar for each load. That’s why we use our farmers’ satellite strips.”

Statistics show that 28 percent of our country’s cropland is treated by aerial application. “There’s a little over 3,000 ag planes in the United States,” Reed says. “And there’s only 1,500 companies like mine.” Since each business averages approximately 2.3 aircraft per operation, Reed Aviation is larger than most.  

“To fly an ag plane a pilot must first get a commercial license,” he says. Reed, a licensed pilot, attended Nicholls State University. “There’s only 4 or 5 ag application training schools in the U.S. But I can do that right here.” Reed, who is designated a chief pilot by the FAA, trains pilots for ag flying in a Grumman American AA1A, a small 2-seater that he also uses for personal use. 

Looking back, Reed has seen many changes in the industry. “My father paid $30,000 for a new plane in 1968,” he said. “In 1989, I bought my first plane, a used one, for $150,000. Today, just a propeller can cost over $80,000. A new plane starts at $1 million.”

He talked about seed variety changes over the years, which affect application protocols. “Certain herbicides can only be used with certain seed varieties, and we’ve had to make adjustments to both of those scenarios,” he said. 

One thing that has not changed is Reed’s livelihood’s dependence on the weather. “Weather affects almost everything we do. Rain can push things back months. Wind affects drift, and if the air temperature isn’t right, we can’t apply some products.”

He says that the biggest positive change he’s seen in his industry is the use of the now-common, satellite-based radio navigation system known as GPS. “Remember the days of holding flags?” he asked with a laugh. “Now all planes have GPS. It shows a display of the field, and what we do is like painting that field. It makes things so much easier. I think I’d quit if they took away GPS.”

Change is a constant in Bradley Reed’s business. And until he retires, he’ll keep up with the latest innovations, all the while flying through the seasons for our area’s crop farmers.  
 

Do you have a Louisiana agriculture story or a recipe you’d like to share? Contact me at [email protected].
 
Cynthia Nobles is the cookbook editor for LSU Press and the author/co-author of several historical cookbooks, including A Confederacy of Dunces Cookbook, The Delta Queen Cookbook, and The Fonville Winans Cookbook.
 
 
Spanish Rice
Makes 4 servings
 
¼ cup vegetable oil
1½ cups raw, long-grain white rice
1 cup minced onion
½ cup minced bell pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups chicken broth
1 (8-ounce) can tomato sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
 
1. Heat oil in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat and sauté rice, onion and bell pepper until rice is browned and onion is tender, about 6-7 minutes.
2. Stir in garlic. Add broth, tomato sauce, chili powder, salt, cumin and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to very low. Cover pot tightly and simmer until rice is cooked and liquid is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
3. Remove pot from heat and allow to sit, covered, 15 minutes. Fluff up rice, stir in cilantro, and serve. 
 
 
Rice Dressing
Makes 8-10 servings
 
1 pound ground beef
½ pound hot bulk sausage
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large bell pepper, finely chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
3 cups beef stock
8 cups cooked rice, at room temperature  
¼ cup chopped parsley
½ cup chopped green onion, green and white parts 
 
1. Over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven, sauté ground beef, sausage, onion, bell pepper, celery, garlic, salt, and black pepper until meat has browned well. 
2. Add stock and cook at a brisk simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until liquid has almost totally evaporated, down to 2-3 tablespoons, about 20 minutes.
3. Fluff rice up with a fork and stir it into meat mixture. Stir slowly and gently, until everything is heated through and liquid has totally soaked into rice. Stir in parsley and green onion. Serve warm.
 
 
Cabbage Rolls 
Makes 20
 
Adapted from a recipe in The Fonville Winans Cookbook. 
 
1 large head of green, leafy cabbage
1 slice bread
¼ cup milk
1 pound ground beef
½ cup raw rice
Water
3 cloves garlic, minced, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 (13.5-ounce) can tomato juice
1 tablespoon cornstarch
 
1. Remove 20 outer leaves from cabbage. Bring a large pot of water to boil and simmer leaves until wilted, 30-60 seconds. Drain and trim off large, tough center ribs. Set cabbage leaves aside.
2. In a small bowl, soak bread in milk 5 minutes. In a medium bowl, combine ground beef, rice, ½ cup water, garlic, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Add soaked bread and combine mixture well.
3. Place 2-3 tablespoons of meat mixture on the base of a cabbage leaf. Fold in sides and wrap into a neat roll, like a package. Repeat with remaining leaves.
4. Line the bottom of a 4 to 5-quart saucepan with unused cabbage leaves. On top of the leaves, pack cabbage rolls tightly together in layers. Pour on tomato juice and add enough water to just cover cabbage rolls. Place a small saucer or plate on top of rolls to hold them down. Bring to a boil, cover tightly, and reduce to a simmer. Cook 1 hour.
5. Remove the cabbage rolls and arrange on a serving platter. Strain the liquid, then pour strained liquid into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and thicken with cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water. Check for seasoning. Pour sauce over the rolls. Serve hot. 
 
 
Chocolate Rice Pudding
Makes 4 servings
 
2½ cups whole milk, divided
2 cups cooked rice
⅓ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large egg, beaten in a small bowl
½ cup chocolate chips 
1 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
 
1. In a saucepan set over medium heat, combine 2 cups milk, the cooked rice, sugar, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until creamy and very thick, 12-13 minutes. 
2. Remove pot from heat and stir in the remaining ½ cup milk. Spoon ½ cup of the mixture into the bowl with the beaten egg and stir well. Spoon the rice/egg mixture back into the pot and stir in the chocolate chips. Cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes.
3. Remove saucepan from heat and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the butter melts. Divide mixture between 4 dessert bowls and let sit at least 10 minutes. Serve warm (it will be soft) or chilled.