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Drones, robotics technology, and now satellites.

John Deere’s Chief Technology Officer Jahmy Hindman told CNBC the world’s largest agriculture equipment player is in the process of finalizing a satellite partner.

“We really have been focused on trying to solve connectivity, globally. We look at the burgeoning efforts that are happening in low Earth orbit satellites as an example – potentially – for us to start to solve some those connectivity issues.”

The goal is to create a geospatial map that farmers can use to better track productivity and the performance of crops.

“There’s so much friction and getting that data from the field into the cloud, where they can do something useful with it, that it really isn’t used very effectively at all.” As to when satellites will become in use, Hindman said Deere is “right at the cusp” of solving the connectivity problem for farmers.

Currently, farmers can use the data collected by its See & Spray device to understand what part of the farm still needs to be fertilized. It is one of the technologies that will be showcased at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas on Thursday.

While the global economy may be slowing, the agriculture market remains hot. Crop prices, albeit volatile, are still up double digit percentage points from three years ago. Rising crop prices, including wheat and corn, have fueled farmer profits. In fact, DA Davidson citing USDA numbers says corn cash receipts were up 32% in 2022 compared to the year prior. 2023 cash receipts are expected to be even higher, writes Michael Shlisky, senior research analyst at DA Davidson in client note. An added bonus: fertilizer and chemical prices have eased in recent months, improving the outlook for farmers this year.

With more money in the bank, farmers are expected to continue spending on agriculture equipment, where John Deere remains a leader.

Shares of Deere gained 20 percent in 2022, vastly outperforming the XLI Industrials ETF, which lost 7 percent. Gabelli Funds has been a longtime investor in the agriculture equipment maker and remains bullish.

“We would expect the stock to perform well as the year sets up as a good one for the industry. Limited supply has effectively elongated the cycle while keeping used machinery prices high. At the same time, the company continues to offer technologies that make the farmer considerably more productive than the machines used in each previous version,” said Brian Sponheimer, portfolio manager at Gabelli Funds to CNBC.

Supply chain issues have plagued Deere and the broader sector, but Hindman is betting that China’s reopening should ease some of the pain in 2023.

 “In addition to being a large agricultural consumer, they’re one of the world’s largest producers of the things that we all need in order to fill our supply chains. We do hope China reopens in 2023. The supply chain will begin to normalize and stabilize a bit,” said Hindman.

The big wild card: the ongoing war in Ukraine which has sent agriculture prices skyrocketing. According to Melius Research, wheat prices spiked 40% in the six months after the war started, and are now 20% above pre-war prices.

“The war has certainly added uncertainty to crop prices,” Rob Wertheimer, founding partner of Melius Research, told CNBC.

WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives adjourned for the day Tuesday without a speaker, after Republican leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., failed in three consecutive votes to secure enough support to be elected to the post.

The failed votes marked the first time in 100 years that the majority party in the House has not elected a speaker on its first vote. The staunch opposition to McCarthy from a core group of Republicans grew larger over the course of the day, throwing the party into chaos.

Democrats, meanwhile, appeared to enjoy the spectacle of their opponents so deeply divided.

During each of the three voice votes, every Democrat on the floor rallied unanimously around incoming Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. But a sect of conservative Republicans split from their party to back other candidates, including longtime McCarthy ally Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio.

In an unexpected twist, McCarthy actually lost support as the voting continued, when in the third round Florida Republican Rep. Byron Donalds announced his support for Jordan, after having voted twice for McCarthy.

As a result of Donalds’ defection, McCarthy won 202 of the 218 votes needed to secure the post in the third round, one vote less than he had in the first two ballots.

Jordan, who nominated and voted for McCarthy, won 20 votes in the third round. Jeffries, the incoming Democratic minority leader, won 212 votes in each of the three rounds.

Following the vote, Donalds suggested his caucus take a break from voting.

“The reality is Rep. Kevin McCarthy doesn’t have the votes,” Donalds wrote on Twitter. “I committed my support to him publicly and for two votes on the House Floor. 218 is the number, and currently, no one is there.

“Our conference needs to recess and huddle and find someone or work out the next steps, but these continuous votes aren’t working for anyone,” Donalds wrote. “When the dust settles, we will have a Republican Speaker, now is the time for our conference to debate and come to a consensus.”

