Mar 30, 2026 by Robert Herrington, INFB Marketing
“I'll have to say that's the most compelling testimony that I've ever heard and that's exactly the premise of the bill and why I brought it forward,” Rep. Kendell Culp (R, IN-16) told the Indiana House Courts and Criminal Code Committee following testimony heard on Jan. 21.
Two Indiana Farm Bureau farmers from Jay County – Barry Miller and Lenny Muhlenkamp – were among those who testified on behalf of House Bill 1064. The bill was authored by Culp, who also serves as INFB’s vice president. Rep. Matt Lehman (R, IN-79) and Rep. Steve Bartels (R, IN-74) co-authored the bill which contains both civil and criminal penalties for repeated operation of an unmanned aerial vehicle over private property, including an increased penalty for nuisances involving agricultural property.
“It is extremely satisfying to see our members step up and be willing to share their stories and experiences to influence legislation,” said INFB District 4 Regional Manager Drew Cleveland. “Our members are very smart and have a lot of common sense, which are excellent qualities for legislative committees to hear. It’s also great to see our members experience the legislative process in action and be able to play a part in that for the betterment of agriculture.”
Miller, who also serves as the Jay County Farm Bureau president, shared that his farm began having issues a year ago when drones were flying around his property between January and March 2025.
“As county president, I’m a point person, so people were calling me and I'd reference them to the sheriff,” he said. “We contacted the FBI, they came out and investigated. We talked to the FAA and we talked to Homeland Security. We've received no information from any of them.”
Miller shared that the drones being operated were not recreational ones found at retail stores, but models with greater technology closer to military-level.
“I'm a pilot, so I am familiar with drones, even though I don't operate or own any,” he said. “We're not against drones, we have friends and neighbors that operate them to spray crops, to observe crops and that type of thing. We'd really like to see some legislation to control these drones – not eliminate them, but to control where they can fly.”
Miller shared with the committee one instance regarding FAA Section 107.31 (visual line of sight aircraft operation) that happened to his son, who raises hogs. He spotted a drone about 50 feet above his driveway when he left to pick up his daughters from school.
“This drone followed him for seven or eight miles. When he sped up, it sped up. When he slowed down, it slowed down until it finally peeled off,” he said. “You have to have visual contact of the drone you're operating. We’ve had these drones operating around barns with no one visually watching these drones.”
As Miller and others testified, farmers and property owners need help to prevent drones flying over their personal property.
“Many times after these drones appeared at livestock facilities, HPAI (Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza) broke out and that affects not only the poultry producers, but people like us. It also affects people who supply feed and the employees of the facilities,” Miller said.
While he has attended multiple hearings, this was Miller’s first time testifying at the Statehouse.
“I speak at church, so it was ok. I came prepared so if I stumbled over some words, I was able to go back to my notes. I would do it again,” he said. “I think the legislators that we testified in front of didn't have a clue what we were dealing with. They're not from our area. They deal with so much and they can't know everything, but that's why we go down and testify.”
Having relationships with your legislators is a big factor, especially when visiting the Statehouse.
“I tell my board members to get to know your representatives and have a relationship with them. When we go down there, we know what we’re talking about,” said Miller. “One of my representatives came and sat down beside me after I testified, and we traded some comments on what was going on. Having that relationship eases things.”
Miller recruited Muhlenkamp, a cattle producer who lives near very large poultry operations, to testify because he also began experiencing issues with drones in mid-January 2025.
“It was odd. My wife saw a drone outside our facility, over our operation,” said Muhlenkamp. “There was usually a white light and a blinking red light that just stays put. Jan. 27 was the big night when all of a sudden it seemed like dozens of drones were everywhere. There were dozens of drones over all of the poultry facilities in the area… It was odd because they were still using navigational beacons, trying to be within the law, but they were in places where you would think, ‘What's the interest in a livestock facility, a cattle barn or a beef barn, or a poultry facility?’”
Between January and March 2025, Jay County had 11 cases of HPAI involving egg, duck and turkey operations.
“My one neighbor had their barn break out on February 9, shortly after these drones were there, and they ended up having to kill 2 million birds,” said Muhlenkamp. “It's an inconvenient coincidence that wherever these drones were, that's where we were also seeing bird flu happen. And it gave us concern and it created a lot of fear that people were worried about getting bird flu if their operation had not yet had it.”
While HB1064 did not pass out of committee due to constitutional concerns, Culp and others are looking at ways language from it could be added to another bill this session. If not, the fight to limit drone usage found new supporters.
Rep. Joanna King (R, IN-49), a member of the House Courts and Criminal Code Committee, addressed Miller and Muhlenkamp during the hearing, saying, “This bill is pretty complex, but your testimony was very compelling, and it certainly is an issue that I'd be willing to help you work on for next session because I think it's something important for this body to deliberate on.”
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