News

Florida Farm Bureau industry leaders will be inducted into the 2025 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame at the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet February 11 at 7:00 p.m., 2025. Conservationists and cattle ranchers Cary and Marcia Lightsey of Polk County have committed 80 percent…

December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Effective December 4, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated Application Exclusion Zones (AEZ), which include additional precautions to protect workers and bystanders during pesticide applications. The AEZ refers to the area immediately surrounding the pesticide application equipment, and only exists during the application,…

December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has selected a UF/IFAS-run center for food safety training to coordinate similar facilities across the country. The USDA’s decision means the Southern Center for Food Safety Modernization Act Training will continue serving as the Lead Regional Coordination…

December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to list the Black Creek crayfish (Procambarus pictus), a crayfish species from Florida, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. USFWS also proposes to designate critical habitat for the Black Creek crayfish under…

December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter By J. Scott Angle [email protected] @IFAS_VP Four Florida Farm Bureau leaders at October’s annual meeting gave me four different ways of thinking about how much agriculture does for the people lucky enough or wise enough to make it their livelihood. I sat with each of the…

December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Last month, the presidential election took place and sent a rippling effect across the State of Florida. This summary provides an overview of how this election season will impact the political arena in Florida. Former President Donald J. Trump won the presidential election with 312 electoral…

Grassroots members hosted a variety of events last week to celebrate the valuable partnerships between urban and rural communities that ensure food travels from the farm gate to the dinner plate. These celebrations were part of Farm-City Week, celebrated the week before Thanksgiving to…

This Thanksgiving, Americans can expect to spend less on their Thanksgiving meal than they did in 2023.   According to a recent survey done by the American Farm Bureau Federation (AFBF), the average price of a12-item Thanksgiving basket for 10 people is $58.08…

Florida Farm Bureau’s Young Farmers & Ranchers state award winners have been named for the Achievement in Agriculture, Excellence in Agriculture and Discussion meet competitions. The winners will compete on a national level at the American Farm Bureau Annual Convention in San Antonio, TX in January 2025.  …

Eva Webb has been named the 2024 recipient of the Pat Cockrell Lifetime Achievement Award for her exemplary service to the organization and her community during her tenure. She was honored at the Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting.   Webb served as the Florida Farm…

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson of Pasco County, Rod and Brenda Gayle Land of Lafayette County and Jerry Davis of Santa Rosa County were recognized with Florida Farm Bureaus highest service award for their service to agriculture.    The Distinguished Service Award honors Florida agriculturists for their…

Jim Alderman of Alderman Farms in Palm Beach County has been named the 2025 Florida Farm Bureau Farmer of the Year.   Alderman has been an organic vegetable farmer since 1979, growing an array of fresh vegetables, ranging from tomatoes, zucchini, yellow squash, cucumber,…