The Senate next week could approve a measure aimed at preventing local governments from regulating homeowners’ vegetable gardens. Senators on Thursday took up the bill (SB 82), sponsored by Sen. Rob Bradley, R-Fleming Island, and positioned it for a vote. The issue stems from a legal dispute between homeowners Hermine Ricketts and Laurence Carroll and the Village of Miami Shores …
Florida Senate Ag Chair on Water: ‘Science Is on Our Side’
During Wednesday evening’s Florida Cattlemen Association legislative reception festivities near the state Capitol, Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Ben Albritton said water issues abound in discussion circles this year. In this brief report, Albritton emphasized agriculture’s presence in the legislative process is critical. He added that the facts about agriculture must be heard above misinformation and misguided rhetoric that too often …
Bayer “Farm for Good” Program
The Crop Science Division of Bayer is inviting Southern growers to take part in their Farm for Good™ Sweepstakes, where you could win a $5,000 donation to the local charity of your choice. Farm for Good donations will be awarded to 10 growers from the Southern states for a total of $50,000 in charitable donations to benefit organizations in grower communities. Keith Rucker, Technical Service …
68th Annual Florida Beef Cattle Short Course
The 68th Annual Florida Beef Cattle Short Course will be held May 8-10 in Gainesville. This year’s theme is “Connecting the Dots, Calf to Carcass”, where participants can take away new knowledge about the beef cattle industry’s future direction, and more. For more details and registration information, click here. Sponsored ContentStrong Relationship Exists Between the Florida Cattle Enhancement Board and UF-IFASApril 17, 2026Florida Cattle …
Trump Budget Rapped over Everglades Money
Environmentalists and some high-profile supporters of President Donald Trump are criticizing his proposed budget for not including enough money for Everglades restoration. U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., U.S. Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., and U.S. Rep. Francis Rooney, R-Fla., issued a news release Wednesday saying the White House budget request “failed to include sufficient funding for …
Mosquitoes Prey on Beneficial Barn Owl Nestlings, But Permethrin Can Help
Barn owls make their homes in boxes put up by farmers in South Florida. The growers like the owls because they eat rodents that would otherwise munch on their sugarcane, sweet corn and rice. Researchers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences have found that mosquito bites can contribute to the deaths of the beneficial barn …
Farm Bureau Leader Responds to Congressman’s “Menace” Remarks
Among many reactions to south Florida Rep. Francis Rooney’s (SW FL – District 19) recently reported comments about what he called the “menace” of agriculture in the Everglades Agriculture Area, Florida Farm Bureau President John Hoblick is reaching out to the Congressman requesting a meeting to discuss the facts directly. In his letter, Hoblick informed Rooney that the Congressman’s recent …
Lawmakers Chip Away at Land Preservation Money
Lawmakers are pushing forward with plans to continue carving up millions of dollars voters more than four years ago directed to be spent on land and water protection, despite environmentalists’ concerns about the way the money is being used to help the Indian River Lagoon and Apalachicola Bay. Backers of the 2014 Florida Water and Land Conservation Initiative, who continue …
Former SFWMD Gov. Board Member Talks Flood Control, Misinformation and Ag Concerns
This is the final installment in a series about the recent dismantling and complete replacement underway of the South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board. As the debate about South Florida’s water woes continues to grow almost as fast as the Florida population, farmers and ranchers around the state are starting to wonder what these abrupt changes at SFWMD …
Former SFWMD Governing Board Member Notes Ag’s New Absence
Family farmer Sam Accursio from Homestead was among the last four remaining South Florida Water Management District (SFWMD) governing board members who spoke their minds bluntly during their final board meeting last month. Accursio’s family has been farming vegetables in Homestead for generations. He says recent actions and operational decisions could indicate a change of direction for the regional flood …