Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson has shared his appreciation for the federal disaster declaration for the recent freeze event. The USDA Disaster Declaration signed by U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins will provide support for Florida agriculture producers impacted by freeze effects.
Commissioner Simpson said, “I appreciate President Donald Trump and U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins for always putting America’s farmers first, and for quickly issuing this official disaster declaration. Beyond the desperately needed federal support and financing that this declaration will now make available, it is also an acknowledgement of the incredible hardship and loss that Florida’s growers experienced from the historic freezes. This was one of the most damaging freeze events in Florida agriculture’s history, with our preliminary estimates totaling over $3 billion in agricultural losses. Florida agriculture now needs equally historic support. A strong and vibrant domestic food supply is critical to our national security and sovereignty, and Florida’s farmers feed America, especially during the winter. I look forward to working with the USDA to connect our impacted producers with these newly released recovery resources, and any additional federal support that becomes available in the future. I am also grateful to all the FDACS staff, agricultural producers, and UF/IFAS for their hard work to get the loss data to the USDA in record time. We are proud to be partners in the effort to get relief to our farmers as quickly as possible.”
Audio Reporting by Dale Sandlin for Southeast AgNet.