SENSATIONAL OVER FACTUAL

Recently the ag community has been buzzing about the invasive intrusions of the Environmental Protection Agency. The EPA is again on our backs it seems every time we turn around they want us to comply with yet another onerous rule or regulation.

This time there was outrage expressed because the EPA was spying on livestock operations in Iowa and Nebraska using of all things DRONES. Yes, just like the military uses to kill terrorists. Even our ag news people were spreading the word and of course, we farmers were sucking it in. And our elected officials were very upset because they did not know it was happening and worse, were not forewarned. They had to hear about it from the farmers. The farmers saw these drones flying over their land and informed people like Senator Mike Johannes of Nebraska.

Upon investigation Senator Johannes found out that this was a somewhat customary procedure for EPA and it had been going on EVEN when he had been Secretary of Agriculture under the previous administration. There have been many criticisms of the amount of money spent on these expensive drones and the authority to use them in this manner etc.  BUT WAIT.

When the whole story is told, it seems there has been a mistake. It was not really drones being used. The EPA was using manned aircraft. These two words change the effect of the news headline quite a bit!  Too bad, journalism today always goes for the sensational over the factual! end