Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed SB 1084, the first bill to become law that prevents the sale of lab-grown meat sales in a state.

“Florida is taking action to stop the World Economic Forum’s goal of forcing the world to eat lab-grown meat and insects, ‘an overlooked source of protein,’” DeSantis said after signing the bill. “While the World Economic Forum is telling the world to forgo meat consumption, Florida is increasing meat production, and encouraging residents to continue to consume and enjoy 100 percent real Florida beef.”

Florida’s commissioner of agriculture, Wilton Simpson, joined DeSantis in voicing his support for banning lab-grown meat. 

“We must protect our incredible farmers and the integrity of American agriculture. Lab-grown meat is a disgraceful attempt to undermine our proud traditions and prosperity, and is in direct opposition to authentic agriculture,” said Simpson.

DeSantis says that the state has been taking action to support agriculture and the meat industry by: 

• Modernizing Florida’s Right to Farm Act to protect reasonable agricultural activities from frivolous lawsuits.
• Signing legislation to ensure that agri-tourism operators qualify for protection against property tax assessments when operating on agricultural lands.
• Simplifying the steps for Florida Farmers to receive sales tax exemptions for agricultural materials.
• Reestablishing funding for the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program in 2022 at $300 million.
• Protecting through that program over 36,000 acres of farmland.
• Investing more than $2.8 billion into Florida’s agricultural industry in The Framework for Freedom Budget.

Lab-grown meat has caused increasing debates after it was approved to be sold in Singapore, and the U.S. Italy became the first country to ban cultivated meat products in February. 

Similar legislative efforts remain in Alabama, Arizona, and Tennessee, which are also seeking to stop the sale of lab-grown meats. 

Not everyone is happy about the ban

Upside Foods, a cultivated meat startup that received the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s green light to sell in the U.S. last year said that the ban won’t be helpful to Florida in addressing increased protein demands. 

“This type of discriminatory legislation jeopardizes the United States’ leadership in biotechnology and enables countries like China to gain an unfair advantage,” Upside Foods said in an email to NBC News.

Lori Berman, a Florida Democratic senator who voted against the bill, called it “shortsighted,” saying that cultivated meat could help with food shortage problems. 

“The cattle industry lobbied against cultivated meat, so we are now banning an entire industry in our state,” Berman said. “We’re just short-changing an entire industry.”

Five-time Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year Luke Bryan will headline his 15th Farm Tour this September, setting up stages in the fields of local farms September 21 to 28.

Four of the six concerts were announced today, including two stops at brand-new farms included in the schedule this year. Special guests include Conner Smith, Tucker Wetmore, the Peach Pickers (songwriters Rhett Akins, Dallas Davidson, and Ben Hayslip), and DJ Rock. The additional two concerts will be released soon.

Tickets for the Farm Tour — which so far include Ohio, Kentucky, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania — will go on sale at 10 a.m. May 9 at LukeBryan.com.

Presale tickets for Luke’s Fan Club (the Nut House) and fan App are available beginning May 6 at 10 A.M. 

Because Citi is the official card of the Farm Tour, Citi cardmembers will have access to presale tickets beginning at 10 a.m. May 6 through the Citi Entertainment program.

The four stops on the tour that have been released are:

• Sept. 21 Marshville, North Carolina, Huggins Store*
• Sept. 26 Shelbyville, Kentucky, Mulberry Orchard
• Sept. 27 Millersport, Ohio, Miller Family Farm
• Sept. 28 Smithton, Pennsylvania, Cunningham Family Farm*
  *Never-been-played before

The Farm Tour will support Feeding America, scholarships, and FFA

Thousands of fans have attended the tour each year since its inception in 2009. Luke continues to give back to the farmers by awarding college scholarships to students from farming families attending the local college or university near the tour stops. To date, 83 college scholarships have been granted.

Continuing a partnership that began in 2015, Bayer will remain presenting sponsor this year and will team up with Luke for its annual Here’s to the Farmer initiative benefitting Feeding America.

The campaign celebrates America’s hard-working farmers for helping provide people in the U.S. and around the world access to critical nutrition. To support the initiative, fans should share #HeresToTheFarmer on their social media channels now through October 31, 2024. Through this program, more than eight million meals have been provided to people experiencing hunger through the Feeding America network of food banks.*

Over the past two years, Luke joined Fendt, a Farm Tour sponsor, to create Luke Bryan’s Boldy Grown Popcorn and Luke Bryan’s Boldy Grown Peanuts. Each year when the limited-edition snacks sold out, Fendt donated to the National FFA Organization, the premier youth organization that prepares members for leadership and careers in the science, business, and technology of agriculture. Fendt donated $75,000 throughout the partnership. 

A Johnston, Rhode Island beef slaughterhouse will pay $20,000 in fines and be placed on three years of federal probation for fraudulently selling labeled beef in 2019.

