Citrus Research Funding Arrives In Nick Of Time
February 11, 2014 
The Florida legislature, Gov. Rick Scott, and the Florida Congressional delegation have really stepped up in the last few months to take aggressive action to save the Florida citrus industry. Recently, the Farm Bill passed, which ensured citrus research will receive $125 million over the next five years. This huge news was the culmination of a sustained lobbying effort by the Florida citrus industry and it really is a testament to our ability to still get things done in Washington even in times of duress. The investment also shows Florida’s Congressional delegation understands our story and the importance of our industry to the economic health of the State of Florida. These facts cannot be understated.
The $125 million appropriation is not a “Trust Fund” derived from a portion of the imported citrus tariff that we pursued for more than four years. Instead, it is a straight program funded through the Farm Bill. This is the best deal we could negotiate and it pretty much matches what we expected on an annual basis from a tariff trust fund. The main takeaway is that we finally have a significant dedicated source of research funding outside of grower assessments. Now, the money being diverted from marketing programs to fund research can either go back into marketing or to the grower.
The investment is going to go a long way in uncovering solutions to citrus greening disease, which in turn will help preserve a way of life for communities across Florida.
Strong Support
I would like to offer a sincere “Thank You” to Representatives Bilirakis, Brown, Buchanan, Castor, Crenshaw, Diaz-Balart, Frankel, Garcia, Hastings, Murphy, Nugent, Rooney, Ross, Ros-Lehtinen, Southerland, Wasserman Schultz, Webster, and Yoho. Of course, Sen. Bill Nelson, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack have been huge in this effort as well. The citrus research initiative will be overseen by Secretary Vilsack, in consultation with industry stakeholders from Florida, California, and Texas. A committee made up of nine representatives from those states will make funding decisions, which must be approved by the Secretary.
There will be a lot of movement on this front in the next several months, so stay tuned.
Investing In The Future
In addition, Gov. Rick Scott unveiled his budget in late January and it contains an additional $4 million for citrus research, $2 million for citrus germplasm capacity expansion, and $500,000 for Citrus Health Management Area (CHMA) support. Scott’s figures mirror the FDACS budget request Commissioner Putnam put forth in November. This sync-up between the Governor and a state agency is a rare occurrence and I believe it truly speaks to the relationship the industry has cultivated with the governor over the past three years. Of course, Commissioner Putnam — our biggest champion — has been a huge part of the process.
Please know Florida Citrus Mutual will be working hard in Tallahassee over the next few months to ensure the funding stays in place throughout the legislative process.
These two sources of citrus research funding are a critical part of keeping one of the state’s signature industries whole. The wise investment by the state legislature and Congress show elected officials believe in our industry. I do, too. The pressure is on scientists to now find solutions growers can utilize in the grove. We’ve got the best minds in the world working to solve this complex puzzle and I am extremely optimistic they will get it done. We don’t have any other choice.
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