1990s: Adjusting to Change

The 1990s: Adjusting to change

Hurricane Andrew was the defining natural phenomenon of the 1990s. Andrew stormed ashore in Dade County on the morning of Monday, Aug. 24, 1992 changing the landscape of much of South Florida. By Tuesday, Florida Farm Bureau Insurance Companies had established a toll-free telephone number and assigned employees to handle claims. By Wednesday night, the claims hotline had logged nearly 1,200 calls.

More than 70 adjusters were sent to handle claims. Florida adjusters were assisted by adjusters from Illinois, Kentucky, Virginia, New York, South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia, Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi. By Thursday, Farm Bureau had adjusters in the county Farm Bureau office in Homestead; the next day, they set up a special claims office in Davie.

A group of Farm Bureau members manned a convoy of 15 vehicles loaded with food and clothing, and the Federation set up a relief fund to assist the Dade County agricultural community.

Farm Bureau insurance companies paid out more than $100 million in settlements, most of that covered by catastrophe re-insurance.

Less than a month after Andrew brought normal life to a standstill in South Florida, the agricultural community was beginning to rebuild. The winter vegetable crop had not been planted on the fields west of Interstate 75 when Hurricane Andrew slammed into the area, but packing houses, other buildings and farm equipment had sustained damage estimated at $380 million. Nevetheless, the agriculture industry geared up for planting and began preparing to house 35,000 migrant and seasonal workers and family members. The fast recovery of the South Florida winter vegetable industry contributed to the economic recovery of the entire area.

NAFTA

The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) was ratified in 1993.
It eliminated tariffs between the United States and Mexico over a 15-year period. American Farm Bureau energetically supported NAFTA, while labor and environmental interests opposed it. Concerned over NAFTA’s potential negative impact on Florida farmers, especially citrus, tomato and winter vegetable producers, Florida Farm Bureau formally dissented from AFB’s policy calling for ratification.
“Our people were very much opposed to NAFTA,” said Carl B. Loop, Jr., who was president of the Florida Farm Bureau and served on the American Farm Bureau board at the time. “What we were afraid would happen, actually happened. EW went from 300 [tomato] growers down to about 100 growers.”
(Mr. Loop’s quote is from Forward Farm Bureau by Stewart R. Truelson)

Canker Plagues Florida’s Citrus Industry

In 1994, citrus canker, which had been detected in Florida groves in 1984, was declared eradicated. Florida Farm Bureau was the first agricultural organization to seek indemnification by the state and federal governments of growers who had trees destroyed in the eradication efforts. Those efforts eventually resulted in growers’ receiving some reimbursement for their losses.
Citrus Canker was again detected in 1995 in Miami-Dade in a residential area near Miami International Airport. It would subsequently be detected in 24 Florida counties. and eradication efforts by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry would continue until January 2006, when USDA withdrew funds for eradication. All tree removal ceased and the program shifted to a management program.

Program emphasis changes: "Commodities" becomes "Agriculture Policy Division"

In the early 1990s, the FFBF Commodities Division found itself increasingly involved in environmental issues, monitoring changes in pesticide regulations, water issues, and technological changes. Formerly, its role had emphasized helping farmers and rancher produce more efficiently. Management recognized the changing role of the division, and in the early 1990s, the name was changed to the Agriculture Policy Division. Division staff members are still assigned specific commodity areas and facilitate the work of the advisory committees and the policy development process. The Division also works closely with other divisions within FFBF, American Farm Bureau, and state and national agencies to see that FFBF policies are enacted. Currently, implementation of the Food Quality Protection Act is considered to be the number one policy priority.

Field Services

The system of fieldmen developed in the 1940s and '50s continued to serve the organization well. Though still involved in organizational matters and training, FFBF's eight field representatives now devoted a great deal of their energies toward issues management, including land use, water, and private property rights. Field Services is still the liaison between county Farm Bureau units and the stage organization.

Public Relations

In the mid-90s, recognizing its changing role within the organization, the Communications Division became the Public Relations Division. FloridAgriculture, a descendant of the member publications first published in the 1940s, continued Farm Bureau's tradition of frequent communication with members. The division communicated with members and the general public through traditional and evolving media, including news releases and the Voice of Florida Agriculture web site.

Membership growth

As the decade of the 90s drew to a close, Florida Farm Bureau had registered an increase in membership. In 1999, for the 14th consecutive year membership increased, reaching an all-time high of 136,317 member families. When individual family members were counted, our membership exceeded half a million. The organization had begun offering new services to those members, including long distance telephone service through Farm Bureau Connection. In 1999, Florida Farm Bureau invited members to become charter members of Farm Bureau Bank.

Storm of the Century Spawns FAWN

In 1997, a late season cold snap dubbed the Storm of the Century caused widespread crop damage in South Florida. Because the National Weather Service had recently phased out its agricultural forecasting service, producers had received scant warning. To keep producers from being blindsided by future weather events, Florida Farm Bureau, Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and other agricultural groups supported development of the Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN) by UF/IFAS. FAWN, a network of automated weather stations located strategically around the state that updates data every 15 minutes. (http://fawn.ifas.ufl.edu/ )

Annual Meeting Thwarted

A threat from Hurricane Irene forced Florida Farm Bureau to cancel the 1999 annual meeting, which had been scheduled for October in Tampa. Irene struck Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, producing somewhat heavy damage in across the southern portion of the state and moving across the state then northward over the Gulf Stream but steering away from the Tampa Bay area. The 1999 annual meeting was held Dec. 2-3, in an abbreviated format, in Gainesville.

Conclusion

Past President Carl B. Loop Jr., who served from 1983 until 2006, frequently observed that Farm Bureau is unique among farm organizations because of its longevity. Most of the general-interest agricultural organizations formed this century, he points out, were organized to solve a single problem or address a limited concern.

Consequently, as the times have changed, many of those organizations have folded or faded. Farm Bureau, on the other hand, was created to address the broad spectrum of agricultural concerns. The years have proven the soundness of its basic structure and its ability to change with the times.