For more than 25 years Bigham Farms has used the “flying bean” method to double-crop-seed its fields. Yields are said to be greater when the soybeans are in the ground before the wheat is harvested.

The pilot of the bi-wing employed old school technology to line up his descents. Holly Bigham stood holding a seven-foot wand as a guide for the pilot. With marker hoisted, the pilot would sweep overhead, make a quick turn and pelt the field again. Each pass blazed a 17-foot swath.

The bi-wing plane holds 1,700 pounds of soybeans and can cover 70 acres per hour. Throughout the course of the day, each plane seeds 450 acres.

The planes were loaded at Pinckneyville-Du Quoin Airport. Like a NASCAR pit crew, teams were ready to refill them within minutes using a computerized auger. Macy Bigham, Holly’s elder sister, manned the loading trigger. An ag major at SIUC, she said she loves farming. But, is this really farming?

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