Ag Commissioner In Lake With Positive Message For Farmers

    Lake County Farm Bureau gathered for its annual fall meeting on Monday night, with nearly 400 supporters of Lake County agriculture gathering at the Lake County Fairgrounds to celebrate agriculture’s place in the county.
   Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson was the featured speaker at the event. Simpson, serving his first year in the post after a decade in the Florida Senate, spoke about the importance of agriculture in the state and the government’s ongoing efforts to make farming easier and more profitable for growers.
   “Our job is to remove obstacles for farmers,” Simpson said, while outlining a range of programs designed to preserve agriculture as Florida’s residential population continues to grow.
   Simpson highlighted an expanding program that sees the state buy development rights on large tracts of land, preserving it for future farming use and protecting it from development. The state has plans to spend an estimated $200 million this year alone in that program.
   "It is critical to keep ag in family hands," Simpson said, sharing data that shows agriculture is the state's second-largest economic activity, trailing only tourism.
   “During COVID, it was number one.”
   Describing farming’s importance in everyday life drew applause from the large crowd.
   “Without farming, you don’t have anything,” he said, noting that while a person may only need some services once or twice a year, or in a lifetime, they need a farmer three times a day.
   “As Americans, we’ve taken it for granted for too long.”
   Food security is a focus for Simpson, noting the need to preserve Florida, and the country's food supply. He spotlighted a new state law that prevents certain foreign ownership of farmland near military bases as an example of the importance of vigilance when protecting the food chain.
   “We’re not going to allow our foreign enemies to buy that land.”
   In closing, Simpson encouraged the gathered farmers to stay the course knowing that the State of Florida is committed to helping them be successful. Together, the state’s food supply will remain strong into the future.
   “Farming is in good hands.”