Between development pressures on Florida farmlands to the worst drought in two decades, state cattle ranchers have seen herds decline and costs increase. Add to that heat-related stress and insect-related illnesses linked to a changing climate, and the economics of beef production are increasingly untenable. But the national affordability crisis and rising grocery bills have led to demands for action, especially when it comes to the cost of meat, and the Trump administration has responded with a series of policies aimed at reducing sticker shock. Most recently, the president signed a proclamation removing tariffs from 300,000 metric tons of beef imports, primarily from Brazil and Argentina. The announcement has shaken the industry, including in Florida, the country’s ninth-largest cattle market, with both the Florida Farm Bureau Federation and the Florida Cattlemen’s Association sending letters of concern. We talk with First Coast economists and a cattle rancher about the economics of meat production and how the president’s policies, here and abroad, are shaping the future of some Florida farms.
Guests:
- Todd Thrift, beef cattle specialist, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences
- Andres Gallo, professor of economics and acting chair, Department of Economics and Geography, University of North Florida Coggin College of Business
- K'Leigh Combs, fourth generation local cattle rancher, Diamond D Farms
Teaching 9/11 to Gen Z
Friday is the 25th anniversary of Sept. 11, and for those who lived through it, the 2001 terrorist attacks will always be seared into memory. But for most of today’s college students, there are no memories — because they were not yet born. We talk to a Florida State University professor whose class, “U.S. in the 21st Century,” explores how 9/11 changed the world for Gen Z, even though they didn’t live through it. We ask him how the national trauma continues to shape our modern experience and about the unique challenges of teaching an event that has itself become a target (and source) of misinformation.
Guest: Paul Renfro, professor of history, Florida State University
Benefit walk
A neuromuscular disease with a misleading name is the focus of an upcoming benefit event. Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease is an inherited neuromuscular ailment that causes progressive neuropathy and loss of muscular control. Though rare, it affects an estimated 135,000 people in the U.S., including hundreds in the Jacksonville area alone. We talk to the head of the local CMT association about the importance of raising awareness and funds for the often-misunderstood disease. The Jacksonville Walk 4 CMT will be held at 9 a.m. Saturday at Mayo Clinic.
Guest: Timothy Nightingale Sr, branch leader, Jacksonville Charcot-Marie Tooth-Association
Topics and guests subject to change.