agriculture

While not perfectly pristine, many Florida farmlands provide valuable ecosystem services, like wildlife habitat and flood protection.

Agriculture is a major industry in Florida and Hurricane Ian destroyed farms, killed livestock and toppled citrus trees. Farmers have faced challenges before and vow to come out stronger.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried has re-launched the state’s Farmworker Advisory Council.

Federal agriculture officials have announced a slight increase in Florida citrus projections.

The shutdown of businesses and disruption to the supply chain has meant farmers can’t sell a lot of what they produce. So what does that mean for farmworkers? Antonio Tovar, general coordinator for the Farm Worker Association of Florida joins Intersection to talk about the impact of the pandemic on the people who harvest the food we eat- many of whom are now out of work and unable to pay rent.

The Department of Agriculture is proposing stricter requirements for people receiving food stamps.

"One helps sick and dying Floridians and is overregulated. And the other one, is used to terrorize our schools and our communities and is barely regulated at all."

The Florida Department of Emergency Management has received more than 340 million dollars to aid in citrus recovery efforts after Hurricane Irma. Farmers will be able to apply for grants that support tree planting and irrigation rebuilding.

The Florida Chamber of Commerce has endorsed Adam Putnam for governor.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam is calling for help for the state's farmers who have been left out of federal disaster relief money for Hurricane Irma.