Kat Cammack brings Florida’s needs into long-awaited farm bill markup

As a farm bill heads into a Committee markup, U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack says she wants certainty for Florida farmers.

“Florida agriculture cannot afford to be an afterthought in a bill that determines the future of America’s food supply,” the Gainesville Republican said.

Congress traditionally passes a complete farm bill every five years, but last passed a comprehensive package in 2018. Cammack warned in 2023 that Florida had “the most to lose” in the ongoing fight over the legislation then. That’s partly because Florida had little representation on the House Agriculture Committee even as agriculture remains such a large industry in the state.

Cammack is now the only Florida lawmaker on the House Committee crafting the Farm, Food, and National Security Act (HR 7567). Neither of Florida’s U.S. Senators serves on the Senate Agriculture Committee either.

While a comprehensive bill is three years overdue, Congress has passed extensions of the 2018 bill and addressed piecemeal elements. Cammack said Americans deserve the process to get back on track.

“I’ve met directly with our farmers and brought their priorities back to Washington as we prepare to protect Florida’s interests,” Cammack said. “We’ve secured important wins, but the legislative process is where those wins are tested. Eight years is long enough. Our producers need certainty, flexibility and fairness. Food security is national security.”

She heads into a 5 p.m. meeting Tuesday with a list of provisions she wants in the legislative package before it heads to the floor.

That includes modernization of a tree assistance program to reflect real-world specialty crop losses, the creation of a Specialty Crop Emergency Assistance Framework, and increased specialty crop block grants and innovation funding.

Florida is the nation’s top producer of Valencia oranges, sugarcane, watermelons and sweet corn, and is second behind only California in strawberries and tomatoes.

Cammack also wants the bill to include greater flexibility in payments for producers who make more than 75% of income from agriculture.

After several years of impact from hurricanes, freezes and fruit infections, Cammack wants disaster relief improvements following extreme weather impacts and long-term federal funding to fight citrus greening.

She also wants stability in sugar loan servicing, even during long lapses in appropriations.

Cammack said American agriculture producers also need greater export authorities, as well as investments in rural infrastructure, including broadband.