USDA joins National Space Council

Dec 06, 2021

The council assists with creating policy for space

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

The U.S. agricultural sector has been added to a government council.

On Dec. 1, President Biden announced the National Space Council will now include the secretary of agriculture.

President George H. W. Bush created the council in 1989 to advise and assist the president with national space policy and strategy. The council was disbanded in 1993 before President Trump reinstated it in June 2017.

Space policy and food policy are connected, Secretary Vilsack said.

“We've heard a lot about the Landsat satellite,” he said during the council’s first meeting on Dec. 1. “But that imagery and location services is allowing American farmers to utilize climate smart agricultural practices, precision agriculture that will allow them to grow more with less land, less water, less inputs and obviously less greenhouse gas emissions.”

USDA and NASA have over 120 ongoing projects related to topics like water management, crop assessments, and carbon storage, Vilsack added.

In January of this year, the USDA and NASA signed a memorandum of understanding to share measurements of soil moisture and support research on the carbon cycle and growing fruits and vegetables for spaceflight.

Four additional members were added to the National Space Council.

They are the secretary of the interior (Deb Haaland), the secretary of labor (Marty Walsh), the secretary of education (Miguel Cardona) and Gina McCarthy, the national climate advisor.

Video: California Farm Bureau 2025 Farm Dog of the Year Contest Winner - Willy - CAFB 107th Annual Meeting

Meet Willy: California Farm Bureau’s 2025 Farm Dog of the Year!

We’re excited to introduce Willy, a miniature long-haired dachshund with a big heart and even bigger courage, and the Grand Prize winner of this year’s Farm Dog of the Year Contest!

Willy may be small, but he’s become an indispensable partner on owner Marshal Hagedorn’s forestry and cattle operations in Shasta, Tehama, and Siskiyou counties. Adopted in 2023, he quickly found his place on the ranch, helping manage critters, tagging along for long days in the woods, and offering unwavering companionship during demanding logging work.

Willy has even taken naturally to moving cattle, surprising calves (and more than a few full-grown cows!) with his burst of energy from the tall grass. As Marshal put it: “He goes with me everywhere every single day.”

Congratulations to Willy and his family, a perfect example of how every good farm dog, no matter the size, helps keep California agriculture running strong.