Florida Farmer of the Year Finalists and Chinese Soybean Purchases Surge
From the Western Ag Network, I’m Bob Larson with your Agribusiness Update.
**Florida Farm Bureau has named the finalists for its 2027 Florida Farmer of the Year award.
They are Wade Ellenburg of Holmes County, Danny Johns of St. Johns County and Dr. Hal Phillips of Levy County.
The award recognizes agriculturalists who demonstrate excellence in stewardship of the land and leadership within their communities.
The winner will be announced Oct. 30 during Florida Farm Bureau Federation’s 85th Annual Meeting in Daytona Beach.
**The National Farmers Union is opposing the proposed merger of Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern railroads.
NFU President Rob Larew says decades of railroad mergers have left farmers with fewer options, higher rates, and less reliable service.
He called on the Surface Transportation Board to prioritize rail competition as it reviews the proposed merger.
STB says the transaction would combine the rail systems into a single network covering about 50,000 miles across 43 states.
**Chinese purchases helped drive a sharp increase in U.S. soybean export sales during the latest reporting week, providing support for producers as the fall harvest moves forward.
The USDA reported net soybean sales of 1.03 million metric tons for the week ending Sept. 24, up 78% from the previous week.
China was the largest buyer at 589,400 metric tons, accounting for more than half of weekly sales.
