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 designated as Friends of Farm Bureau for the 118th Congress:
U.S. Rep. Neal Dunn (FL-02)
U.S. Rep. John Rutherford (FL-05)
U.S. Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15)
U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan (FL-16)
U.S. Sen. Carlos Gimenez (FL-25)
U.S. Rep. Maria Salazar (FL-27)
“We are grateful for our friends in Congress and applaud their willingness to advocate on behalf of Florida’s farmers and ranchers,” stated Florida Farm Bureau President Jeb S. Smith. “Their leadership on key agricultural issues such as trade and labor make them deserving recipients of this award.”
These national lawmakers will be recognized at select county Farm Bureau annual meetings or at designated times and places accommodating to the recipient.
The first recipients of the “Friend of Farm Bureau” awards were announced in September 1996, and have been named every other September thereafter near the end of subsequent congressional sessions. The American Farm Bureau Federation gives the award to members of Congress who were nominated by their respective state Farm Bureaus and approved by the AFBF Board of Directors.
