Agricultural Aviation: Crop Dusters in Rural America
In 2020, folklorist Samuel Kendrick and his mother, photographer and educator Ellen Kendrick, both of Richards, Missouri, received an Archie Green Fellowship from the American Folklife Center to document the occupational experiences, training, insights and perspectives of agricultural pilots in rural America. Most of the pilots – who are often referred to as "crop dusters"– are interviewed in person by the Kendricks, who live on their family farm near the Missouri-Kansas border. Several interviews are also conducted online with out-of-area workers. The collection consists of 14 interviews with agricultural pilots as well as owners of small airports, owners and managers of small crop-dusting firms, and a representative of the National Agricultural Aviation Association.