Florida scientists are racing to find solutions to the rising citrus greening problem, destroying groves across the state. In the past decade, Florida agriculture has lost nearly $8 billion dollars and 7,500 jobs to citrus greening alone.
Kathryn Jones, a researcher and professor of biological science called HLB “one of the biggest problems this state is facing right now”.
Jones is part of a team at Florida State University, researching how the green bacterium grows so we can understand how to treat it best.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, has been working side by side with farmers and lawmakers to help the industry develop a program to remove and destroy infected citrus groves. His proposal would be one way to eliminate the disease, in a last-ditch effort to save Florida’s citrus industry which generates about $1 billion in tax revenue that supports schools, highways, and health care services.
You may be hearing a lot of talk about citrus greening in the news lately—and that’s a good thing. Dean Gabriel, the project director for the FSU research team says, “People don’t seem to realize the damage this organism has already done to Florida citrus. Orange production dropped more than 50 percent in the last four years, and the pace is quickening.” The more that we discuss and research, the closer we are to finding a solution.
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For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.
To read more about the research at FSU, go here.
