A.G. Gancarski
A new “farm bill” championed by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson takes aim at trippy fungi, plant-based milk and fake meat fashioned from plant products.
The 2025 Florida Farm Bill, which is being carried by Sen. Keith Truenow and Rep. Kaylee Tuck, includes measures intended as ways to “increase consumer protection and transparency.”
One of those planks would put the kibosh on certain elevated experiences, by “closing the loophole allowing the sale of psychedelic mushrooms.”
Some mushrooms apparently are commercially available. Jacksonville’s Folio Weekly noted that while psilocybin is federally banned as of 1970, the Siberian-sourced amanita muscaria has been available in recent years.
The farm bill would also ban “the mislabeling of plant-based products as ‘milk’ or ‘meat.’ This presumably would cause those who manufacture vegetable and mushroom based burgers to change their parlance, as well as those who market coconut, almond, soy and other plant-based milks.
Gov. Ron DeSantis, no particular ally of Simpson especially given the ongoing debate about whether the Governor’s Office or the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will helm the illegal immigration fight in the state, stood opposed to the “lab grown … fake meat” movement last year, signing a ban on cultivated proteins the agriculture department sought.
Simpson told a House committee Tuesday the “fake meat” ban protected farmers.
The farm bill covers a lot of other ground also, including providing local control over farm-based solar farms, banning banks from discriminating against farmers and ranchers based on environmental policy, updating the concealed weapon permit process, making stealing checks from mailboxes a felony offense, and requiring schools to provide 4H and Future Farmers of America facilities.
The Commissioner contextualized the bill.
“This legislation is a strong step forward to defend Florida’s agricultural industry and the hardworking farmers, ranchers, and growers who fuel our economy. By standing up to overreach and ensuring our agricultural community thrives, we are preserving our state’s heritage and safeguarding its future. Florida’s agriculture industry deserves the best, and through Senator Truenow and Representative Tuck’s efforts we are delivering on that promise,” Simpson said.
Lawmakers offered their own takes.
Truenow said the bill was “about standing up for common-sense policies that protect our agricultural lands, support local businesses, and ensure Florida remains a leader in agriculture.”
And Tuck said “safeguarding our farmers and ranchers from discriminatory lending practices and bolstering consumer protections” is “ensuring a brighter, more secure future for Florida agriculture.”
