rubio

Rubio Offers Hope for Farmers Hit by Irma

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Industry News Release

Federal disaster relief for farmers impacted by Hurricane Irma may be available “as early as next week,” according to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Monday’s update from Rubio’s office came after the Miami Republican spoke with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who had a similar conversation with Gov. Rick Scott Friday. Florida citrus farmers have expressed increasing frustration as they await …

florida

Citrus Growers in Waiting Game for Hurricane Aid

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Industry News Release, Legislative

Frustration is growing among Florida citrus growers awaiting the distribution of $2.36 billion in federal disaster-relief money for agriculture losses sustained in Hurricane Irma. “We’re still waiting, maybe not as patiently as we were to start with,” Florida Citrus Commission Chairman G. Ellis Hunt said Wednesday. President Donald Trump signed the disaster-relief package in February, five months after Hurricane Irma …

nelson

Sen. Nelson Calls on Federal Agencies to Distribute Disaster Aid

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) took to the Senate floor late Monday afternoon to urge the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to immediately release the disaster funding approved by Congress in February to help Floridians who are still recovering from Hurricane Irma. “It has been almost six months since Hurricane Irma struck Florida, and it’s been about …

marketing

HCCGA Discusses Disaster Relief Funding

Abbey Taylorhurricane, Legislative, Weather

After months of fighting for disaster relief funding, Florida agriculture finally received the answer it has been waiting to hear. On Feb. 9, a disaster relief package was passed through Congress that allocated $3.6 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with $2.36 billion going toward Florida agriculture producers who suffered hurricane-related crop loss. While this is good news for …

orange juice

Help for Florida Farmers Advancing in Senate

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Farmers and other parts of Florida’s agriculture industry could receive about $75 million in post-Hurricane Irma assistance from the state next year under a measure moving forward in the Senate. The Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously backed the proposal (SB 1608) by Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring. The proposal, in part, would reduce property assessments …

root

Tips for Post-Hurricane Tree Recovery

Ernie Neffhurricane

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences horticulturist Evan Johnson offers care tips for trees recovering from Hurricane Irma. A key suggestion is not to push the growth of trees damaged by the storm. Johnson notes that many trees suffered from standing in water for five days and more, and from having leaves blown off. Those issues lead …

citrus crop

Putnam on Disaster Funding for Florida Agriculture

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a spending bill that includes more than $2.3 billion for agricultural assistance: “The passage of this spending bill is a critical first step to finally getting Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers long-awaited and desperately needed relief. Without this emergency assistance, …

whip

FCM Applauds Congress for Passing Hurricane Irma Relief Package

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Industry News Release

Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM), Florida’s largest citrus grower organization, thanks members of the U.S. House and Senate for approving a Florida agriculture disaster package early Friday that will send billions in relief to growers hit hard by Hurricane Irma. The package — passed as part of the federal budget deal — provides a total of $3.6 billion to the U.S. …

support

House Eyes Tax Help for Agriculture Industry

Daniel CooperAgriculture, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida’s Hurricane Irma-battered agriculture industry, growing anxious as it awaits federal disaster relief, could land some help from the state House as part of a tax-cut package. The House Ways & Means Committee, which is putting together a package, reviewed three measures Wednesday intended to help the industry, which sustained an estimated $2.5 billion in damages from the deadly September …

rubio

Disaster Relief Package Would Help Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida’s storm-battered citrus growers are closer to landing federal relief sought since Hurricane Irma devastated large parts of the state’s agriculture industry in September. The U.S. House on Wednesday will consider providing $2.6 billion for lost farm crops as part of an $81 billion disaster-relief package, which has been attached to the latest short-term “continuing resolution” needed to keep the …

citrus

Tax Bill Includes Help for Citrus Replanting

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, hurricane, Industry News Release

A proposal aimed at helping citrus growers replant after Hurricane Irma is included in a federal tax overhaul that could be approved this week by Congress, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said Monday. The proposal, sponsored by Buchanan and backed by Florida’s congressional delegation, would provide tax incentives for farmers who cannot afford to replace trees damaged by the storm …

scott

Gov. Scott Discusses Citrus Storm Relief

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release, Legislative

Gov. Rick Scott spent part of Friday on the phone talking about federal disaster relief amid continuing worries about the storm-ravaged citrus industry. Scott tweeted that his calls with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan included talk of hurricane relief. “I spoke with @GovAbbott this morning about the ongoing recovery in FL and TX from Hurricanes …

citrus

Helping the Florida Citrus Industry Recovery After Irma

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) and Florida orange grower Ellis Hunt appeared on the FOX Business Network to discuss their efforts to help the Florida citrus industry recover after Hurricane Irma. Sponsored ContentA Simpler, Safer and More Effective Way to Fight HLBOctober 25, 20245 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT …

hurricane

Maximizing Insurance Claims After Hurricane Irma

Ernie Neffhurricane

Attorney Steven Boyne with Gunster law firm in Jacksonville suggests ways growers can maximize insurance claims resulting from Hurricane Irma. His remarks summarize a presentation he made at the Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference earlier this month. “The more documentation you can provide, the better,” Boyne says. “Don’t view the adjuster as an adversary. If you work closely with the …

scott

Putnam, Ross Say Relief Proposal Leaves Out Citrus

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Congressman Dennis Ross on Friday criticized a lack of funding for the state’s storm-ravaged citrus industry in the latest disaster-relief package proposed by the White House. Putnam said a $44 billion request sent to Congress by the White House Office of Management and Budget “puts government reimbursement in front of real taxpayers and completely leaves out the …

citrus growers

Mutual on November Crop Forecast and Hurricane Aid

Ernie NeffCrop Forecast, hurricane

“In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it is extremely difficult to estimate the size of this year’s crop,” Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks said soon after the latest citrus crop forecast was issued on Nov. 9. “In reality, we probably won’t have an accurate number until the middle of 2018 once all fruit is picked. Long term, the effects …

rootstocks

Some Rootstocks Succumbed to Irma

Ernie Neffhurricane, Rootstocks

Researchers inspecting their groves at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center after Hurricane Irma found that trees on certain rootstocks were very likely to be uprooted. Fernando Alferez, a horticulturist at the Immokalee center, discusses the uprooted trees and hopes he has for fresh citrus growing. “This is anecdotal evidence from our experience here,” Alferez says. “What we saw …

VIDEO: Rubio on Lack of Additional Disaster Relief for Citrus

Abbey Taylorhurricane, Industry News Release, Weather

Washington, D.C. – Prior to supporting the U.S. Senate’s passage tonight of the disaster relief package previously passed by the U.S. House, Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) spoke on the Senate floor regarding the package’s lack of additional disaster relief for Florida’s citrus producers, whose crops were decimated by Hurricane Irma. The full speech can be watched here. A partial transcript …

forecast

Grower Sees Strong Future for Florida Citrus

Ernie NeffForecast, hurricane

Justin Sorrells of Sorrells Citrus comments on the first U.S. Department of Agriculture citrus crop forecast of the season and the future of the Florida citrus industry. “I think the numbers (forecast) were interesting — higher than I suspected … Maybe that means our state wasn’t impacted quite as heavily as we thought it was going to be,” Sorrells says. …

hurricane

In Peace River, ‘No Giving Up’ After Hurricane

Ernie NeffCrop Forecast, hurricane

Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association Executive Director Steve Smith reacts to the first U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus crop forecast of the season and says growers are focused on recovering from Hurricane Irma. He says the forecast of 54 million boxes of Florida oranges “was a little higher than I anticipated, considering the extent of the damage across …