USDA Withdraws Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets Rule February 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter In the final week of the Biden Administration, Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack announced that the USDA had withdrawn its rule entitled Fair and Competitive Livestock and Poultry Markets, marking the second time such a rule had been halted. As in [...]
Presidential Election Update February 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter At high noon on January 20th, 2025, President Donald J. Trump and Vice President J.D. Vance took the oath of office and thus, the Trump 47 administration was off and running. In his first week back in office, President Trump has taken significant actions through executive orders and [...]
Rural and Family Lands Protection Program Application Period January 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) recently announced that an application period for the Rural and Family Land Protection Program begins on December 18, 2024, for preservation of important agricultural lands through acquisition of perpetual easements on working agricultural lands. [...]
SFWMD completes a new Northern Everglades Water Quality Project in Osceola County January 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter On December 16, 2024, the South Florida Water Management District joined the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Garcia Land Management, LLC and many other local, state and federal partners to celebrate [...]
Lake Okeechobee Enters Recovery Mode January 2025 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) began releases under Lake Okeechobee Recovery Operations on December 7, 2024. For the past five years, Lake Okeechobee has experienced several storm events and extended moderately high lake stages. This has led to degraded ecological conditions within the lake, [...]
EPA Releases Final Ruling on Application Exclusion Zone December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Effective December 4, 2024, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has mandated Application Exclusion Zones (AEZ), which include additional precautions to protect workers and bystanders during pesticide applications. The AEZ refers to the area immediately surrounding the pesticide application equipment, and only exists [...]
UF/IFAS Selected to Lead Food Safety Education Program December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) has selected a UF/IFAS-run center for food safety training to coordinate similar facilities across the country. Michelle Danyluk, photo courtesy of UF/IFAS The USDA’s decision means the Southern Center for Food Safety Modernization Act [...]
New Endagered Species Proposed by USFWS December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is proposing to list the Black Creek crayfish (Procambarus pictus), a crayfish species from Florida, as an endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. USFWS also proposes to designate critical habitat for the Black Creek crayfish [...]
Presidential Election Creates Rippling Effect in Florida December 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Last month, the presidential election took place and sent a rippling effect across the State of Florida. This summary provides an overview of how this election season will impact the political arena in Florida. Former President Donald J. Trump won the presidential election with [...]
Members Complete Grassroots Policy Process November 2024 FloridAgriculture eNewsletter Delegates from nearly 60 county Farm Bureaus convened at the 83rd Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting Oct. 30 – Nov. 1, 2024, to finalize the public policy of the Federation. Policy amendments and new resolutions rising from the county level through the State Advisory Committees were [...]
