Dade County Farm Bureau

Dade County Farm Bureau worked on the local level to oppose guidance that would place unnecessary costly and burdens on farmers. Miami-Dade County DERM enacted a guidance that essentially presumes that all current or former agricultural lands are contaminated because they may have had agricultural chemicals applied to them. This requirement goes far beyond the current requirements and customary assessments in other parts of the state. The passage of Florida's HB 909 helped remidiate the guidance and clarify that the Secretary of Environmental Protection has exclusive jurisdiction in setting standards for evaluating environmental conditions and assessing potential liability for the presence of contaminants on land that is classified as agricultural, and is being converted to a nonagricultural use.

Dade County Farm Burea participated in Food Check Out Week at the local Cybrarium by reading to children about healthy eating, where their food comes from and distributed tomatoes from a local farmer. We donated 130 turkeys from Farm Share to families for Thanksgiving during Farm City Week. During this time we were able to show our local communities the importance of agriculture in Dade County.

Farm Bureau Days in Tallahasee is a time for our county members to meet with legislators and communicate about the important role agriculture plays in our commmunities. We share our stories and remind them why the health of our food, water and land is important and how they policies impact our industry and the rest of society.