Southeast AgNet was there when Congressman Jack Kingston from Georgia joined Congressman Allen West in West’s south Florida Congressional district on Friday, 
to visit with a couple small groups of leading area farmers about critical issues of the day. The conversation was quite candid, and the farmers were encouraged that these Congressional representatives “get it”, particularly when it comes to specialty crops and the importance of diversified agriculture. West promised to stay the course and follow up on several issues, including the continued impacts of Mexican vegetable dumping at peak season leaving U. S. winter producers, primarily in Florida, at a trade disadvantage.
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Kingston represents a diversified agriculture region in south Georgia and as Chairman of the House subcommittee in charge of ag appropriations he’s in a key position to help write the next Farm Bill, which he feels has less than a 50/50 chance of passing on time this year.
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Click above to hear comments from both Congressmen in these exclusive AgNet interviews from the meeting in West Palm, and don’t miss what farmers Johnny Whitworth and Rick Roth had to say after that meeting adjourned. Farm Credit hosted the roundtable in West Palm, moderated by South Florida Farm Credit’s Lyn Cacella (in photo with West). 
The other meeting was at Sunlight Ranch in Indiantown.
Johnny Whitworth:
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Rick Roth:
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Click Here to see the website post from Congressman Allen West’s office, as a follow up to these meetings.
Farm Credit also distributed the following news release late Friday:
(WEST PALM BEACH)– Congressman Allen West (R-FL) and United States House of Representatives Appropriations Subcommittee Chairman on Agriculture and Rural Development Jack Kingston (R-GA) met with local farmers, business owners, and others involved in the South Florida Agricultural industry today during two roundtable discussions in South Florida. The events allowed farmers to discuss the current congressional issues affecting their businesses, ask questions and look ahead to the future of the South Florida farming industry.
Topics discussed included labor and immigration reform, pest and disease problems, funding for USDA research, the impact of environmental regulations, Farm Bill negotiations, and the impact of the Estate Tax.
“The forum was an open dialogue and both Congressman West and Congressman Kingston came to the table asking for input,” said Rick Roth, owner of Roth Farms in Palm Beach County. “I’ve been to a lot of these over the years and this was one of the best. It is evident that both Congressmen understand the impact and importance of good agricultural legislation.”
A dozen farmers and local business owners attended the West Palm Beach roundtable, held at the Farm Credit Office, while 20 individuals attended the Indiantown roundtable held at Sunlight Ranch.
“We had an informative, much needed discussion today with our local growers and agricultural business owners,” West said. “The bottom line is as leaders we have to do everything we can to make sure agriculture remains a viable industry across the state of Florida.”
During today’s discussions, many farmers raised concerns of Mexican tomatoes flooding the Florida market. Congressman West will be sending a letter to both the United States Department of Agriculture as well as the World trade Organization to address those concerns in the following weeks.
“Congressman West gets it, he understands us,” said Doug Bornique with Indian River Citrus. “We (local farmers) feel very comfortable knowing our interests are being taken seriously.”
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