Florida Senate - 2016                            (NP)    SR 1732
       
       
        
       By Senator Montford
       
       3-02132-16                                            20161732__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing and celebrating February 3,
    3         2016, as “Florida Agriculture Day.”
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, National Agriculture Day was established in 1973
    6  to increase public awareness of the vital role of agriculture in
    7  the United States, and
    8         WHEREAS, the world population is expected to reach 9.6
    9  billion by 2040, and Florida farmers and ranchers play an
   10  increasingly important role in meeting global demands for
   11  healthy, wholesome, safe, and nutritious food, and
   12         WHEREAS, the agriculture industry is part of the very
   13  fabric of this state, fostering ingenuity and preserving
   14  Florida’s rural character and values, and
   15         WHEREAS, Florida’s 47,500 farms produce nearly 300
   16  different commodities on more than 9 million acres of land,
   17  employing 2 million Floridians and contributing more than $100
   18  billion to Florida’s economy each year, and
   19         WHEREAS, Florida is one of the national leaders in
   20  agriculture, ranking first in the nation in production of
   21  oranges, grapefruit, sweet corn, snap beans, cucumbers, squash,
   22  sugarcane, and watermelons, and
   23         WHEREAS, Florida farmers and ranchers are responsible
   24  stewards of the land, maintaining 9.25 million acres of
   25  greenspace and conserving more than 11 billion gallons of fresh
   26  water each year, NOW, THEREFORE,
   27  
   28  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   29  
   30         That February 3, 2016, is recognized as “Florida
   31  Agriculture Day” as part of the larger celebration of “National
   32  Agriculture Day,” observed on March 15, 2016, in which we honor
   33  Florida farmers and ranchers, who produce the safest and most
   34  abundant food supply in the world, as well as the researchers,
   35  entrepreneurs, businesses, and innovators who support farm
   36  families and help drive the agriculture economy in this state.