Florida Farmer of the Year andFarmers Call for End to Shutdown and Labor Fix
From the Ag Information Network, I’m Bob Larson and this is your Agribusiness Update.
**Florida Farm Bureau has announced the top three finalists for its 2026 Florida Farmer of the Year award recognizing excellence in agriculture, leadership, innovation and stewardship.
www.morningagclips.com reports the finalists are Lucy Abell of Desoto County, Dr. Hal Phillips of Levy County and Woody Larson of Okeechobee County.
The 2026 Florida Farmer of the Year will be announced October 29 at the Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s Annual Meeting in Daytona Beach.
www.morningagclips.com/2026-florida-farmer-of-the-year-finalists-announced/
**As Congress works to end the government shutdown, farmers are calling for that same sense of urgency in fixing the broken system governing ag labor and wage rates.
The recent DOL fix to the Adverse Effect Wage Rate marks the first meaningful step toward stabilizing labor costs.
The new rule replaces decades-old calculations with state-level Bureau of Labor Statistics and recognizes both skill levels and the cost of employer-provided housing.
**The U.S. has had a healthy agricultural trade surplus for years, but as global dynamics change, U.S. ag imports now exceed exports.
University of Illinois and Texas Tech University researchers say from 2017 to 2018, the dispute between the U.S. and China resulted in export values dropping 73% for soybeans, 6% for wheat, 61% for corn, and 37% for sorghum.
The total value of lost ag exports was nearly $14 billion.
