Why citrus industry aid is so important.
When Hurricane Irma walloped Florida in September, citrus groves were hit especially hard by winds and rain. Florida lawmakers and agriculture interests have fingers crossed that the U.S. Senate will vote, at last, to approve $761 million for hurricane damage to the citrus industry. To learn more about why the aid is so important, the Orlando Sentinel Editor sought out Earl Crittenden Jr., a thirdgeneration Orlandoan and president of Crittenden Fruit Co. Inc.
Q: What’s the state of Florida’s citrus industry? Why does it deserve the magnitude of this disaster aid?
A: In a word, dire. Agriculture is an industry of inherent unpredictable hard knocks, and we ag people get that — it’s win big; lose big. What’s wholesale unfair, though, is when you see signs in airport Customs that say don’t bring foreign plants into the United States, yet travelers ignore warnings and smuggle in an irresistible plant clipping from abroad thinking that will make their front yard gorgeous. The reality: that’s what brought in the fly from Asia that transmits the incurable Yellow Dragon disease. Here, it’s known as “greening.” And despite all the valiant efforts of the University of Florida and others to find a cure, greening has in the last decade shrunk the formerly robust citrus crop to crippling numbers.
This past year, as greening seemed to be slightly on the decline and crops numbers were rebounding, Irma literally blew off the bulk of the fruit harvest. The citrus industry — despite doing everything feasibly possible, including growers voluntarily taxing ourselves for many years to pay for greening research — just has not had any breaks for more than a decade. Conversely, many banks got immediate relief when the financial sky fell in 2008. Fairness says an iconic multibillion-dollar Florida industry/job creator deserves disaster aid from this drastic, nonself-inflicted wound.
Q: Does it really matter if Americans drink orange juice from Brazil instead of from Florida?
A: Yes. It matters for several reasons. Florida growers abide by a uniform and strict ethical and legal standard of federal wage and seasonal worker laws for pickers, processors and packers. And while we are very friendly with our South American counterparts, we cannot say they adhere to the same standards. Second, Florida’s orange crop is sold as 95 percent juice and 5 percent fresh (California is the exact opposite), which underscores the importance of drinking Florida orange juice. Florida citrus is deeply embedded in our economy, and many collateral industry jobs are threatened, including farm machinery, trucking, shipping equipment, nutrient manufacturing and application labor, harvesters, clerical and accounting.
Q: For the first time since 1946, California will likely surpass Florida as the largest national orange producer. Is the hurricane solely to blame?
A: Irma is not the entire villain of the piece. Florida and California have many of the same issues, such as realestate development encroaching on desirably located grove lands, natural disasters, citrus canker and greening. Greening was recently discovered in California, however, so the state may no doubt benefit from the tremendous research that Florida growers have financed and produced to stay afloat. The jury is still out, though, because before Irma, Florida was poised to have its largest orange crop in 10 years.
Q: Once the federal aid is approved, how long will it take to reach growers in Florida?
A: The process is complicated. In 2004, the aftermath of Hurricanes Charley, Frances, Ivan and Jeanne was also devastating to the harvest. The procedure then was simpler, however, because at that time the U.S. secretary of agriculture had the authority to appropriate funds. That since has been reassigned as a congressional duty. Thus, the delay in receiving the current aid. Once the aid is congressionally approved, it requires a program to be authorized and developed by the USDA. If everything moves as quickly as possible, and that’s a big “if,” growers could receive funds in approximately 90 days.
Q: What will growers do with the aid, immediately and long term? Can you describe the steps in Florida’s citrus reconstruction?
A: The bright side of struggling with finding a cure for greening is that it has created a decade of discoveries and advancements to the industry. Growers will implement these developments when they replant. These developments include more sustainable methods to water groves, sturdier root stocks that are less susceptible to greening, and ways of successfully planting trees in more density per acre. Besides being healthy for the Florida environment, these measures will undoubtedly raise production numbers and help restore financial health to the citrus industry.
Agriculture is an industry of inherent unpredictable hard knocks, and we ag people get that — it’s win big; lose big.