New Year’s is a time of celebration and reflection. As we bid 2016 adieu, I would like to take a brief moment to reflect on this past year and offer some insight into 2017.

We all know that life comes with ups and downs, and Indiana agriculture certainly experienced its fair share of both in 2016. Unfortunately, for most farmers, this was a tough year, as depressed prices caused production costs to exceed profits.

We also started off this year with a highly-pathogenic avian influenza virus outbreak in southwestern Indiana. Although this impacted our poultry industry, due to the quick response by the Board of Animal Health, and the strong collaboration between the industry, and many governmental agencies, the state was able to achieve avian influenza-free status more quickly than expected and even set policy for response when dealing with large animal health emergencies.

Despite these challenges, there were also many successes in 2016. National FFA Convention was back in Indianapolis for the first of nine years, and FFA experienced remarkable growth with records set in both Indiana and National FFA membership. In 2017, we will continue to support both of these youth organizations making them a cornerstone of leadership in Indiana.

Our Indiana Grown initiative reached new highs and now has over 600 members. I’m eager to build on this momentum in 2017 and will continue to lift up all sectors of agriculture, whether it’s a large or small operation, high-tech, low-tech, traditional or non-traditional.

Numerous major agricultural economic development projects were announced, and Indiana continues to be on the frontlines of innovation, led by AgriNovus Indiana. My team and I look forward to helping existing food and ag businesses grow and will pursue bringing even more companies and jobs to our state.

I’m particularly proud that our incoming administrations, both at the state and federal level, have strong support for agriculture. My hope is that we see sizeable relief in the federal overreach in regulations coming out of Washington, D.C., especially on issues like WOTUS, and to only see policies pass that work for the industry, not against it.

In addition to many other successes, we also remained good stewards of the land and water through the voluntary conservation efforts of farmers. Our department, along with Indiana’s conservation partners and the agricultural community, is demonstrating leadership in clean water and care for the environment, which we will continue in 2017.

With a new year on the horizon, I truly believe this is an exciting time for Indiana agriculture and that we have a lot to look forward to in 2017. Next year, my primary hope is that we see a rebound in commodity prices to ease the incredible financial pressure on our farmers, so I encourage you to stay optimistic and to continue to do what farmers do best: persevere.

I hope you and your family have a Happy New Year!

All the best,

In Indiana, the General Assembly is comprised of two legislative bodies (House and Senate). The current makeup in the Senate is 41 Republicans and 9 Democrats, and in the House, 70 Republicans and 30 Democrats – for a grand total of 150 lawmakers. Representatives in the House serve 2-year terms, and Senators serve 4-year terms, which was established in the Constitution of 1851.

Indiana is a part-time Legislature, and bills can only be passed during the legislative session, which will convene on Tuesday, January 3, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. for the Senate and Wednesday, January 4, 2017 at 1:30 p.m. for the House.

This legislative session is a budget session, also referred to as a long-session, which means that the state’s two-year budget is up for review and must be passed by members of General Assembly. To learn more about the budgeting process in Indiana, which takes place during odd-numbered years, click here.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the makeup of the Legislature, below is a cheat sheet to help you get started this year:

To tackle this issue in the Gulf, a task force was created in 1997 to understand the causes and effects of the nutrient pollution; coordinate activities to reduce the size, severity, and duration; and improve the effects of low oxygen, or hypoxia. Today, the Hypoxia Task Force, made up of state and federal agencies (including Indiana) and tribes, provides executive level direction and support for coordinating the actions of participating organizations working on nutrient management within the Mississippi River/Gulf of Mexico Watershed.

Since its inception, the task force has been able to provide new programs, funding and technical tools to support and reduce excess nutrients from entering the Gulf, such as the Gulf Hypoxia Action Plan 2008. From the time the plan was released, which was later updated in 2013, each state has developed their own nutrient reduction strategy, in collaboration with their partners, to better manage the issue. Click here to learn more about the Indiana Nutrient Reduction Strategy.
 

In 2015, the task force announced that it would retain the original goal of reducing the areal extent of the Gulf of Mexico hypoxic zone to less than 5,000 square-kilometers and extend the time of attainment to 2035. The task force also for the first time agreed on an interim target of a 20 percent nutrient load reduction by the year 2025.

This year, the task force met in Louisiana to discuss the progress that has been made by the states, collaborate on best management practices and to review the updated federal strategy. From Minnesota to Wisconsin, many states have implemented a variety of successful projects and programs to reduce nutrient loads entering the Gulf. To read some of the success stories, click here.

Although our work is ongoing and there is no quick solution, we will continue to assist farmers with their voluntary conservation practices and work with our partners to address this issue.

To learn more about ISDA's Division of Soil Conservation, and the many conservation programs and grants available, such as INfield Advantage and Clean Water Indiana, click here.