The House Ag Committee held a 2018 Farm Bill hearing last weekend in Florida. Farm groups and producers attended the session hoping to influence legislators as they put the new bill together. A Pork Network Dot Com article says the top of mind concerns included the farm safety net, agricultural research, and marketing. The upcoming renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement was a big topic as well, especially for the state’s specialty crop producers. Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick says other parts of the U.S. have gotten much more benefit than Florida growers when it comes to NAFTA. “Florida has indisputably struggled for market access and international demand,” he said to lawmakers. “We have seen dramatic drops in market share in key Florida specialty crop markets.” He says Florida crops like strawberries, tomatoes, and bell peppers have all been victimized by “prolific Mexican dumping” into the market. Farm labor and the H-2A program also received a lot of attention at the hearing which was held at the University of Florida.
From the National Association of Farm Broadcasting News Service.
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