Florida’s citrus industry is in dire straits, and a new measure aimed at assisting citrus growers to help the industry stay afloat in the face of citrus greening’s destructive effects has been introduced0. The Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act would let growers immediately claim the full expense of planting new citrus trees on their taxes rather than having to use the usual 14-year depreciation period of current IRS law.
U.S. Senator Bill Nelson is the original sponsor of the act, and Senator Marco Rubio recently joined as a co-sponsor to push the measure through, adding his name to the host of fellow Senators and Representatives who have joined the cause as co-sponsors. Rubio recently joined Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, and others in touring a citrus grove in Polk County in Central Florida to get a feel for citrus greening’s impact. With a large amount of citrus groves, Polk County has been one of the hardest hit by citrus greening. The Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act would encourage growers to plant new citrus trees in place of those felled by citrus greening, and it would be in force for a decade.
According to a Growing Produce article, Florida Citrus Mutual Executive VP/CEO, Mike Sparks, maintained that Florida’s citrus industry needs to plant approximately 20 million trees over the next decade to increase production and to support existing citrus infrastructure. He also thanked all involved for their bipartisan commitment to Florida’s all-important citrus industry.
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.