Rooney Commends Confirmation of USDA Secretary Sonny Perdue

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Congressman Tom Rooney (FL-17), the only Florida member of the House Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee, released the following statement upon the Senate’s confirmation of Sonny Perdue as the 31st Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA):

Florida’s agriculture industry is a key economic driver in the state with around 47,300 commercial farms and ranches that span a total of 9.45 million acres across our state’s heartland. Florida’s farmers and ranchers contribute almost $9 billion, but have a far greater economic impact with the amount of jobs the industry supports. Florida ranks second in the nation for vegetable production, and is responsible for most of the nation’s total citrus production. The Sunshine State is also a major player in livestock production, ranking 10th in the nation for beef cows and 18th in total cattle. Florida agriculture is more than just an industry, it’s also a way of life and engrained in the very culture of the state.

“With citrus, beef, dairy, sugar, and fruit and vegetable farmers, South Florida's agriculture community is richly diverse and a primary economic driver in the region. I am proud to represent one of the largest agriculture districts east of the Mississippi River and I am excited to get to work with Secretary Perdue about issues most important to Florida’s Agriculture industry. We have a lot to work on from funding citrus greening research initiatives to enhancing a Foot-and-Mouth Disease Vaccine Bank. I have every confidence that Secretary Perdue will be the best advocate in this administration for the farmers and ranchers I represent in Florida’s Heartland as Congress continues to move forward through the 2018 budget process and importantly with the reauthorization of the Farm Bill.”