For growers who are actively interested in unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) but aren't quite sure how to learn more about them, the First Flight Initiative was launched to be their go-to resource. Crop Copter's goal in launching this new component of its business is to help educate and train farmers on UAV ownership, maintenance, operations, abilities and outcomes from the use of these drones.

Matt Barnard, owner and founder of Crop Copter, is also a farmer in central Illinois. He had big dreams of starting a business to help local producers become educated on the confusing UAV industry, which he expects will be accomplished with the First Flight Initiative.

"Just because technology is new doesn't mean there needs to be a huge learning curve to understand it," Barnard stated. "There are too many incidents of companies and people taking advantage of misinformation. We want to help growers evaluate UAV needs for their own operations, show them how to incorporate the technology and help set proper expectations."

The resource hub is not only free, but it is also full of information of firsts for producers taking part in the new technology. The user doesn't have to be an expert or even have experience to be able to gain from the information that's included in the First Flight Initiative. Training videos, helpful tips, support and repair offerings and links to blogs in the industry can all be found within this effort. For more information, visit http://www.cropcopter.co/first-flight.

"This information was not all in one place until now," Barnard explained. "Regardless of whether growers buy from Crop Copter or somewhere else, we want them to be better-informed buyers and have realistic expectations of what they're purchasing."