Helicopter seeds 2,000 acres of cover crops in Perkins County

Hexagon Helicopters of Elkhorn was in Perkins County last week seeding cover crops. 

Brent Wulf, owner and chief pilot of Hexagon, said they seeded cereal rye as well as some radishes over 2,000 acres of standing corn in southeast Perkins County. Most of the corn had been destroyed by hail. 

A spreader bucket is carried beneath the helicopter to spread the seed. Wulf said they custom-built the bucket and now have a patent for the design. It can carry as much as 400 pounds of seed. The output is controlled from the helicopter. 

With the rate of output they used in Perkins County, one load covered around six acres. The job took three days.  

Wulf started flying in 1996 and crop dusting in 2004. He has covered over 1.2 million acres in 15 states. Hexagon, which was founded two years ago, has a full-time support crew that receives regular training to comply with all Department of Agriculture and DOT regulations.