florida

I was recently able to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony with community partners and Florida state and city officials at the Jackson Memorial Foundation Green Market in honor of the farmers market now accepting the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) EBT cards and the Womens, Infants and Children (WIC) Fruit and Vegetable Vouchers, in Miami, Fla.  The Jackson Green Market is currently the only farmers market in Florida authorized to accept the Fresh Fruit and Vegetable WIC vouchers.  Shoppers were also able to use their SNAP EBT cards to purchase fresh produce at the discount of $5 off their total purchase compliments of a grant from the Health Foundation of South Florida.

This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from the USDA's rich science and research portfolio.

Exotic animals are a growing problem in Florida. From Burmese pythons to Nile monitors, these animals are invading Florida and destroying the ecosystem. A fast, accurate way to identify the many exotic animals is needed by professionals and volunteers in the field. With over 6.4 million iPhones active in the United States alone, what better solution than an iPhone app?

Back in 1947, nearly one-third of the labor force worked on farms. In those days if you didn’t have a relative who worked on a farm, you knew someone who did. As time and technology progressed and jobs moved from farms to factories, generations began to lose their connection to agriculture and the land as the source of their food. Currently, there is too much distance between consumers and those who produce their food.

But, there is also hope for those of us working to rebuild this critical connection. Last Friday I presented a $175,000 Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG) to provide critical access to credit to a group of small family farmers who are building a bridge to consumers and stimulating the local economy through local foods. This project is a great example of how USDA Rural Development programs can advance the Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food initiative.

By Richard A. Machek, Florida State Director, USDA Rural Development

I recently returned from a groundbreaking ceremony that was 10 years in the making. Like many of Florida’s rural cities and towns, the City of Marianna has faced years of reduced revenues and a shrinking business district. Looking for ways to revitalize their downtown, Marianna city leaders developed a plan early on, but lacked the funds to make it happen. Finally, after securing $180,000 in state and county funds and a $253,000 USDA Rural Development Rural Business Enterprise Grant (RBEG), Marianna broke ground on a farmers market that will anchor the city’s new downtown park and recreation area.

By Lisa Pino, Deputy Administrator of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program

Today, driving out to visit the Castillo farm in Plant City, Florida, Secretary Tom Vilsack and his staff took a moment to stop at a roadside stand selling a wide variety of local produce.