Florida Market Bulletin
Advertising Rules and Regulations
The Florida Market Bulletin is published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services to provide space for Florida residents to advertise agriculturally related goods and services on a statewide basis.
Rules and regulations have been established for the Florida Market Bulletin in order to comply with regulations enforced by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and to maintain the objectives of the publication. The editorial staff of the Florida Market Bulletin reserves the right to determine exceptions to the rules and regulations.
Before submitting an ad for publication, carefully check the General Rules and also the Category Rules under the category heading for which your ad is being submitted. Many ads require signed statements or permit numbers. Ads that do not meet applicable rules will not be published.
General Rules
1. All advertisements must be agriculturally oriented.
2. Only Florida residents are eligible to advertise in the Bulletin. Only Florida products may be advertised.
3. Ads must include the seller’s name, address, county, zip code, and telephone number. E-mail addresses will be published if provided.
4. No business, trade or commercial names will be accepted.
5. Ads from dealers or agents are unacceptable. A dealer is any person who buys or acquires agricultural livestock, equipment or other merchandise for the purpose of resale; an agent is any person soliciting agricultural merchandise for sale or distribution under the partial or full control of an owner or dealer, farm equipment or machinery outlet, etc.
6. Ads must be submitted in writing — either typed or printed clearly — and limited to 20 words, excluding required information. The Florida Market Bulletin reserves the right to edit all ads.
7. Ads may be submitted by completing the form on this web site. Alternatively, the form found in the printed version of the Florida Market Bulletin, or a facsimile of that form, may be mailed, faxed, or delivered to the Florida Market Bulletin office. Facsimiles must include all information required by the ad form.
8. Advertisers may run one ad per category per issue.
9. All items in an ad should pertain to one category only.
10. Ads will be published as space permits on a first come, first served basis.
11. A new copy of an ad must be submitted for each issue of Florida Market Bulletin in which the ad is to run.
12. An asking price should be included for all items offered.
13. Wanted ads soliciting free animals will not be accepted.
Category Rules
All ads must meet the qualifications of the category in which they will appear.
Agricultural Machinery
1. Ads for machinery and equipment manufactured specifically for agricultural purposes are eligible for publication. Ads for jeeps, trucks, ATV's or automotive equipment will not be accepted.
2. Agricultural machinery must be at least 7.5 horsepower, except rototillers.
3. Push type lawnmowers are not eligible.
4. Those wishing to publish listings for equipment must submit the following owner signed statement: “This machinery has been used by me in an agricultural endeavor and is not offered for sale by an equipment dealer or commercial enterprise.”
Aquaculture
1. Ads for alligator sales must be accompanied by a signed statement that the seller has a state permit to deal in alligators.
Bees and Equipment
1. Beekeepers offering bees for sale must be registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and must submit their registration number with the ad. For registration information, contact the Bureau of Apiary Inspection, Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 147100, Gainesville, FL 32614, telephone (352)372-3505.
Cattle
1. The cattle owner’s name must appear in “Cattle for Sale” listings.
2. Cattle moving within the state to farms or markets or changing ownership no longer require a brucellosis test. However, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services strongly recommends that all new herd additions be tested as a “best management practice” for animal health.
Farm Employment/Services
1. Farm labor is the only employment listing permitted.
2. Anyone seeking farm labor must offer a specific job for employment with pay, i.e., farm manager, ranch hand.
3. Housekeeping, nursing, companionship, domestic and personal service jobs are not acceptable.
4. Ads offering auctioneer services must include the auctioneer’s name and Florida license number.
Farm Harvest Products
1. This category includes only the end products of farm harvest (i.e., vegetables, honey, fruit, hay, etc.) grown or produced on the advertiser’s farm. For organic products requirements, see below under Organic Farm Harvest Products.
Farmland
1. All listings must offer 10 or more adjoining acres of land which must be zoned for agriculture.
2. Listings must be accompanied by the following owner-signed statement: "This property offered for sale or lease is personally owned by me, is zoned for agriculture, and is not offered for sale or lease by a licensed real estate dealer, broker, or salesperson."
Goats
1. All goats offered for sale or exhibition must be individually identified with official USDA ear tags for the National Scrapie Eradication Program. Breed registry tattoos may be used if accompanied by the breed registration certificate. To obtain official USDA ear tags, the owner must first obtain a flock/herd identification number. To obtain a flock/herd ID number, contact the USDA Veterinary Services Area Office at 352/333-3120.
