citrus

Crafting More Details of Florida Citrus Recovery Block Grants

Randall Weiseman Citrus, Weather

irmaLast week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) revealed a $340 million block grant that will go toward Florida citrus growers for Hurricane Irma losses to production expected during the 2018 through the 2020 crop year, reimbursement for the cost of buying and planting replacement trees – including resetting and grove rehabilitation – and for repair of damages to irrigation systems among other things. Hurricane Irma made landfall back in September 2017.

Although this is good news for growers, this means another program will need to be set up to determine how to allocate these funds. USDA’s Rod Bain has the story with the Farm Service Agency’s Acting Administrator Steve Peterson.