Agriculture Holds Steady in 2017 With new House rules and a House Speaker set on slashing the state budget, the 2017 legislative session was definitely bumpy at times, but Florida agriculture and Florida Farm Bureau did not take a step back, securing key tax cuts and reductions in regulations while maintaining funding for programs important [...]

Homegrown Partnerships Jack Payne It’s a call that Jennifer Bearden loves to get. It’s the “can-you-make-this-happen?” call. It means a lot to Bearden because it’s from the president of the Okaloosa County Farm Bureau. As the county’s Extension ag agent, having the farming community’s leader ask her for a favor is validation of her work. [...]

Rory Martin: Sarasota County Farm Bureau Rory Martin is buckled into his family’s tradition. The Florida native has served as president of Sarasota County Farm Bureau (SCFB) since 1993 and currently lives in his family’s old homestead just outside Sarasota with his wife and children. Martin grew up in Highlands County and attended college at [...]

Scholarships Available for YF&R Conference Young agriculturists are eligible for up to $2,000 in scholarships to attend the Florida Farm Bureau Young Farmers and Ranchers Leadership Conference, July 14-16, in Punta Gorda. Eight $250 scholarships will be awarded to Farm Bureau members between the ages of 18-35 to attend the conference. Priority of scholarships will [...]

2017 Florida Farmer of the Year Announced Congratulations to Mark Wilson of Dade County Farm Bureau for being selected as the 2017 Florida Farmer of the Year. Wilson produces exotic foliage plants at his Homestead nursery, Greendale Nursery. He is a long-time advocate for agriculture and youth education. His community service and innovation in plant [...]

Field to the Hill 2017 Farm Bureau members traveled to Washington D.C. May 23-25 for the annual Field to the Hill national advocacy trip. More than 80 members visited with the Florida congressional delegation on federal priority issues that impact Florida Farmers and ranchers. Top issues discussed included immigration reform and e-verify; NAFTA renegotiation and [...]

UF’s Impact on Florida Jack Payne Please check out the new University of Florida website that documents the economic impact the university makes on Florida: http://economicimpact.ufl.edu/ It’s a university-wide document, but UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is all over it. I congratulate Alan Hodges, Mohammad Rahmani, and Rod Clouser of the UF/IFAS Food [...]

Florida Farm Bureau Member Takes Part in Farmers Roundtable Lynetta Usher Griner pictured on the right in blue. Levy County Farm Bureau member Lynetta Usher Griner, an owner/operator of Usher Land and Timber, Inc. of Fanning Springs, took part in a Farmers Roundtable with more than a dozen farmers and representatives of the agricultural community [...]

Creating a Culture of Gratitude The 2017 Florida Farm Bureau Administrative Assistants Conference took place in Daytona Beach at The Shores Resort and Spa April 19-21. During the three-day event, more than 50 women attended engaging sessions on membership and marketing, estate planning, Farm Bureau banking services and attended a continuing education class on law [...]

Act to Protect Property Rights Farm Bureau members should seize the opportunity to take action in support of private property rights. So said Doug Kruse, development officer for Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF), last month. “This is probably the best time to be pushing hard,” he added. “Actions now could determine future government policy.” In a [...]