In 10 years, they'll assure us, that they're 'only importing the citrus the American people won't grow.'
Saturday, August 11, 2001
By LAURA LAYDEN, lllayden@naplesnews.com
Barron Collier Co. has watched the state destroy close to 100,000 citrus trees in its groves because of a disease called canker. Earlier this year, the local grower received $26 from the federal government for every tree it lost. Though that might seem like a lot of money, it didn't begin to make up for the company's production losses — last year, this year or in years to come.
Barron Collier Co. has watched the state destroy close to 100,000 citrus trees in its groves because of a disease called canker.
Earlier this year, the local grower received $26 from the federal government for every tree it lost. Though that might seem like a lot of money, it didn't begin to make up for the company's production losses — last year, this year or in years to come.
A second wave of canker compensation started arriving in grower's mailboxes Monday and should provide some relief, however.
"I think the combination of the two will certainly help," said Tom Jones, director of government affairs for Silver Strand, a Barron Collier Partnership. "It's not going to make us whole by any means, compared to what we've actually lost in trees and production.
Money for production losses for commercial growers became available July 18, and most growers who applied for it should have received their checks this week, said Stacey Peacock, a plant protection and quarantine officer for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, which is doling out the funds.
"We've paid everyone that has applied and had their application in by July 18," he said. "Really, we've processed everything we've gotten in."
State agricultural officials say canker is threatening to wipe out Florida's $9.13 billion citrus industry, and they have launched an aggressive program to stamp it out. To date, more than 1.3 million commercial trees have been destroyed, including more than 872,000 in Collier and Hendry counties.
About 250 growers applied for the tree replacement funds earlier this year, and about 80 percent of those growers made claims for production losses, Peacock said.
Nearly $75 million was made available to compensate growers for tree and production losses, including a direct appropriation of about $58 million. The money hasn't run out yet.
"I know we have about $20 million left," Peacock said. "So we are in good shape at this point."
Claims have ranged from $2,000 to several million dollars, depending on the size of the grove that was affected, he said.
The money is available until Sept. 30 for commercial growers hurt by the state's canker program.
How much a grower collects depends on the type of trees he lost. Grapefruit growers get $3,342 per acre, growers of Valencia oranges and tangerines can collect $6,446 an acre, and lime growers are entitled to $6,503 an acre.
The money is not meant to cover all of a grower's losses. That would be too lucrative, especially for those looking for an excuse to get rid of a grove.
"We are not trying to give them full compensation because that would be an incentive to have canker," Peacock explained.
Growers with younger trees benefit more from the formula used to determine the amount given for production losses. It does not take the age of the trees into account, though mature trees are more valuable because of their productivity.
Barron Collier Co. lost some of its oldest trees to canker, which causes ugly lesions on limbs, leaves and fruit and makes citrus unmarketable as fresh fruit.
"Everything we lost was in full production," Jones said. "I mean, we lost mature trees. They were probably all eight to 20 years old."
Even without the compensation, Barron Collier Co. would have survived, Jones said. That's because the company is one of the state's larger growers, and most of its trees still haven't been hit with canker, he said.
Generally, the state's eradication program calls for all diseased trees, and any trees within 1,900 feet of those trees to be destroyed. That's a tall command, but it has been easier for growers to accept because they knew they were going to be reimbursed for some of their losses.
"I think without the compensation it would have been much harder to participate in the program," Jones said. "I mean you are asking people to destroy tens of thousands of trees. That is a pretty big pill to swallow."
Some commercial growers have waited a long time for help from the federal government. Some claims go back to 1986.
There were hopes the money would come sooner, but it got tied up in red tape.
"Whether or not anyone went broke waiting on the money I have no way of knowing," Jones said. "But I think it's a good program, and it's going to help citrus growers."
Jones fears if the disease is not brought under control it will eventually spread to every tree, and citrus will no longer be grown in the Sunshine State.
Canker has hit some growers harder than others. With the exception of some lime growers in Metro-Dade County, most growers seem to have been able to stay afloat without the federal assistance.
Casey Pace, a spokeswoman for Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest growers' association, said more growers probably would have gone under if it weren't for the compensation program.
"If they didn't get the payment they would probably either go out of business, or sell part of the land in order to pay expenses, such as taxes," she said. "Without an income coming in they would have had to find money from somewhere."
Even with the compensation, some feel there may be companies that could be out of business in a few years because of the losses they've suffered.