Laura Wood Peterson, owner of Laura Wood Peterson Consulting, says working in Washington D.C. allows her the flexibility of seeing the industry from all angles.
Seed World (SW): Favorite book you’ve read recently?
Laura Wood Peterson (LWP): My nightstand is full of half-read books! One insightful read this year was Civilization Critical: Energy, Food, Nature, and the Future.
SW: No. 1 hobby?
LWP: Running my small business as well as partnering with my husband, Jess, in our cow-calf operation leaves little time for hobbies. I want to spend every free moment with our young cowgirls, Cadence and Chloe. As is probably the case with many parents, my No. 1 hobby is staying active as a family.
SW: Are you an early bird or night owl?
LWP: I’m an early bird all the way.
SW: How did you get into lobbying?
LWP: I was Governor of Girls State in Kansas and always had an interest in politics. After attending law school a few blocks from the White House, I knew I wanted to work on regulatory issues. As I realized I could apply my upbringing on a multigenerational family farm to common sense natural resource regulation, advocating for the ag industry was a natural step.
SW: What’s something you’re working on?
LWP: No two days are the same in Washington! Navigating the evolving nature of federal policy allows me to work in the seed industry from many different angles, from cover crops to row crops to research. Right now, there is great interest in low carbon products, water, supply chain and trade issues, and understanding the sustainability advancements and regulatory schemes of the future for the industry.
SW: Any concerns independents should be aware of?
LWP: I appreciate the spirit of independents. Running a small, often family business with many areas of concern leaves plenty of room for challenging issues, but I think independents have a good handle on these matters. More so than what they should be worried about is what farmers should be worried about if pressures from consolidation drive away small businesses across agriculture.
SW: What’s exciting in the regulatory space right now?
LWP: Climate-smart agriculture and the system of voluntary incentives is evolving from practice-based payments to market-based ecosystem services. Avoidance and minimization have driven ag product regulatory reviews for decades, and the shift toward mitigation will only grow. Creative solutions that meet the needs of multiple constituencies will drive the future of natural resource use. Win-win-win results are and always will be in vogue.
