It’s likely that you’ve heard the following statistical forecast in the recent past: the Florida citrus industry needs to plant 20 million trees in the next decade to support infrastructure and to increase production to pre-HLB levels. It’s a statistic that Florida Citrus Mutual Executive VP/CEO Mike Sparks shared at the 2016 Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference this past June while discussing citrus planting incentives.

A plethora of planting incentives have cropped up recently, given Florida growers a host of options for assistance. Florida Citrus Mutual is offering three different seminars to educate growers on the different programs offering planting incentives and to answer questions.

Planting Incentives Offered

There are a number of different planting incentives programs being offered currently to Florida growers. There are various sources offering these incentives, such as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). Incentives include:

  • FDACS Citrus Grove Renovation/Re-establishment Support Program. This program shares the cost for replanting and making improvements to orange groves.
  • FDACS Abandoned Grove Initiative. This program looks to help remove dead and infected trees from abandoned citrus groves through a variety of incentives.
  • USDA’s Tree Assistance Program (TAP). This incentive offers financial assistance to replant or rehabilitate eligible trees, bushes and vines damaged by natural disasters.
  • Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act of 2016. This act changes the IRS tax code to allow growers to immediately expense the cost of replanting citrus trees on their taxes rather than the standard depreciation of 14 years.

Planting Incentives Seminars

There are three different workshops being offered by Florida Citrus Mutual and various regional grower groups. Representatives from both FDACS and the USDA will be on hand to discuss the programs and answer questions. The dates and times for the seminars are:

  • October 19th, at the USDA/ARS office in Ft. Pierce, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
  • October 24th, at the Bert Harris Ag Center, Sebring, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.
  • November 1st, at FCM Headquarters, Lakeland, 9 a.m. to 11 a.m.

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.