News

Florida farmers and ranchers impacted by Hurricane Helene can apply for interest-free loans through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Service’s Agriculture and Aquaculture Producers Natural Disaster Recovery Loan Program. Loans can be used by eligible agriculture and aquaculture producers to restore, repair, or replace essential physical property…

Every two years, Florida Farm Bureau evaluates and selects members of Congress for an American Farm Bureau “Friend of Farm Bureau” award. Members selected for this award have demonstrated a commitment to Florida agriculture’s legislative priorities by way of their voting record.   The following members have been…

September 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published their notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) on a new standard titled Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings (Heat Rule). The Heat Rule would apply to all employees working outside or indoors, including agricultural…

September 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Florida Farm Bureau’s grassroots policy development is in full swing as members from across the state gathered during August to participate in the organization’s commodity and issue based advisory committee fall meetings. These committees meet twice annually to review current Farm Bureau policy and to surface…

September 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has published a final rule that revises pre-harvest agricultural water provisions in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. The rule replaces the previous microbial quality criteria and testing requirements with systems-based, pre-harvest agricultural water assessments. The Florida Department of Agriculture…

September 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Sixth generation Floridian Bobby Floyd grew up on his family’s cow/calf operation in Zolfo Springs. Throughout his life he has helped run cattle on the farm and has played an active role in the farm’s day-to-day operation. After graduating from Hardee High School, Floyd attended the…

September 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter By Rob Gilbert and Scott Angle [email protected] [email protected]   You may not have noticed there’s a change of leaders at UF/IFAS. Nor should you have to. We know that for you, UF/IFAS is the county agent who delivers you the science you need to stay profitable…

August 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The Enivronmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released Proposed Interim Decision (PIDs) for the cancellation of Acephate, Captan, Ferbam, Thiram, and Ziram. This proposal is the result of a pesticide review that takes place every 15 years to stay in compliance with FIFRA.   After the PID, a…

August 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter By Rob Gilbert [email protected] @IFAS_VP Mickey Diamond is a bridge between UF/IFAS and the Florida Farm Bureau Federation. He builds that bridge with service. Part of that service is as your voice. He serves with straight talk. When I travel the state visiting our research centers,…

August 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Jared Freeman’s passion for agriculture and love for animals sparked at an early age. He spent countless hours in the pasture with his grandfather growing up, and that time together was pivotal in Freeman’s path in life. He was an active member of 4-H and FFA…

August 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter On July 1, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced their recommended decision to amend the 11 Federal Milk Marketing Orders across the U.S.  Included in the proposed changes are some top priorities for Florida Farm Bureau, such as reverting to the ‘Higher-of’ formula for fluid…

August 2024 FloridAgriculture  eNewsletter As the agriculture industry becomes more advanced and complex, new challenges arise.  For the livestock sector, animal disease traceability has received greater attention over the last several decades as domestic and international movement of live cattle and fresh beef has increased.  For this reason, in 2013…