Florida’s Voice: Wilton Simpson declares 2026 ‘The Year of the Farmer’ as state budget delivers historic ag funding

June 2, 2026

By Michelle Vecerina

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson on Tuesday detailed a sweeping series of agricultural funding victories and policy protections included in the state’s newly passed fiscal year 2026-2027 budget, declaring 2026 “The Year of the Farmer.”

The state budget delivers hundreds of millions of dollars toward land preservation, wildfire suppression, food security and livestock disease detection following a challenging year for Florida producers marked by severe freezes and ongoing wildfires.

“Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Legislature understand that supporting agriculture means supporting our food supply, our economy, our environment and our way of life,” Simpson said in a statement, praising Senate President Ben Albritton and House Speaker Daniel Perez for their coordination.

The cornerstone of the agriculture package is a record-breaking $425 million allocation for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, an initiative that purchases development rights through conservation easements to protect working ranches and farms within the Florida Wildlife Corridor. According to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, or FDACS, more than 168,000 of the program’s 234,000 historically preserved acres have been secured during Simpson’s administration.

The spending blueprint also targets several key sectors facing immediate environmental and industrial strains:

• Wildfire preparedness: The Florida Forest Service will receive $132 million for wildfire suppression and equipment modernization, an injection that comes during an unprecedented wildfire season aggravated by severe statewide drought.
  • Director of the Florida Forest Service Rick Dolan: “As the state continues to experience an unprecedented wildfire season fueled by severe drought conditions, this funding will help us replace aging equipment, strengthen mitigation efforts and enhance our wildfire response capabilities.
• Citrus industry relief: Lawmakers allocated $193.4 million to support research, rootstock availability, and infrastructure cost-share programs for the state’s signature citrus growers.
  • Executive Vice President and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual Matt Joyner: “The continued support of Governor DeSantis, the Florida legislature and Commissioner Wilton Simpson for citrus research will help advance solutions to challenges facing our growers and will strengthen the long-term future of Florida citrus.”
• Food security: The budget provides $38 million to the Farmers Feeding Florida program, which managed the recovery and distribution of more than 43 million pounds of fresh food to food-insecure residents in its inaugural year.
  • Chief Executive Officer of Feeding Florida Robin Safley: “At its core, this is about improving nutrition for families across our state. This funding helps ensure more fresh, Florida-grown food is not only available, but accessible—and that families know how to use it in ways that support their health every day. It’s a straightforward approach: connect local agriculture to local communities in a way that supports both healthier families and a stronger agricultural economy.”
• Veterinary and laboratory infrastructure: More than $42 million is designated to expand diagnostic capabilities at the Bronson Animal Disease Diagnostic Laboratory. To counter rural workforce shortages, the state is launching a loan repayment program offering up to $25,000 annually to veterinarians who commit to treating food animals and horses in Florida.
  • State Veterinarian and Director of the Division of Animal Industry Dr. Michael Short: “Commissioner Simpson’s leadership continues to strengthen Florida’s ability to protect animal agriculture and respond quickly to emerging threats.”

The legislative push coincides with an influx of federal support. Simpson highlighted a partnership with the Trump administration and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins that recently unlocked $600 million in federal disaster relief for producers hit by hurricanes in 2023 and 2024.

This year, DeSantis also signed the accompanying 2026 Florida Farm Bill, which enacts permanent statutory protections for agricultural operations. The law prohibits local municipalities from banning gasoline or diesel-powered farm and landscape equipment and requires unanimous local government approval for high-density development on lands designated as rural or conservation space.

The farm bill also permanently codifies the Farmers Feeding Florida program, bans the land application of lower-grade biosolids to protect natural water resources, and creates a formal pipeline to identify state-purchased lands that can be surplused back into private agricultural production.

Originally published in Florida’s Voice on June 2, 2026: https://flvoicenews.com/wilton-simpson-declares-2026-the-year-of-the-farmer-as-state-budget-delivers-historic-ag-funding/