Horses, Mules, Ponies
1. Ads for this category must be accompanied by the following owner-signed statement: “This animal has had a negative Coggins test within the past 12 months.”
2. The owner must supply the buyer with the original owners copy or a laboratory certified copy of the negative Coggins test for change of ownership.
Miscellaneous
1. Advertisements may be accepted for this category if the item does not fit under any other category and is not otherwise prohibited.
2. Examples of unacceptable ads: recreation, camping and sporting goods; crafts and craft items; household pets; dogs (except stock dogs bred and trained for farm work); worms; household appliances; air conditioners; building supplies; commercial fencing material; books and other documents; boats; guns; commercial fertilizer; antiques; campers; and other personal items.
Organic Farm Harvest Products
1. This category includes only the end products of farm harvest (i.e., vegetables, honey, fruit, hay, etc.) grown, packaged and stored on the advertiser’s farm, without the use of synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, herbicides or irradiation.
2. To advertise organic farm harvest products, a state registration number and the name of the certifying agent must be submitted with the ad. For information about state organic registration, contact the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Division of Marketing and Development, 435 Mayo Building, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-0800, telephone (850) 488-9682.
Poultry, Fowl, Eggs
1. Listings for domestic birds and birds used for food are acceptable.
2. Ads for all migratory birds offered for sale must include a state game farm license number and a federal fish and wildlife permit number. For state license information, contact the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Farris Bryant Building, 620 South Meridian Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-1600, telephone (850) 488-3641. For federal permit information, contact the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 75 Spring Street S.W., Atlanta, GA 30303, telephone (404) 679-7070.
3. Ads for fighting birds of any type, and pet birds, such as cage birds (canaries, finches) and hookbill birds (parrots, macaws), are not eligible.
Seeds, Plants, Trees
1. This category includes both ornamental and agricultural varieties, and applies to aquatic plants.
2. It is a violation of Florida law to offer plant material for sale which has not been inspected for insects and diseases. For inspection information, contact the Division of Plant Industry, P.O. Box 147100, Gainesville, FL 32614, telephone (352) 372-3505.
3. Ads for nursery stock (plants, trees, shrubs, vines, bulbs, cuttings, grafts, scions or buds) must be accompanied by a copy of the seller's certificate of registration with the Division of Plant Industry, in accordance with Ch. 581.131, Florida Statutes, effective July 1, 1995. (Exempted from this requirement are aquatic plants, seeds, lawn and pasture grasses, cut flowers, cut fern and cut foliage.)
4. Ads for both plant material and seeds must be accompanied by the following signed statement: “These items are personally grown on my land and have not been purchased for resale.”
5. Ads for plants that have been deemed noxious or invasive by the State of Florida will not be accepted.
Sheep
1. All sheep offered for sale or exhibition must be individually identified with official USDA ear tags for the National Scrapie Eradication Program. Breed registry tattoos may be used if accompanied by the breed registration certificate. To obtain official USDA ear tags, the owner must first obtain a flock/herd identification number. To obtain a flock/herd ID number, contact the USDA Veterinary Services Area Office at 352/333-3120.
Stock Dogs
1. Advertisement in this category is limited to stock dogs bred and trained to work with farm stock animals; ads for companion pets or hunting dogs will not be accepted.
2. Chapter 828.29, F.S., requires that all dogs sold or offered for sale be at least 8 weeks of age and have an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection, a.k.a. a health certificate.
3. The certificate must be issued by a Florida-licensed veterinarian no more than 30 days before the sale.
4. The following vaccines and anthelmintics (wormers) must be administered by or under the direction of the licensed veterinarian who signs the certificate: canine distemper, leptospirosis, parainfluenza, hepatitis, canine parvo, and bordetella. A rabies vaccination is required for dogs over three months old.
5. Ads for dogs must be accompanied by the following signed statement: “I certify that these animals have been bred and trained for farm work. Each dog is of legal age for sale and has an Official Certificate of Veterinary Inspection.”
Swine
1. All swine (including potbellied pigs) that are sold or offered for sale or exhibition (except for slaughter), must have evidence of a negative brucellosis test and a negative pseudorabies serologic test which has been conducted within the previous 30 days, unless proof of exemption can be demonstrated.
2. Swine (breeders and feeders) may move from farm to farm, to markets or change ownership without restriction. Persons who move feral swine from their natural habitat are responsible for satisfying test and permit requirements through the Division of Animal Industry, telephone (850) 410-0959.
