A sugarcane field burns in the distance in the Everglades Agricultural Area on Jan. 6, 2023, in Palm Beach County.

We need your help.

For decades, Big Sugar has received a sweet deal in the federal Farm Bill — despite its damaging influence on Florida’s water policy and pollution of our air through sugarcane burning.

We have an opportunity to change that by urging lawmakers in Washington to end the sugar program in the upcoming Farm Bill. The Farm Bill, which is reauthorized every five years by Congress, covers issues such as agriculture, nutrition, conservation, forestry, and rural development. The federal government underwrites Big Sugar’s profits through the sugar program in the Farm Bill. It’s an outdated policy that undermines Everglades restoration and runs counter to American values.

Congress is seeking community input, and we need you to take action. Please take 3 minutes to make your voice heard by March 31:

  • Go to the Senate Farm Bill Input Form: https://www.agriculture.senate.gov/farm-bill-input
  • Enter your name, address, and contact information. Under “Farm Name, Organization, etc.” enter “Friends of the Everglades”
  • Under “Please provide your input on the upcoming farm bill,” paste the text below then press Submit:I urge the committee to end the sugar program in the Farm Bill for the following reasons.
  1. Sugarcane burning causes pollution that can contribute to cancer, asthma and other respiratory diseases. Communities in close proximity to sugarcane burning, which are predominantly low-income communities of color, suffer some of the worst smoke pollution in the country.
  2. The sugar program causes lasting damage to our environment due to water-management issues that contribute to red tide and other toxic-algae blooms.
  3. Human rights abuses are being committed abroad by Big Sugar, as illustrated by the U.S. Customs and Border Protection recent action to block imports from a Fanjul family-owned plantation in the Dominican Republic due to indications of forced labor.

The Farm Bill is being actively negotiated right now — and we have a unique opportunity to push Congress to do the right thing. 

Thanks for lending your voice to this important cause before the March 31 deadline!