Even though he sold his business a few years ago, Dean Lovgren still stays busy with aerial spraying
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Dean Lovgren’s aerial application business, JEM Flying, is located north of Morrowville, and even though he sold his business to Heinen Brothers 5 years ago, he still flies for them, continuing his service he has been offering for 55 years now
August is usually a pretty slow time for aerial spraying because everything is hot and dry, according to Dean Lovgren.
This year was different. Thanks to wetter, cooler conditions in late July, fungus was a concern in many fields in the area. Enter Lovgren and his spray plane.
“I’ve done more spraying this year because the crop looks so good and the farmers want to save it,” Lovgren said. “The crops look as good this year as I have seen for several years.”
For about a month straight Lovgren was spraying every day from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. He “shut it down” for a few hours only if it was raining, too windy, or foggy.
The 75-year-old Lovgren has been in the aerial application business since he was 20 years old. He worked for Elmer R. Hanneman, who owned JEM Flying Service, which was located north of Morrowville just off Highway 15 where Reno #2 once stood.
“I got an interest in [aerial spraying] from him,”
Lovgren said of Hanneman. Lovgren purchased Hanneman’s hangar property and aerial spraying business in 1968 and altered the name slightly to JEM Flying.
In the 1970s he built a new hangar, which used to house two spray planes. Today Lovgren has just one plane, a 1989 model he said he hoped was worth at least $250,000. He said a new plane like his would cost
$750,000.
Five years ago Lovgren “got a chance” to sell his aerial application business to Heinen Brothers Agra Services, of Seneca. He still owns his own airplane and has kept his local customers, but he operates the spraying business under Heinen Brothers. When he finishes with his local customers, he takes on spraying jobs from Heinen Brothers.
“I’m probably busier now,” he said.