Farming

Ground was broken on the 79th restoration project in 6 years.

Farmers affected by tariffs could be receiving a federal payout. President Trump announced his plan on Truth Social, stating; “We’ve made so much money on tariffs, that we are going to take a small portion of that money, and help our farmers.”Many of them rely on imports like fertilizer ingredients, machinery, fuel and pesticides, in order to grow crops. The 10% blanket tariff on imported goods has increased costs while damaging the trade relationships farmers rely on to export their products.

The United States Department of Agriculture is moving towards ending two programs that assisted schools and food banks purchaser food directly from local farmers and ranchers.

As Florida’s citrus greening continues to get beaten down, is something better on the horizon? Vanilla is the second most expensive spice in the world and Florida is looking to cash in on the crop.

The USDA has promised some $50 million to provide protection and combat abuse in the agricultural fields.

The bus was transporting 53 farmworkers shortly after 6:30 a.m. when it collided with a pickup truck in Marion County, about 80 miles north of Orlando, the Florida Highway Patrol said.Then driver of the pickup was later arrested on driving under the influence-manslaughter charges.

Farmers in much of state grants restore land before Hurricane Ian USDA extended deadline September 25 $500,000 remove debris, repair fences, regrade land torn

Florida’s agriculture sector was hit extremely hard following Hurricane Ian, with crop losses up to $1.25 billion. The brand “SWFL Fresh: Choose Local, Choose Fresh” raises awareness about locally-produced products to help the regional food system become more resilient, especially in the face of a natural disaster.

A new branding project SWFL Fresh: Choose Local, Choose Fresh" hopes to expand public knowledge and buy-in about locally grown foods to better connect Southwest Florida producers with consumers.

Amid a spike in demand for locally-sourced foods, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is offering a free education program for budding and seasoned agricultural entrepreneurs about how to market their small-growing operations in the digital consumer era.