Congressman Vern Buchanan represents Florida’s 16th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. He believes that the State's orange farmers deserve help in their fight against citrus greening, which has put more than 60,000 jobs at risk. Below is an extract of an article written by Buchanan.
''From sunrise to sundown, every season, these farmers have seen the destruction that citrus greening has caused since it surfaced in South Florida nearly a decade ago.
They’ve seen the dead roots, the small, discolored fruit, and the drop in production. They’ve watched as family farms, handed down from generation to generation, have spiralled into jeopardy, and later into foreclosure. In fact, right in our district, we have some longtime citrus farms that have even started to plant other crops, like bamboo, to make sure their business stays viable.
In fact, the incurable bacterial disease has caused more than $4 billion in economic damage while eliminating 8,000 jobs, according to a study undertaken four years ago by the University of Florida. And Florida Citrus Mutual, our state’s leading citrus association, estimates that those numbers have doubled in the past four years.
The tens of thousands of employees in the citrus industry are understandably worried.
In September, the U.S. House passed my bill to aid Florida orange growers in their battle against the citrus greening. The Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act was supported by every single member of Congress from Florida; Republican and Democrat alike; which underscores the fact that bipartisan cooperation can still happen in Washington.
There is one roadblock left before this bill can get signed into law: the U.S. Senate. I am hopeful that the Senate will be able to pass this legislation soon so it can get signed into law.
My bill would make it less costly for struggling farmers to replace trees afflicted with citrus greening by lowering the tax burden associated with planting their crop.
Our tax code provides a benefit to farmers that replant diseased trees, but only if they bear the full amount of cost. My bill would let struggling farmers use this deduction even if they bring in investors to raise capital for replanting costs.
Once it’s signed into law, the bill will go a long way toward protecting the livelihoods of the hard-working Floridians in our signature citrus industry.
Read more here: www.bradenton.com
