florida agriculture

Move comes on the heels of the latest in a string of Florida laws wresting power over local development away from local government.

One of the three Florida Cabinet positions on the ballot this year is commissioner of agriculture, which oversees the state’s $13 billion ag sector — which is worth more than $213 billion considering multiplier effects.

A provision in this year's farm bill allows the state to sell off "surplus" conservation land for agricultural production.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, flanked by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson and Senate President Ben Albritton, signed the 2026 Florida Farm bill in Highlands County Monday.

By comparison, Hurricane Ian, which hit Southwest Florida as a deadly Category 4 storm in September 2022, left about $1.07 billion in damages to the agricultural industry.

It was Lorene who facilitated a bidding war between rival mining companies over a piece of this land, but also her who stopped it. And it was a family trust, in her name, that preserved the land forever.

In what was a major victory for Florida tomato growers, the U.S. Commerce Department announced in April that it would withdraw from the 2019 Tomato Suspension Agreement, beginning July 14. A 20.91% tariff will then be imposed on most tomatoes from Mexico.

UF/IFAS researchers are testing how effective these products are by putting them in mesh bags and burying them alongside corn and cotton crops.

The decision suggested that the scale of President Donald Trump’s mass deportation campaign — an issue that is at the heart of his presidency — is hurting industries and constituencies that he does not want to lose.

Commissioners delayed until next March their vote on a controversial heat-related ordinance proposal that would protect outdoor workers in the agriculture and construction industries. The measure would be the first of its kind in the South.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture issued a forecast that said Florida growers this season are on pace to fill 15.65 million boxes of oranges, which would be the lowest total since the 1934-1935 season.

Agriculture is a major industry in Florida and Hurricane Ian destroyed farms, killed livestock and toppled citrus trees. Farmers have faced challenges before and vow to come out stronger.