McCarthy’s failure to win public support from his entire caucus has cast a shadow over the new Republican majority, exposing divisions within the party that have existed for decades. The differences were deepened by former President Donald Trump, who emboldened a small band of ultra-conservatives.

Trump eventually backed McCarthy’s bid for speaker, as did other influential conservatives such as Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. But the ex-president’s sway within the GOP caucus did not prevent McCarthy’s repeated defeat.

Following the failed votes Tuesday, Trump pointedly declined to endorse McCarthy with as much gusto as he has previous.

“We’ll see what happens,” Trump told NBC News, when asked directly if he was sticking with the GOP leader. “I got everybody calling me wanting my support. But let’s see what happens.”

The mood on the House floor Tuesday started out cheerful and energetic, due in part to the presence of members’ children and family members, many of whom came to witness what they expected would be swearing in ceremonies.

But it grew more tense as the day wore on. Until a speaker is elected, the rest of the chamber’s members-elect cannot be sworn in, because their oath of office is administered by the speaker.

While the House held multiple rounds of voting, the Senate, which is again controlled by Democrats, swore in Washington Sen. Patty Murray as the Senate president pro tempore, making her the first woman in American history to hold the position.

While the vice president is technically the president of the Senate, the president pro tem presides over the chamber on a daily basis, signing legislation and administering oaths of office.

The Senate pro tem is also typically third in line for the presidency, after the vice president and the Speaker of the House.

But on Tuesday night, with no speaker elected in the House yet, Murray temporarily became second in line.

Early in the day, McCarthy had vowed to continue holding votes as long as it took to win 218, effectively trying to call his opponents’ bluff.

But after the third vote, both Democrats and Republicans grew visibly anxious to leave their seats. Unlike most votes, where members can vote in absentia, the speaker vote must be conducted in person, leaving no room for members to come and go.

With no immediate solution to the Republican impasse on the horizon, the House held a voice vote on a motion to adjourn that was loudly endorsed by both parties.

McCarthy’s conservative opponents still have a long list of demands they believe McCarthy has failed to meet.

As the Federal Reserve continues to hike interest rates, you may assume you’re earning more on the money in your savings account.

But that may not be the case.

Carolyn McClanahan, a certified financial planner at Life Planning Partners in Jacksonville, Florida, was recently surprised when a client told her he was hardly making any interest on his cash.

The interest rate on his Capital One account was 0.3%, far lower than the 3.3% annual percentage yield the firm is currently advertising for new savings accounts. McClanahan discovered the same situation when she checked her own Capital One account.

“I was not happy,” McClanahan said.

While a call to Capital One’s customer service revealed it was possible to access the higher interest rate by opening a new account, McClanahan decided it was better to move the money elsewhere.

“I’ve been recommending Capital One for a long time, and they are now off my list,” McClanahan said.

Capital One did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The Federal Reserve has raised the federal funds rate to the highest levels since 2007. While that makes borrowing more expensive for credit cards and other accounts, the expectation is that it will also push up the interest consumers can make on their cash savings.

Some online savings accounts are touting rates as high as 4%. Some certificates of deposit, or CDs, may provide higher rates, depending on the term.

Rates are expected to climb even higher as Federal Reserve poised to continue its hiking cycle in 2023. Bankrate.com predicts top-yielding national money market and savings accounts could climb to 5.25% by year end.

Yet like McClanahan, others may be in for a surprise if they realize their accounts are not keeping up with those top rates.

“Consumers need to check their accounts at least once a month to see what their accounts are earning,” said Ken Tumin, senior industry analyst at LendingTree and founder of Deposit Accounts.

“Don’t assume it’s the latest greatest rate,” he said.

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Following Fed rate hikes, online savings accounts should generally be in the ballpark of the federal funds rate within about a month, according to Tumin.

There are signs that may help consumers spot when they may get shortchanged on rates.

Watch for changing account names, Tumin said. If a bank is touting savings offers under a new account name from when you opened your account, the terms you are subject to might not be the latest.

If you see a new account, often you can request to be upgraded.

“That’s an easy way to get the benefit of the higher rate,” Tumin said.

Also be more vigilant when a bank, such as Emigrant Bank, has more than one online division, Tumin said. In September, Emigrant’s Dollar Savings Direct division was the first to offer 3% on an account, which eventually climbed to 3.5%.

Now, however, its My Savings Direct division has the highest rate for an online account, with 4.35%, Tumin noted.