Florida agriculture industry leaders react to the passing of the disaster package.
The Florida agriculture industry was hard hit by Hurricane Irma in the early days of September, 2017. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) put the estimated cost of damages to the Florida ag industry at over 2.5 billion dollars. Thankfully, Florida growers and producers will see federal aid in the form of financial assistance to help with that loss since the spending bill was passed in February of 2018. Florida agriculture industry leaders have shared their thanks and praise concerning the aid. See their comments, and details of the bill, below.
Details of Aid for Florida Agriculture
The U.S. House and Senate approved a Florida agriculture disaster package on Friday, February 9th. It provided $3.6 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture to dole out, with $2.36 billion going directly to Florida producers who’ve suffered hurricane-related crop losses in 2017. The state’s beleaguered citrus industry is said to be getting $760 million of the aid.
Reactions to the Federal Aid
U.S. Bill Nelson, D-Orlando: “This is a big win for all those who are still struggling to recover from last summer’s devastating storms. For some, the funding in this bill is a light at the end of the tunnel and a major step forward in helping them return to the way life used to be before these storms.”
Michael W. Sparks, FCM executive vice president/chief operating officer: ““We cannot thank the Florida delegation enough for its bipartisan support of this measure to get citrus growers back on their feet after a catastrophic blow from Hurricane Irma. Growers and the communities and families that rely on citrus are thankful to say the least. Livelihoods and a way of life are going to be saved because of this funding…”
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam: “The passage of this spending bill is a critical first step to finally getting Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers long-awaited and desperately needed relief. Without this emergency assistance, Florida agriculture cannot fully recover from the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricane Irma…”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
