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Ag commissioner says farming must be protected

Jackson County Floridian – April 1, 2011

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam had a full house of enthusiastic listeners as guest speaker at the Dining in Denim banquet Thursday night in Marianna.

Putnam’s family grows citrus and raises cattle, and he spoke of those and other agricultural pursuits as collectively making up the second-largest industry in the state, to the tune of $100 billion a year.

That, he said, makes agriculture a main spoke in the hub of Florida’s economy, both now and in the future.

He said agriculture must be protected and strengthened in order to help the nation reassert itself and protect itself from dependency on foreign food suppliers. Putnam criticized the Environmental Protection Agency’s plan to enforce, through the Department of Environmental Protection, new numeric nutrient levels for water sources that could negatively impact agricultural operations.

Saying the water regulations for central and north Florida are not based on good science, Putnam said they could be needlessly harmful to producers.

He said that water, in general, is and will continue to be one of the most important policy issues in the state, and that it must be managed in a way that leaves the state with a prosperous, vibrant agricultural community.

Putnam also said Florida must tap into its resources to help the nation reduce dependence on other countries for its energy supply. He spoke of the Jackson County-based Green Circle BioEnergy as a prime example of clean, 21st century technology in the energy industry which needs to be encouraged here and in other small, rural areas of the state, as ways to create high-paying jobs and a strong rural economy.

Farmers are not “cute, quaint, charming” throwbacks to another time; they are vital members of the economic community that keeps Florida rooted in the land, and he said that should be the goal of the nation at large. Putnam said staying close to the land, and being protective of property rights and the entrepreneurial spirit is key to ensuring that “it will be morning in America again.” He also pointed out that Florida’s agriculturists are in one of only three states with the climate and space to grow most of its own food, and send 20 percent to other countries. Farmers should be recognized for their importance to the economy, the quality of life, and the health and well-being of Americans everywhere, he said

Putnam said he, as the head of the agriculture department, supports ridding that agency of some responsibilities it now has and shouldn’t be handling. As an example, he said the agency has been responsible for regulating ballroom dancing, adding that’s one job that no one should be doing. He said there are other functions that have been moved, to his relief, to other agencies. Some processes have been streamlined and brought under the responsibility of one agency, rather than being spread over several. As an example, he pointed to how responsibilities have been split inefficiently among various departments in dealing with the offense of price-gouging.

He urged his fellow Republicans to continue supporting the efforts of legislators they elected in 2010 on promises of conservative spending. He said he knows the process will involve pain and sacrifice, but said those who supported the changes must now stand steady as the state goes through those difficult changes.

He said Florida must fight to weed out unnecessary, job-killing regulations and recognize that agriculture is one of the state’s best assets.

The dinner, held at the agriculture center on Penn Avenue, was put on by the Jackson County Republican Executive Committee.

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