Working toward rapid, inexpensive, environmentally friendly cures for HLB/citrus greening
Growers are demanding accountability for $180 million spent on research that hasn’t found a solution to citrus greening, Center Square Florida reports. “Florida citrus growers are pushing back against a tax they’ve been paying to fund research they argue hasn’t, and doesn’t, benefit them. Over
As if reviewing the CRDF’s 13 years of failures – including a wasteful bid to fund Monsanto-Bayer to create genetically modified citrus trees – COO Rick Dantzler assures growers that he really does have a strategy and isn’t “simply chasing the latest shiny thing.” Writing
Facing his failure to protect Florida citrus against HLB/citrus greening, CRDF’s Rick Dantzler denies to the Florida Citrus Mutual board that he has been blowing growers’ money on the “research-industrial complex.” Dantzler has been stung by criticism over his close ties to Germany’s Monsanto-Bayer conglomerate,
CRDF leader Rick Dantzler’s tally of the destruction of Florida citrus since 2009, as reported by Citrus Industry: 100,000 acres of Florida citrus groves have disappeared, from 451,100 to 351,057 acres. Orange production is destroyed, from 133,700,000 boxes to 51,700,000 boxes. Grapefruit production has practically
The Florida leaders entrusted with saving the state’s endangered citrus groves discussed waging a government-funded campaign to convince growers, packers, processors, and customers to accept GMOs as real “oranges.” The proposal pushes for the official re-definition of “orange juice” to include juice from synthetic strains
No back-room deals at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation while Rick Dantzler is in charge. At least that’s what Dantzler, a lawyer-politician veteran of Florida’s political back-room deals for years, told the CRDF board of directors at its April 28 meeting. Stung by intensifying
The most costly project of the group created to save Florida citrus farmers has been a wasteful disaster. It produced nothing, wasted un-recoverable time, and allowed the HLB citrus greening disease to spread. Even worse, after three years and $12.3 million, the Citrus Research and
The State of Florida is expected to provide about $8 million in appropriated taxpayer funds to the controversial Citrus Research and Defense Foundation. We think that the state should wait until CRDF under Rick Dantzler cleans up its act. CRDF has what many citrus farmers
For three years, the CRDF has been paying millions of dollars to a German multinational with no results to show in the fight against citrus greening. Now CRDF is hoping for Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to give it another $8 million this year, while failing
“In 2009, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (CRDF) was formed to coordinate citrus research funding in the face of huanglongbing (HLB, also known as ‘citrus greening’),” the CRDF says on its website. “While it addresses the full array of citrus research needs, CRDF