Florida Commissioner of Agriculture makes the following statement to Florida agriculture producers, consumers and families. I’m so honored to serve as your 12th Commissioner of Agriculture and Consumer Services! It’s been an exciting first two weeks as we start working to implement our bold agenda and fresh vision for Florida’s farmers, consumers, and families. We’re working with our agriculture community to keep our second …
State, Plaintiffs Ask Court to Put Pot Case on Hold
Lawyers representing both sides in a lawsuit over the state’s ban on smoking medical marijuana have asked an appeals court to put the case on hold while they work out an agreement. The notice was filed at the 1st District Court of Appeal in Tallahassee, hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis on Thursday gave the Legislature until “mid-March” to repeal the …
Alabama Legislature Names Ag Committee Members
Legislative leaders have been named to oversee the Senate and House of Representatives agriculture committees during the Alabama Legislature’s 2019-22 quadrennium. Sen. Tom Whatley, R-Auburn, will chair the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry, while Rep. Danny Crawford, R-Athens, leads the House of Representatives Agriculture and Forestry Committee. The Alabama Farmers Federation’s David Cole said Whatley and Crawford understand …
Solid Potential for U.S. Beef in Newly Opened Moroccan Market
USDA and the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative recently announced that Morocco is open to imports of U.S. beef. And according to the U.S. Meat Export Federation (USMEF) representative in Africa, Morocco is one of these places that’s exciting when it comes to U.S. beef and U.S. beef variety meat. Joe Schuele has the story. Monty Brown, U.S. Meat Export Federation …
Louis Dreyfus to Exit Dairy Business
Louis Dreyfus Company this week announced it would exit its small dairy business as part of an overhaul to revive growth at the agriculture commodity company. The dairy unit represents for roughly one percent of the company’s revenue in 2018, and was previously earmarked as a unit to be sold. The company says the exit will have “practically no impact” …
Desantis Presses Lawmakers for Pot Changes
Saying they failed to heed the will of voters, Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered Florida lawmakers Thursday to eliminate a ban on smokable medical marijuana and, if they don’t comply, threatened to drop the state’s appeal of a court ruling that found the prohibition ran afoul of a 2016 constitutional amendment. DeSantis, who had been widely expected to announce he was …
Commissioner Nikki Fried on State’s Lack of Action on Smokable Medical Marijuana
Following news on the lack of resolution to the ongoing smokable medical marijuana lawsuit and the Governor’s call on legislative leadership to take action to remedy the situation, Commissioner Nicole “Nikki” Fried offers the following: “When the people overwhelmingly voted for legalized medical marijuana in 2016, they intended for the medicine to be accessible by patients in the manner which their doctor, not Tallahassee politicians, decides …
Florida Couple Wins National Award
Jake and Melissa Raburn of Hinton Farms Produce in Hillsborough County won the Excellence in Agriculture Award at the American Farm Bureau Federation Annual Convention in New Orleans on Jan. 14, 2019. The couple placed first in the nation for their impressive agricultural careers and community service. The Raburns will receive a new Ford truck, courtesy of Ford. They will also receive …
Spread the Good News: Jan. 24 is National Peanut Butter Day
The peanut butter sandwich is about as American as baseball, hot dogs and apple pie. But history tells us its origins date back to the ancient Incas and Aztecs. All these years later, peanut butter remains a staple in many people’s diets, so celebrate the spread on National Peanut Butter Day, Jan. 24. Here’s a little peanut butter history lesson, …
Hours of Service Bill Reintroduced in House
A bill proposed in the last session of Congress has surfaced once again in this session, specifically in the House of Representatives. The bill is designed to make Electronic Logging Devices and hours of service regulations friendlier to those who transport livestock. The legislation is called the Transporting Livestock Across America Safely Act and was introduced by Florida Republican Ted …