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Tuesday, Senator Linda Stewart, D-Orlando, and Representative Thad Altman, R-Indian Harbour Beach, filed legislation that would provide a stable funding floor for land conservation and would reaffirm the legislature’s commitment to purchasing environmentally sensitive lands. The bills, SB 1510 and HB 1211, require a specified…
Read More Florida Sen. Stewart and Rep. Altman Provide Stable Funding for Land Conservation
As the United States nears the one-year anniversary of the first lockdown related to the COVID-19 pandemic, many in the nation’s food supply chain are still feeling its effects. A new multi-region, multi-institution research team aims to assess the impact of the pandemic on food…
Read More Florida’s Food Supply Chain Industries Asked to Share How They Fared in 2020
U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) and John Thune (R-SD), as well as Congressman Ron Kind (D-WI), are leading a bipartisan group of their colleagues in urging the U.S. Department of Treasury and the Small Business Administration (SBA) to issue new clarifications that would ensure more…
Read More U.S. Senators Baldwin, Thune Lead Bipartisan Push to Make More Farmers and Ranchers Eligible for PPP Loans
Florida producers are invited to participate in a virtual crop insurance town hall meeting February 17 at 10 a.m. Eastern Time to learn the latest information on crop insurance options. The meeting is to be a live conversation with Florida Agriculture Commissioner, Nikki Fried, the…
Read More Florida Farmers: FDACS/USDA Virtual Crop Insurance Town Hall Feb. 17
The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) today determined that fresh, chilled, or frozen blueberries are not being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat of serious injury, to the domestic industry…
Read More Florida’s Ag Commissioner Went to Bat for Florida Blueberries, U.S. Trade Commission Saw No Foul
A Texas-based company has applied for permits to begin preparation for oil drilling inside Big Cypress Natural Preserve, a federally protected forest with endangered species bordering the Florida Everglades. According to environmental conservation groups, there were no public notices listed for the permit applications on the state’s…
Read More “Don’t Mess With Florida” Nikki Fried: Reject Oil Drilling Permit in Big Cypress National Preserve
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) will host a webinar series to educate Floridians about private wells and septic systems, including routine maintenance and storm preparation. Nearly 2.6 million septic systems are in operation throughout the state, representing 12% of…
Read More Virtual Series to Educate on Septic, Well Water Systems
Tuesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried, an independently-elected member of the Florida Cabinet, hosted a press conference announcing the release of the FDACS Biden-Harris Administration Partnership Plan: Keeping Florida & America Growing, a state-federal partnership plan. The plan outlines areas of future collaboration between the Florida Department of Agriculture and…
Read More Florida Ag Commissioner Releases FDACS & Biden Admin Partnership Plan
HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. – Setting prescribed fires in controlled settings can reduce the risk of wildfires burning out of control, as many Floridians witnessed during the state’s wildfire emergency in 2017. That’s why the Southwest Florida Water Management District (District) will be conducting prescribed burns…
Read More District Aims to Reduce Risk of Wildfires by Scheduling Prescribed Fires for Hillsborough County
Morgan Norris of Port Charlotte represented young farmers across the United States at the International Young Farmers Forum. Norris was one of 19 farmers selected by the World Farmers’ Organization to take part in the invitation-only forum, which is a part of the 13th annual Global Forum for Food and…
Read More Young Florida Agriculturist Helps Shape Global Food Supply of the Future