A.G. Gancarski
After a series of missteps Wednesday that led Gov. Ron DeSantis to wonder if sabotage was at play, a task force set with helping to re-open the state figured out the mechanics of a conference call Thursday and laid out a sobering outlook for the agriculture industry.
Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association President Mike Joyner, a holdover speaker from Wednesday’s meeting, painted a grim picture of what coronavirus has wrought for his industry, which has suffered more than $500 million in losses in what is a very ugly season for the sector.
Joyner spotlighted the difficulty of “tipping over” produce earmarked for food service to retail, which was hurt by stay-at-home regulations limiting shipments to “drips and drabs” for weeks.
Dairy farmers have it rough, too, with an estimated $72 million in losses and tons of dumped milk.
John Hoblick of the Florida Farm Bureau Federation noted pressures on aquaculture, livestock, poultry, and other industries, with crippled “logistics” wreaking havoc. Corn, meanwhile, has piled up, unused given the crash in the oil market hurting ethanol as well.
Alan Shelby of the Florida Forestry Association said logging was “flat on its back” due to a lack of housing in timber-rich regions.
Citrus isn’t quite as bad, but is “treading water,” according to Florida Citrus Mutual’s Matt Joyner.
The Governor’s task force that was slated to mull Agriculture, Finance, Government, Healthcare, Management and Professional Services took up that tranche of topics a day after the first call fell apart.
The committee is comprised of several legislators.
Senate President-designate Wilton Simpson, an egg farmer by trade, helms the panel that includes Sen. Rob Bradley and Rep. Travis Cummings, and Rep. Anika Omphroy, a Democrat not aligned with Nikki Fried, the Agriculture Commissioner who has bemoaned her omission from the group.
DeSantis, who lacks grounding in agriculture, is leaning on Simpson to produce a coherent, if politicized, product, something solid enough to justify the latest snubbing of Fried.
Fried, however, has spotlighted much of the same information on the state of agriculture over the weeks since coronavirus hit the state.
A report produced by the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, which Fried oversees, expounds on the dire straits many farms are in — green beans alone account for a tenth of the estimated $522 million in losses; the selling price for zucchini and squash has plummeted from $28 a box to $3 a box; and cucumber farmers are expecting to plow under 100% of their 2020 harvest, a $38 million hit.
Restaurants were among the earliest casualties of the global pandemic’s economic devastation. With dining rooms closed statewide, many of farmers’ most consistent buyers have either stopped ordering or scaled back commensurate with takeout and delivery volume.
FDACS has tried to soften the blow by launching the “Keep Florida Growing” platform to connect Florida farmers with buyers.
Private industry has stepped up, too. Most recently, Publix announced it would start purchasing Florida-grown produce and sending it directly to Feeding America food banks across the southeast.
3 comments
Dennis Rees
April 23, 2020 at 11:37 am
Nothing justifies the snubbing of Commissioner Fried. She was duly elected by the voters of Florida. The Governor has no business ignoring the will of the people. It’s time for him to grow up!
Frankie M.
April 23, 2020 at 12:02 pm
It’s a good thing Ronnie left Nikki off the committee then. It’s not like she was elected by the people of Floriduh to represent that department or anything. Then again Ronnie’s had lots of practice defying the will of the voters. Medical marijuana…cough…amendment 4…cough.
FloridaSun
April 23, 2020 at 1:07 pm
DeSantis quip that Wednesday’s video conference was meant as a “joke.” I guess the writer of this article has no sense of humor.
As to Nikki Fried being an uninvited guest, to an Agriculture committee is something that many Democrats are very unhappy about it. Judging from the condition of agriculture described by those at the meeting, it is a good thing that she is not there. As the Florida Commissioner of Agriculture is to assist that industry and help them out so we don’t have the problems described by the members.
Her only comments at that meeting, would have consisted of “it’s not my fault, it’s DeSantis’ and Trump’s fault.”
That kind of political rhetoric does not solve anything, and only divides us more.
Nikki Fried has no answers, except to blame everyone else for the problems in the industry that she was elected to oversee and assist.
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