Wilton Simpson talks egg prices, farm bill and political future

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, a potential gubernatorial candidate in the state, is pushing for the passage of a Farm Bill during this year’s legislative session that, he says, will protect farmers.

Among the bill’s proposals are returning decisions on building solar farms on agricultural land to local governments; allowing voters to decide on a total exemption of tangible personal property taxes on agricultural land; and protecting 4-H and Future Farmers of America programs in schools by making sure there are agriculture facilities on school properties.

The legislation is sponsored by Sen. Keith Truenow, R-Tavares and Rep. Kaylee Tuck, Lake Placid. The bills are Senate Bill 700 and House Bill 651.

Simpson, 58, who is officially in charge of Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, knows about the issues facing the agricultural industry from the perspective of a fifth-generation egg farmer and a politician from Pasco County. He owned and ran an egg-laying operation, Simpson Farms, for years. He entered the Florida Senate in 2012.

He was Senate president for two years before being elected to run the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, a post he’s held since being elected in 2022.

Simpson spoke about the farm bill and other topics the Lay of the Land Conference in Lakeland held Feb. 28. The annual conference, put on by Saunders Real Estate, brings together landowners, investors and industry experts to talk about the state’s land market.

It was held at the RP Funding Center.

Got milk? 

Simpson, in a speech to conference attendees and in an interview with the Business Observer, discussed some of the measures in the legislation as well as other topics — from the fate of the citrus industry, to the wildlife corridor, to his future.

Given his past in the egg industry, the topic of egg prices and Bird Flu were among those topics.

Simpson calls the flu “naturally occurring” and says the state is being aggressive in order to protect local flocks from getting infected. That effort includes a biosecurity team based in Gainesville as well as refusing cattle that hasn’t been tested for bird flu and not accepting lactating cows.

Outbreaks can last for a couple of years however so, he says, “this is going to take a little more time to overcome.”

One of Simpson’s worries, which may seem counterintuitive, is that when egg prices eventually return to a normal level for customers it will be a “disaster for egg famers.”

“What I have noticed from 40 years of being around, and in, the business is that the higher these peaks are, the lower those valleys are going to be.”

As for the farm bill, one of the measures in the proposed legislation is a requirement that mandates “honest and accurate labeling for plant-based food products.” The goal, according to talking points issued by the agriculture department, is to keep plant-based food products from being labeled as meat, milk or poultry — a practice the office says misleads consumers.

“If you're selling milk, we want it to actually be milk, right?” Simpson says in the interview with the Business Observer.

“If you're selling something, we don't want you to disguise your product as something that it's not. So, we want to make sure we've got that defined properly.”

The mislabeling of milk products, according to the National Milk Producers Federation, is a common practice. While non-dairy substitutes have existed for generations, the organization says manufacturers have “flouted established rules by labeling and marketing themselves as nutritionally equivalent, or even superior, substitutes.”

Down stream

The farm bill tackles drones as well, prohibiting their usage on or near private property, shooting ranges or state hunting lands. Simpson says the state’s farmers “are facing increasing harassment from drones” and that they are disruptive and detrimental to farm animals.

Simpson also joined a growing chorus of officials calling for the removal of fluoride from local drinking water and says the farm bill calls for the exclusion of “non-water quality additives into the public water supply.”

“We're getting fluoride out of water,” he says in the interview. “Not only fluoride, but any chemicals that the government deems necessary to put in our water. We don't want that. We want parents to make those choices and decisions.”

The proposal, according to the department’s talking points, does have a loophole, allowing for private water manufacturers to sell water with fluoride.

According to the American Dental Association, fluoride is naturally occurring and present in rivers, lakes and oceans. Water fluoridation increases “the natural fluoride level up to the recommended level that helps prevent cavities.”

Almost 75% of the U.S. population as of 2012 is served by water systems that have fluoride, says the ADA.

Elected officials from localities around the region, however, have discussed removing fluoride from the water system, including Hillsborough and Manatee counties and the city of Fort Myers.

Higher office

There was one topic Simpson was hesitant to talk about: his political aspirations.

Asked in a Q&A with conference attendees if he may run for governor next year to replace Ron DeSantis in the Governor’s Mansion in Tallahassee, he joked about whether event was being filmed.

“There's a long way to go before I will make a decision," Simpson says. "What it boils down to is, I really love and appreciate the job I have.”

He added a moment later that “if the people of Florida want me to serve in a different capacity maybe a year from now or so, we'll take a look at that.”