Farm business gives back

PIPER CITY – A local ag business which provides watershed mapping and crop health imaging with drone technology is looking to give back to the community it serves.

Elevated Ag Solutions of Piper City is the result of an idea from Shawn Kinkade who wanted to offer farmers more from the technology side of things.

“I was really trying to think about something that is not yet currently provided and I wanted to put a positive spin on things,” Kinkade said.

Kinkade plans to put profits from the business back into his community in the form of scholarships, community grants and different charitable causes. He sees value in reinvesting into the young people involved with agriculture throughout Ford, Iroquois and Livingston counties.

“Personally, I’ve been kind of a philanthropic charitable thinker for the last few years,” added Kinkade.

For crop health and imaging services, Kinkade is willing to travel up to a 100-mile radius of Piper City. He can cover most of the state for watershed mapping, with the exception of a few counties near Springfield. Kinkade said he has had a good response from the ag community so far and has even been invited to speak at local events.

“People are starting to catch on to the idea that they can get a little bit better of a bang for their buck when they try to think about charitable donations for the year.”

Kinkade is currently finishing an M.S. degree in Agricultural Economics from the University of Illinois and plans to work full time in addition to his Elevated Ag Solutions business.

According to Kinkade, it is extremely important for growers to jump into the data side of their operation. For more information, Kinkade can be reached at 815-848-9035 or by e-mail at shawn@elevatedagsolutions.com.