January 22, 2025

The succession of a farm from one generation to the next is complex and sometimes difficult, but the success stories all start with a courageous choice.
Nestled in the hills of northeast Nebraska near Hartington, Scott Kinkaid and his son, Skyles, farm together. This father-son duo has gone above and beyond to ensure the success of the next generation of their operation by laying a foundation for a new business venture: Kinkaid AgriSpray, Skyles’ custom spray and drone business, made possible by curiosity and a concerted effort to continue to innovate and diversify the operation.
Started early
At an early age, Skyles was interested in continuing as the fifth generation on the family’s farm. So, when the opportunity came for him, as a junior in high school, to become invested through the ownership of a sprayer, he and his father leaped into business together. Drawing inspiration from a neighbor who was doing custom applications on the side, Skyles set out to make the payment on the new equipment.

GETTING READY: Skyles Kinkaid readies his equipment for takeoff, understanding that his new venture supports his long-range goals of farming, adding extra income to the operation faster than other farming ventures on their own.
“It worked, except I had a repair bill, which was a lot, but I could see that there’s a lot of opportunity out there,” Skyles says. The following year, he upgraded his sprayer and expanded the business, which has only continued through his six years of operation.
Finding success and plenty of business with the sprayer remains integral to his business today. However, in his search to expand his season and better serve his customers, he found a niche in the drone application.
“The drone doesn’t do what the sprayer does at all. The drone can do pastures and fungicides late into the season. So, the drone and sprayer are pretty complementary of each other,” Skyles says. Kinkaid AgriSpray has provided an additional income to the Kinkaids’ farming operation while also serving its needs.
What’s next?
Looking toward the future, the Kinkaids may one day be able to say that the fifth generation remains on the farm because of one sprayer and a lot of hard work. “Sure, the sprayer was a lot of money, but when you’re talking about buying land or something, it’s nothing,” Skyles says, “and it seemed like I could make money faster doing this than I could by farming, even though that's what I like to do. This is a happy medium between farming and getting an off-the-farm job.”
Today, the custom spray operation takes most of Skyles' time and supports his farming as he begins to build his own acres while enjoying not having to depend solely on grain prices and increasingly unreliable weather.

FILL IT UP: Skyles Kinkaid fills his drone tank in preparation for a spraying operation.
To other young farmers, he offers this advice: “If there’s an opportunity to do something different that relates to the farm, it’s probably a good thing to at least try it.” The chance he and his father took gave him security for his future and growing confidence in himself and his skills.
To learn more about Kinkaid AgriSpray, follow on Facebook at facebook.com/profile.php?id=61571309679623.
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