U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins has signed a disaster declaration for Florida, unlocking federal aid for farmers grappling with over $3.1 billion in losses from a historic winter freeze that devastated key crops like sugarcane, citrus, and strawberries.

With farmers caught shorthanded and with crops not ready for harvesting, a pair of winter storms at the beginning and end of January potentially inflicted more than $3.17 billion in losses to the state’s agricultural industry.

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson emphasized the importance of returning whole milk to Florida schools following a federal rollback of a previous skim milk mandate.

A federal judge Friday cleared the way for a California-based company to continue pursuing a challenge to a 2024 state law that bans the sale and manufacturing of “cultivated” meat in Florida.

One of Florida’s biggest citrus growers plans to build a 3,000-acre (1,200 hectare) community in southwest Florida, just months after announcing it was abandoning its citrus-growing operations

Citrus growers called on lawmakers Tuesday to continue providing research and advertising money to help an industry that has seen production drop more than 90% in less than three decades.

Damages to farmers and ranchers from Hurricane Milton may double the statewide agricultural destruction from three other storms that pummeled Florida since August 2023, according to state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

At a news conference at the Hardee County Cattleman’s Arena, Wednesday Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation to prohibit the sale of lab-grown meat in Florida.

Officials with growers associations say Florida’s citrus, fruit and vegetable crops appear to have escaped any widespread damage from some of the coldest weather in years.

Farming might not be a glamorous job for many, but simply put, we might not exist without the hardworking farm owners and laborers out there.

They’re colorful, beautiful and a traditional gift for Mother’s Day. But federal authorities say don’t be fooled because imported Mother’s Day flowers can often bring hidden dangers.

Recent algae samples collected by the St. Johns Riverkeeper contained dangerously high levels toxin levels up to 300 times the recreational safe limit.