Board & Committees

Joel Meyer – President (Nov 2017 – Present)

Meyer Agri-Air, Inc., Wellsburg, IA – Joel is a first-generation Ag pilot who started Meyer Agri-Air near Wellsburg, Iowa in 1994 with a Piper Pawnee. His next Ag plane was a Weatherly 620B and eventually switched to Air Tractors in 2005 with an addition of a Bell L3 helicopter in 2013. At the close of 2018, he celebrated 25 years of business. Joel and his wife Terri share 4 children and 9 grandchildren. Joel farms in the Wellsburg area and also serves on various boards and committees throughout the Midwest.

Tony Meyer – Past President (Nov 2014 – Nov 2017) 

Tony is a pilot for Steier Ag Aviation in Whittemore, Iowa. The company is a family owned and operated a business that Tony’s father operates. Tony started flying in 2000 and has logged over 2000 hours Ag time. He has been working in the family business for 10 years and is currently flying an AT-402A. Other ratings that Tony hold include a Commercial, Instrument, and single engine land.  Tony is married to Laura and they have three kids Aubrey, Gage, and Colin. Tony’s most memorable aviation experience is the day he soloed on his 16th birthday. He is most proud to be a third generation aerial applicator in his family and also is proud of his wife and kids.

Wes Sharp – Vice President (Nov 2017)

Agri-Tech Aviation, Indianola, IA

John Newton – IAAA National Director for the NAAA (Nov 2017 – Nov 2020)

John has been in the Aerial Ag business for 20 years and operates Air Advantage, Inc. with his wife,  Monica and 4 children in Mt. Pleasant, Iowa for 10 years now.  He grew up on the family farm in Western Illinois raising corn, soybeans, alfalfa, asparagus and hogs.  After getting his pilot’s license he became a farm manager in Kansas City, MO for Bank of America serving in KY, IN, MO, IL, IA and KS.  He got back into aviation after that and started flying charter and ag…and has ever since!

Betsy Sharp – IAAA Women Nation Director for the WNAAA 

Betsy has been married to her husband, Wes, for 13 years. She jokes that she married into the Ag Aviation industry. Betsy and Wess currently reside in Indianola, and have 2 kids, Gwendolyn and Foster, along with one dog and two cats. Together they run Agri-Tech Aviation, founded in 1947 (then called Laverty Sprayers), her in-laws have owned the business since 1987. Currently, she is the bookkeeper for Agri-Tech Aviation and Wes and her brother-in-law, Jay, run the business. Betsy and Jay are very involved not just on the state level, but also on the national level.

Quentin Childs – Executive Director

Quentin Childs has worked for over 18 years at the Insurance Management Group in Altoona, Iowa.  He began flying in 1977 and has logged more than 1,000 hours.
Quentin was born in Wichita, KS. He and his wife have four children. He is most proud of his successful business and a 22-year military career.

Jon Buseman – IAAA Allied Representative

Syngenta Crop Protection – Jon and his wife Jeanelle have 3 children, one of whom still lives in their family home, near Rockford, Iowa. He has been a Crop Protection sales rep for 10 years for Syngenta, and was in the seed corn production for 15 years before that. Jon has scheduled aerial applications for seed corn production acres in Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, and the country of Chile.  He is in the transition period of taking on some of the family farm. Jon has been involved with aerial application from several angles, and still loves to sit on the road, and whisper to himself, “Wow, that looks like one heck of a ride”.  “I look forward to serving the IAAA board, to learn more about the business and to help promote it.” – Jon Buseman, IAAA Allied Rep

At-Large Board Members

John Bartholomew (Nov 2017 – Nov 2020)

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Bill Thompson (Nov 2019 – Nov 2022)

Thompson Aero, Inc. Bill has been involved in aerial application since 1979. His initial position was in the summer between college years as ground support for his brother John in western Indiana. An eventual relocation to Amana by John enticed Bill out of the classroom and into the business and airplane in 1985. The company is currently operating 3-4 airplanes, and Bill has accumulated some 7000+ hours of agricultural flight time. His past involvement in the IAAA has included several committees, Vice President and President. He and his wife, Teri, have three children: Emelia, Hana and Conrad. Teri puts him to work when she can in her business at various farmers’ markets, craft, music or art shows. When they’re not working, you can usually find them on their bicycles or trying out a new beach in the winter.

Ryan Stott (Nov 2019 – Nov 2022)

Ryan Stott is currently a pilot for Stott Aerial Spray Inc., and helps his dad Jerry Stott run the family business in Jefferson, IA. Ryan is married to his wife Sarah who is the Greene County High School Art teacher. Together they have two children Rowen 7 and Winnie 4. Stott Aerial Spray Inc. currently operates four aircraft, three turbine Air Tractors and a 450 Radial Ag Cat. He started his ag aviation career in a 1340 Radial AT-301. He is also a Major in the South Dakota Air National Guard and currently flies F-16’s in Sioux Falls at Joe Foss Field. Ryan has logged over 3000 hours total time with over 1000 hours of Ag time and 1200 hours in the F-16. He is very proud to be a third-generation ag pilot and to be serving our country. His most memorable aviation experiences are his first combat mission over Afghanistan in the F-16 and the first hopper load of Fungicide!

IAAA Bylaws

Click here to view and download the Iowa Agricultural Aviation Association’s bylaws (PDF format).