"He has a right to criticize who has a heart to help." --Abraham Lincoln
I have received a lot more negative feedback about my recent posts than I anticipated. This tells me that rather than read the message for what it is, a call to action against legislation damaging to consumers of #drone technology, divisive politics has entered the discussion and folks feel threatened by the truth.
In the interest of clearing the air, I’d like to make a few points:
1. I spent 28 years serving our nation’s interests as a US Marine. I continue to serve in the best way that I can, by speaking what I believe to be truth.
2. My last 3 roles in #agtech have led me to understand the difficulties my customers and the industry face. Drone tech in #agribusiness has struggled to keep pace with the rest of the industry. Now that we are reaching a point where I believe adoption will increase dramatically, our government is attempting to enact legislation that will set the industry back 5-10 years.
3. I support US businesses. I have no interest in seeing the CCP win. See #1. But, I don’t want Americans to lose due to short-sighted decision making.
4. I support the US companies leading US manufacturing to compete with CCP technologies. The fact of the matter remains the same. If a ban were enacted today, none of the companies I have referenced before could meet production demand, or achieve the capabilities necessary to meet the economic realities of this business. This DOES NOT mean that they can’t, or won’t, it means NOT YET. I encourage discussion and discourse with those leading the manufacture and development of these systems, such as Hylio, Leading Edge Aerial Technologies and Guardian Agriculture.
5. If you are a customer of DJI, XAG 极飞科技, or the others listed in #4 and interested in spray drone operations, I encourage you to reach out to and support US business by engaging, witnessing and providing feedback to help them grow and meet your requirements.
6. You’re either part of the problem, or part of the solution. To my detractors, don’t confuse criticism with ill intent.
Last, thanks for your support and engagement with pushing back against #hr2864
