As we enter a new year, it seems like a good time to set some new goals. I prefer the term goals over resolutions, because the average resolution lasts 32 days. I sure hope I can stick with something I want to achieve longer than just a month.
A new year also means new changes in leadership following the November elections, like getting a new Speaker of the House. Following are a few hot topics impacting agriculture from Washington, D.C.
It’s the year of the farm bill, and Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-Pa.), the new House Ag Committee Chairman is already hosting a farm bill listening session in his home state in January. With just six months until Congress breaks for summer recess, Thompson wants to act on getting a farm bill passed that “prioritizes the needs of the farmers, ranchers and foresters,” according to one media report.
Another news bit from D.C. that impacts you and your customers is the looming definition of WOTUS (Waters of the United States). Late in 2022, an interim definition from EPA was introduced. The new rule would give federal protection to large waterways, like interstate rivers and streams and wetlands that are adjacent to them. Wetlands would be considered adjacent if they are connected to those larger waterways with “relatively permanent” surface water connections, or if they have a “significant” hydrologic or ecological “nexus” to those protected tributaries. This is definitely something to keep watching in the headlines of your local farm publications and the online newsletters you receive.
Finally, technology is getting even bigger and more advanced each day. According to an article in Farm Journal’s PORK, Dragonfly Aerospace launched its first imaging satellite from the SpaceX launch site in Cape Canaveral, Fla., this month. “Named EOS SAT-1, this is the first of seven ag-specific satellites to be launched over the next three years, which is boasted to be the first such constellation focused on image data collection for agriculture. The constellation will maintain low Earth orbit and collect imagery for EOS Data Analytics with the goal of collecting high-quality data for crop monitoring, application mapping, soil moisture, yield prediction and biomass levels.”
Technology is everywhere. Even places we don’t think about.