Advocacy at the Capitol Hundreds of Florida Farm Bureau members from across Florida convened at the state Capitol to meet with legislators during Florida Farm Bureau’s annual Legislative Days in Tallahassee, March 7-8. Priority topics discussed with lawmakers included a land buying proposal that calls for the removal of 60,000 acres of productive farmland from [...]

Calhoun/Gulf Co. Farm Bureau President Cecil Bodiford Calhoun/Gulf County Farm Bureau (CGCFB) president, Cecil Bodiford, was born and raised in agriculture. He and his wife, Judy, live on the north central border of Calhoun County in the small town of Altha. “My granddaddy farmed before me and my parents and so on,” he stated. “We [...]

Farm Bureau Ready for 2017 Legislative Session Following a year when Florida Farm Bureau had every legislative priority pass the Legislature and receive approval from Gov. Rick Scott, 2017 offers a unique opportunity to start over and carefully consider the important and pressing challenges facing our state’s agricultural producers. With an unprecedented election season ushering [...]

Seeds of Trust Lead to Lower Imputs Jack Payne Before Dr. Natalia Peres put a single plant in the ground at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center when she arrived more than a decade ago, she began planting seeds of trust with growers. Al Herndon managed a strawberry farm in Floral City at the [...]

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Fruit and vegetable growers and other individuals interested in learning about produce safety and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) are invited to attend a one-day workshop in Arcadia on March 13. The course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements [...]

Manatee County Farmer Recognized for Nutrient Stewardship Gary Reeder of Palmetto is a recipient of the Fertilizer Institute’s 2017 4R Advocate award. The 4R Advocate Program helps raise awareness of excellent 4R Nutrient Stewardship practices on farms nationwide. According to a statement by TFI President Chris Jahn, the award “honors those in the industry who [...]

Farm Bureau Women are “On Par for Agriculture” The 2017 Women’s Leadership Conference will be held March 2-4 in St. Augustine. More than 100 women advocates will attend the three-day conference for networking, education and farm tours. An awards banquet will also be held to recognize leading county Farm Bureaus throughout Florida for their efforts [...]

Winter Advisory Committee Conference Held in Ocala The Agricultural Policy Division hosted the Winter Advisory Committee Conference on Feb. 7 in Ocala. More than 120 Florida Farm Bureau advisory committee members attended the one day conference. Members received a full day of networking and in-depth training on topics ranging from gene editing, agricultural mergers, communicating [...]

2017 National Advocacy Trip Set The annual Field to the Hill Washington D.C. trip has been set for May 23-25. Florida Farm Bureau members have the opportunity to travel to the nation’s capital to meet with legislative leaders on issues that impact agriculture at the local county level. The annual advocacy trip is a chance [...]

Register Today for Florida Farm Bureau’s Legislative Days Florida Farm Bureau will host our annual Legislative Days event in Tallahassee in just five weeks! This year’s event will be held Tuesday, March 7, and Wednesday, March 8, the very first week of the 2017 legislative session. Please take this opportunity to join Farm Bureau members, [...]