Working toward rapid, inexpensive, environmentally friendly cures for HLB/citrus greening
Citrus greening wipes out yet another family farm. Frank Green’s 100-acre grove in Alva, a family operation since 1890, has torn out one-third of its citrus groves and is burning the trees. Nearby, Joe English has destroyed 200 acres of his citrus groves, which the
Having poured most of its resources into expensive Monsanto-Bayer projects to fight citrus greening, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation plans to let Florida’s citrus groves die out and replace them with genetically engineered seeds from Bayer. That’s our reading of a series of statements
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
Genetic modification of citrus appears to be the top priority for Rick Dantzler and Florida’s Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), according to the discussion at today’s CRDF board meeting. Foundation COO Rick Dantzler says he’s committed to keeping the Monsanto-Bayer project alive, even though
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
In just two days, more than 3.5 million people saw the Sun-Sentinel article about how CRDF has prevented large-scale testing of an inexpensive, off-the-shelf fertilizer that shows signs of helping citrus trees infected by HLB disease. This count relates only to people who saw the
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
There might be a cure for citrus greening, says a columnist in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. Here’s what the March 26 story says: “Part of the CRDF’s failure was its refusal for years to consider a potential rapid, low-cost solution repeatedly offered for testing. Instead,
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) is part of the problem, according to an op-ed in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “After spending $150 million in taxpayer- and industry-funded research to defeat HLB, CRDF has failed” to get any closer to saving Florida citrus from