Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced Jeffrey Dewey Gargiulo, Lynetta and Ken Griner, and Ron St. John as 2027 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Inductees. Since 1980, the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame has honored men and women who have made lasting contributions to agriculture in this state and to the mentoring of our youth, who represent the future of agriculture in Florida. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on February 9, 2027.

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson and the Florida Forest Service announced today that applications are being accepted for the 2026 Southern Pine Beetle Assistance and Prevention Program for non-industrial, private forest landowners through October 9. The program includes 44 northern Florida counties – the known range of the southern pine beetle.

Following the detection of New World Screwworm (NWS) in the Mexican state of Sonora, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced today that 4 California counties and 5 Arizona counties are being added to Florida’s list of NWS high-risk areas. Emergency Rule 5CER26-7, previously issued by Commissioner Simpson to help prevent the reintroduction of the destructive pest into the state, imposes heightened restrictions on the importation of warm-blooded animals into Florida from NWS-infested zones and high-risk areas.

Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced the permanent protection of over 1,500 acres of working Florida agricultural land across four Florida farms through the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Rural and Family Lands Protection Program. Rural lands protection easements prevent future development and allow agricultural operations to continue contributing to Florida’s economy and the production of food, timber, and other resources vital to Florida's prosperity.

Today, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson announced an extension for Florida’s agricultural producers to apply for more than $600 million in disaster assistance for impacts from the 2023 and 2024 hurricane seasons. Florida producers now have until January 1, 2027, to apply for the Florida Block Grant Disaster Relief Program. Eligible agricultural producers can apply for grant funding to address infrastructure damage, market loss, citrus loss, and timber damage caused by recent hurricanes.