The newly introduced CITRUS Act is receiving praise from national citrus industry players.
Florida Congressman Tom Rooney’s newly introduced Citrus Investment in Treatment and Research for U.S. Sustainability Act, or CITRUS Act, has received praise from those in the citrus industry nationwide, reports a Southeast Ag Net article. The CITRUS act is meant to deliver the short-term economic assistance needed by the nation’s citrus industry to fight citrus greening. Florida has been hit hardest by this disease, but other citrus states—like California, Texas, and Arizona—are starting to see an impact as well. Explore the details of the CITRUS Act below.
CITRUS Act Details
The article shares the following details of the CITRUS Act:
- It is a bipartisan bill by Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL), Congressman Valadao (R-CA) and Filemon Vela (D-FL).
- The bill reauthorizes the Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program, from the 2014 Farm Bill.
- The CITRUS Act authorizes critical citrus greening disease research programs at the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).
- It improves access to a grower program that incentivizes the replanting of healthy trees in affected or abandoned groves.
- It provides $25 million in annual funding until a cure is found.
- The bill authorizes Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) and Huanglongbing Multi-Agency Coordination Group (HLB-MAC). They are both part of a national movement to protect the U.S. citrus industry from citrus pests and diseases by utilizing partnerships with state departments of agriculture and industry groups.
- The bill expands the USDA’s Tree Assistance Program (TAP) to incentivize more growers to invest in replacing HLB-infected trees with healthy trees.
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.