By any measure, Florida Gov. Charlie Christ's announcement to buy out U.S. Sugar to protect the Everglades is incredible. When has a governor anywhere offered a billion-dollar buyout for environmental purposes? While we praise his courage, and admire any Florida politician who sees and remedies faulty policy that's gone on for decades, we worry about the human toll this will take. ...more

June 25, 2008

Much has been made of government's decision last summer not to pump phosphorous rich water into Lake Okeechobee. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles Bronson claims that this one decision - which some claim will somehow deprive growers of some irrigation water - makes up $4 million of the $1 billion in losses expected to Florida's farm economy. Further, sugarcane farmers argue that sugar production (and presumably profits) may fall by 20 percent. ...more

December 27, 2007