Fresh off remarks that he’ll wait until after November to announce whether he will seek to claim the governor’s office when Rick Scott terms out, Adam Putnam continues to raise his statewide profile, kicking off an agricultural summit Wednesday hosted by some of Florida’s heavy hitters, in one of the state’s largest counties.
The fifth generation farmer will seemingly be in his element as he gives the opening keynote speech at the Palm Beach International Agricultural Summit, an all-day forum presented by the Economic Council and co-hosted by the Florida Chamber Foundation.
The second-term agriculture commissioner, who told Politico he’ll make no announcement about his political future until after the current election cycle, is set to cover the history, opportunities and challenges of modern farming. Last week, speaking at the Port of Tampa, Putnam declared finding ways to feed the world’s growing population -- projected to reach 10 billion by 2050 – is “one of the planet’s most pressing issues” and said he believes Florida’s role will be significant.
“Florida is uniquely positioned, with our nearly year-round growing season, robust ag industry and access to world markets through our ports, to be a leader in helping to feed the world's growing population,” he said.
Agriculture is a powerhouse economic engine in the state, employing more than 1.5 million Floridians. Summit host Palm Beach County is no stranger to agriculture. The county leads the state in its total value of agricultural products, at more than $1 billion, which is nearly two times more than the next largest county, Miami-Dade, according to the Palm Beach Post.
Joining Putnam as guest speakers at the summit are Temperince Morgan of The Nature Conservancy; Cory Reed of John Deere; Wells Fargo Chief Agricultural Economist Michael Swanson; and Shabtai Cohen, Ph.D., of Israel’s Agricultural Research Organization.
