For Justin Eichelberger, along with Jake Welly and Wesly Lamphier, that question turned into Innovative Drone Solutions LLC. There wasn’t necessarily a grand plan at the start. They bought a drone, started flying it and learned quickly there was real demand for fungicide application when conditions lined up and other options were stretched thin.
The learning curve came fast. Keeping a drone flying during the heart of the season meant long days, problem-solving on the fly and figuring things out as they went. Like most operators, they learned by doing.
Justin farms in the Manson area. Outside of the field season, he substitutes at the local school and coaches his son’s fifth-grade basketball team. Like a lot of farmers, he wears more than one hat. Finding an additional income stream that fits around farming and family life matters, especially when winter rolls around and the bills do not slow down.
Owning a drone did both. It added income, and it worked on their own acres too.
Diversifying
The drone did not replace Justin’s farming operation. It strengthened it.
Custom application gave Justin and his partners another lane during high-demand periods. Some years are straightforward. Others get hectic fast. In the 2025 season, when ground rigs could not run and airplanes were backed up, their drone stayed busy. Innovative Drone Solutions covered roughly 8,000 to 8,500 acres with a single XAG unit. Many operators need two drones to do that kind of volume.
“We were constantly in the air,” Justin said. “Morning and night. Long days. But that’s what it took.”
That workload is exactly why uptime mattered. When a drone went down, there was no margin for waiting.
Choosing the Right Partner
When it came time to upgrade to a newer drone, Justin looked at multiple options. The decision came down to support.
Justin had known Nathan Stein for years, but familiarity was not the deciding factor. What mattered was responsiveness, knowledge and follow-through. Just as important was knowing the support did not stop with one person.
While Nathan is often the face people recognize, Justin is quick to point out that Airstrike Ag is a team. Support staff, stocked parts and people who know the equipment keep operators flying when demand is at its peak.
“That customer service is huge,” Justin said. “He answers his phone, even when things are busy.”
Airstrike Ag helped Innovative Drone Solutions work through early paperwork, software questions and training that went beyond basic operation. When mistakes happened, and they do for every operator, Airstrike was there with parts, repairs and answers.
“It’s not just dropping your drone off and picking it up later,” Justin said. “They care that you’re doing it right.”
That care showed up in the details. Phone calls got answered, parts were available and problems got solved in-season, not weeks later. When a drone goes down during fungicide season, there’s no time to wait.
Justin also points to the bigger picture. Nathan’s drive to improve equipment, his willingness to travel and his focus on what comes next matter to operators.
“He’s not just selling drones,” Justin said. “He actually cares about making them better. He travels all over the world trying to improve their technology and how they work in the field, not just pushing whatever’s next.”
That combination of passion, support, and people is why Innovative Drone Solutions chose to work with Airstrike Ag.
A Business That Fits Farm Life
Justin’s story is not about replacing farming or stepping away from the classroom. It is about adding another lane that complements both. One that creates income when demand spikes and timing matters.
The drone business fits naturally into the rhythm of the season. Farm when it is time to farm. Fly when the window opens. Stay productive when others are sidelined by conditions or capacity. It is not a pivot away from what matters. It is a way to strengthen the operation using the same work ethic and local knowledge that already drive it.