U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha made the announcement this week after one of Rhode Island Beef and Veal’s owners, Michael A. Quattrucci, pleaded guilty to charges of defrauding customers. 

“The Court should impose a sentence that deters similar misconduct but does not threaten the existence of a struggling company with no prior criminal history,” argued Gary Pelletier, Beef and Veal’s attorney, in an April 29 sentencing memorandum.

Rhode Island Beef and Veal was accused of claiming that beef sold was inspected under the Federal Meat Inspection Act, and preparing that beef without complying with inspection requirements. 

“In entering into the agreement with Rhode Island Beef and Veal, the United States Department of Agriculture recognized the value of the company as one of the only — if not the only — beef processing plants in Southern New England and sought to fashion a solution that will allow the company to survive and make a profit,” Pelletier wrote and added that the company has operated at a loss since 2019. 

During a visit by U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors in August 2019, USDA officials noted the presence of rodents in the butchering plant and issued a suspension. 

“While the company certainly acknowledges the wrongfulness of its conduct, this is not a situation where the business’s misdeeds harmed anyone,” Pelletier wrote. “Nothing suggests that the company placed unsavory beef into commerce; rather, the company did not abide by the rules when it undertook actions to satisfy the needs of a longstanding customer in Connecticut.”

The falsely labeled shipment was found during a USDA inspection a week later. Then, a supervisor found employees applying USDA stamps without an inspector present. 

“The supervisor retained 10 beef carcasses and 20 pounds of falsely marked ground beef,” Pelletier recounted. “The company’s management destroyed the beef confiscated by the supervisor.”

Despite the suspension, Rhode Island Beef and Veal continued to fulfill an emergency beef order from Soeltl Farms in Salem, Connecticut. The facility slapped USDA inspection stamps onto the beef that been approved, but not stamped by the USDA.

Quattrucci was sentenced on July 27, 2023, to one year of federal probation and ordered to pay a fine of $1,000.

Maryland’s Ag Tag — that specialty farm-themed license plate featuring a beautifully hued sky and a sprawling agricultural operation — has benefitted the Maryland Agricultural Education Foundation since the plate’s inception in 2001.

The creation of the specialty plate was led by then-MAEF Executive Director Steve Connelly, along with the organization’s board of directors and a group of Maryland legislators. The original design, which is meant to represent all farms across Maryland, is still the one used today.

“Given the diverse agricultural operations in our state, from the eastern shore to western Maryland in the mountains, southern Maryland in the plains, and central Maryland with more populated and urban areas, the plate’s design depicts [what can be interpreted as either] a sunrise or sunset. The owner of the tag gets to decide, as it symbolizes the beauty that surrounds a farm at all times of the day,” said Ben Brown, MAEF’s communication director, demonstrating how people view the orange and yellow sky on the plate.

Roughly a third of Maryland land is dedicated to the agricultural industry, with most of that in cropland. Grain products — including corn, wheat, barley, and hay — represent the largest commodity grown by acreage in the state. Additionally, the chicken broiler industry provides $1.2 billion in total agricultural production.

Yet so much of this is done on a relatively small scale, especially compared with states farther west: The state has nearly 12,500 farms, with most of them being between one and 99 acres in size.

The tags cost an extra $20 annually per customer, and with over 400,000 Ag Tags distributed since 2001, the program has raised more than $12 million for MAEF.

The primary goal of MAEF is to increase agricultural literacy and education for students and adults in Maryland through programs such as Mobile Science Labs, professional development programs, ag literacy book programs, and garden grants. However, MAEF also oversees Maryland FFA — so proceeds from Ag Tag sales help support FFA and agricultural education for all students.

Brown noted that in 2023, MAEF programs reached 150,000 students with in-person agricultural education opportunities.

“The Ag Tag is a fantastic way for Marylanders to demonstrate their love for agriculture, support for Ag Education, and pride in our state’s No. 1 industry while enhancing the appearance of their vehicles,” he said.

An article from The Delmarva Farmer newspaper noted the variety of personalization that people will see on Maryland’s Ag Tags, such as “MDA 1,” “YO SOY,” “AG TERP,” “VINEGIRL,” and “FRMCHIC.”

“The most common sentiment we hear is that people choose the tag to support ag education and the future success of agriculture in Maryland,” Brown said. “Others select the tag to support farmers and agriculture in general, while some appreciate its aesthetic appeal on their vehicles, considering the ag tie-in as a bonus.”

Vehicles that are eligible for Ag Tags include passenger cars, multi-purpose vehicles, trucks up to 26,000 GVM, trailers, and farm trucks.

“We continually strive to expand our programs, and thanks to the support of Maryland legislators for the Ag Tag, we can bring agricultural education to students across the state,” Brown said. “With the assistance of the Ag Tag, we are expanding our programs each year to reach even more people.”

This is part of a state-by-state series from AGDAILY that highlights agriculture-themed license plates nationwide. Read more articles from the series here.