Advocating for Agriculture for all of Florida

Food security is national security. We work with our grassroots members to support policy that benefits all Floridians and protects our nation’s food supply.

Florida Farm Bill: Has policies that protect our agricultural lands, support local businesses and ensure Florida remains a leader in agriculture

Farm Bill (Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026): Protects our nation’s food supply, provides access to nutrition for families facing hunger, advances conservation efforts and spurs innovation through agricultural research.

Reliable labor in agriculture allows farmers and ranchers to produce the food and other agricultural products that support communities and economies around the world.  We need reform to our guestworker visa program to provide security to farmers and their employees.

 E-Verify: Allows employers to confirm the employment eligibility of their employees.

Agricultural trade is critical to our national economy and to the economic sustainability of family farms and ranches, but non-scientific trade barriers and tariffs restrict farmers’ ability to compete in global markets.

Buying American Cotton Incentive Program: The Buying American Cotton Act of 2025 aims to boost demand for U.S.-grown cotton by offering transferable tax credits to businesses that sell cotton products made with it.

European Union Deforestation Regulation (EUDR): Reduces deforestation, biodiversity loss and emissions by requiring that key commodities sold in or exported from the EU are deforestation-free.

Farmers and ranchers share the goal of wanting to see improved health outcomes for America’s families. They rely on science-based and carefully tested tools and practices to ensure that we have a secure and affordable food supply. 

Regenerative Agriculture: Florida’s farmers and ranchers use regenerative farming practices like crop rotation, reduced tillage and cover crops to improve soil health and reduce environmental impact.

Safe Pesticide Use: Farmers are trained to use pesticides safely and responsibly, recognizing their importance for protecting crops, reducing waste and sustaining regenerative practices.

Tax reform efforts help Florida farmers and ranchers keep family operations viable by reducing costs, protecting working land and supporting long-term generational sustainability.

Agricultural Sales Tax Exemption Certificates: Helped save farmers and ranchers more than $2.3 million by expanding sales tax exemptions on animal health products for livestock and poultry.

Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM):  Provides farmers with a sales tax exemption card for qualifying agricultural purchases, helping lower everyday costs.

Greenbelt Protection: Ensures agricultural land is taxed based on its use value rather than development value, helping keep farmland in production and preventing unnecessary tax increases.

Right to Farm: Protects farmers from unreasonable local regulations and nuisance lawsuits, giving producers confidence to continue normal agricultural operations.

Estate and Gift Tax Relief: Secures the future of family farms by increasing the estate tax exemption to $15 million per individual ($30 million per couple) starting in 2026, helping prevent farms from being sold or divided to pay taxes.

Farmers and ranchers face an increasingly complex regulatory system that impacts how they use their land and water. Farm Bureau is working to ensure regulations are fair, transparent and based on sound science.

Conservation Compliance: Compliance rules affect eligibility for programs such as crop insurance, loans and disaster assistance. Farm Bureau is working to ensure a fair, transparent system so producers can confidently stay in compliance and continue protecting their land.

Waters of the United States (WOTUS): Determines which areas are regulated under federal law, meaning certain activities—like moving soil or applying inputs—could require costly permits or risk fines if misjudged. It’s important for farmers and ranchers to understand where federal jurisdiction applies so they can confidently manage their land.

Florida farmers and ranchers play a critical role in protecting natural resources while keeping land productive.

This Farm CARES: Florida Farm Bureau’s CARES (County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship) publicly recognizes farmers and ranchers who demonstrate exemplary efforts to protect Florida’s natural resources by implementing Best Management Practices (BMPs).

Rural and Family Lands Protection Program (RFLPP): The RFLPP is designed to protect agricultural lands through the acquisition of permanent agricultural land conservation easements.

Carbon Markets: Agriculture can play a role in offsetting emissions beyond the farm gate. From climate-smart farming practices to voluntary management of forests, grasslands, wetlands and croplands, farmers are actively absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.

Innovation in agriculture helps farmers and ranchers produce more with fewer resources, protecting the environment while improving the quality and resilience of our food and fiber supply.

Biotechnology: Biotechnology has proven to be an important tool for sustainability and food security by helping farmers grow more food while improving the environment.

Gene Editing: Gene editing is an important tool that can unlock tremendous benefits for consumers and the environment, and help farmers grow healthier, more sustainable food, fiber and fuel.

Rural communities are home to most of the U.S. manufacturing, farming and ranching. Our farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to continue feeding our nation depends on robust and reliable infrastructure.

Rural Infrastructure: Strong infrastructure such as roads, bridges, ports, water systems and power is essential for farmers and ranchers to move products and remain competitive in domestic and global markets.

Rural Broadband: Reliable, high-speed broadband is critical for rural life, enabling precision farming, access to markets and economic growth.

Endangered Species Act: The Endangered Species Act protects threatened and endangered plants and animals, guides their recovery and regulates activities to prevent harm. It also promotes cooperation among federal agencies, states and international partners to conserve species.

Endangered Species Act Workplan: The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) and the Endangered Species Act (ESA) require the EPA to regulate pesticide use while protecting endangered species and their habitats. To meet these obligations, the EPA developed strategies that may add new label requirements, including mitigation practices and use restrictions in sensitive areas called Pesticide Use Limitation Areas (PULAs). These measures aim to reduce pesticide impacts on threatened species through updated guidance and location-specific protections.

The New World Screwworm (NWS) resurfaced in Mexico in November 2024, raising concerns for U.S. agriculture and food security. To date, there have been no cases of NWS in the United States.

New World Screwworm: A destructive pest that infests livestock, pets and wildlife. Its larvae feed on living tissue, causing severe and often fatal damage.

New World Screwworm Response Plan: The USDA is working to stop the spread of NWS through import restrictions, enhanced surveillance, international sterile fly production, border protection, emergency preparedness and research.