April 2024
Florida Farm Bureau Federation hosted its second annual Ag Policy and Commodity Forum on Wednesday, March 27 in Gainesville, Fla. The forum brought together more than 150 industry experts that serve on Florida Farm Bureau’s state advisory committees. These experts represent a variety of commodities including beef, cotton, fruits and vegetables, peanuts, water, trade and labor.
“We couldn’t be more pleased with the growth of our Ag Policy & Commodity Forum,” said Geoffrey Patterson, director of Ag Policy for Florida Farm Bureau. “Only a few times each year do we have the privilege of hosting so many of our advisory committee members together in one place. To provide them with access to such high-caliber speakers and facilitate discussions within the committees is invaluable. This event illuminates the true grassroots nature of our organization and will springboard us into our policy development cycle later this year, as we continue to serve our members as the Voice of Agriculture.”
Committee members received various updates from key speakers, including Congresswoman Kat Cammack, Florida Fruit and Vegetable (FFVA) Director of Labor Relations Jamie Fussell, Dr. Brett Bultemeier with the UF/IFAS Pesticide Information Office and Cody Lyon, Managing Director of Advocacy and Political Affairs for American Farm Bureau. Each guest updated on important issues such as the farm bill, state and federal agricultural labor laws, EPA and the 2024 election.
After an informative morning, advisory committees met to discuss current issues their industry segments are facing and how those issues will drive policy development for the organization during the fall committee meetings. Attendees wrapped up a successful forum with encouraging remarks from Florida State Representative Danny Alvarez.
Members will meet this fall to further develop the organization’s policy before the organization’s state annual meeting in October. For more information on Florida Farm Bureau’s policy development process, click here.
