We all love a warm, sunny day. But when that day turns into weeks and becomes a drought, humans aren’t the only ones begging for a splash of rain. Crops across the country need the rainfall too, as do the economies they support.

For more than 20 years, across 50 million acres of Texas farmland, the solution to low rainfall and drought has been cloud seeding. To prevent the loss of crops and protect local and national economies, cloud seeding triggers clouds to release more rain. Traditionally, cloud seeding has boosted rainfall by sending silver iodine and various chlorides into the clouds from pyrotechnic flares deployed from aircraft.

Cloud seeding is a unique process to manufacture rain, but the approach is relatively expensive, potentially negative for the environment, and only effective under perfect cloud and weather circumstances. To combat the issues at hand, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) partnered with Texas Weather Modification Association (TWMA) in 2017.

The Aerial Electrostatic System for Weather Modification was born because of this partnership. It is a safer, more effective, more efficient, more flexible, and more affordable technology designed to support the nation’s food supply. Instead of injecting silver iodine, aircraft are fitted with a specialized spraying system to disperse negatively charged water droplets into clouds, where they bind to positively charged water droplets and naturally increase rainfall.

The Aerial Electrostatic System can seed clouds with warmer temperatures and weaker updrafts than conventional seeding technology, broadening the opportunities for use. Data has shown that this technique can more than double the amount of extra precipitation from seeded clouds. For the West Texas region, this equates to an extra 3.8 inches of rain a year, or a benefit of more than $22 million, according to a 2014 economic analysis.

Initial studies on this technology began through a non-contracted cooperation between the USDA ARS Aerial Application Technology Research Unit and Rain Development Corporation. In 2017, research continued through a non-contracted agreement with TWMA, the largest convective weather modification organization in the U.S. In 2021, while work continued with TWMA, USDA ARS established a CRADA with Insight Engineering. Like many prospective projects and partnerships, COVID-19 and resulting funding restraints ended the work with Insight Engineering early. However, funding from the ARSX Award research funding competition allowed the research to continue, resulting in one issued patent and one pending application. In 2022, USDA ARS entered a license with TWMA to further extend their collaborative efforts and bring the technology to market. The Aerial Electrostatic System has contributed to agricultural security, reducing reliance on overtaxed aquifers and benefiting the economy. Research and fundraising are ongoing, and public and private entities have expressed interest in licensing the technology for a variety of uses; potentially leading to new opportunities for aviation professionals.

Next time you revel in a welcome rain after a long dry period, look to the skies. You might be witnessing manufactured precipitation by scientists, designed to ensure the continuity of America’s essential agricultural industry and the steadying of our economy.

This technology received a 2024 FLC Award for Excellence in Technology Transfer. Learn more here and discover more awardees in our Honors Gallery.