Florida Ag Policy Conference Focused on Key Programs

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Mid-Florida Research and Education Center in Apopka hosted the 11th annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference on April 16. The event covered a range of subjects critical to farmers.

Sen. Keith Truenow (FL-13) discussed the passage of the Florida Farm Bill and its benefits to farmers. The legislation, signed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in March, directs funding and programming for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS).

“Some of our real goals in the farm bill are trying to figure out if we can make agriculture easier to navigate in Florida — that we can achieve some profitability for growers at the end of the rainbow,” Truenow said. “How can we cut some of the red tape and burden to help us get there?”

Truenow noted the farm bill will make the Farmers Feeding Florida program permanent. The program has been popular with growers to move excess commodities into food banks. Truenow said the program helps farmers while assisting people in need by providing them with healthy produce.

He also mentioned the importance of continued funding for Florida’s Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Administered by FDACS, the program utilizes conservation easements to keep lands green. The state purchases the development rights, not the land itself. Landowners retain full ownership, continue agricultural operations and keep the property on local tax rolls.

Kathy Mears, FDACS assistant commissioner, spoke during the conference and noted Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson’s commitment to preserving agricultural lands through the Florida Rural and Family Lands Protection Program.

“The program was about 20 years old, and the state had protected about 5,600 acres in those years,” Mears said. “When Wilton Simpson came in, he was able to secure $300 million for the program while he was senate president. Then when he was elected commissioner, we turbocharged that program and have now saved more than 225,000 acres in the last three years. We are on track to hopefully double that in the next session.”