The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) recently announced financial assistance is available to eligible Texas citrus growers for the removal of trees afflicted with Huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening, and for replanting groves with new healthy stock, according to The Monitor.
The support comes through USDA’s Tree Assistance Program (TAP).
Texas’ commercial crops of oranges and grapefruit are almost entirely located in the Lower Rio Grande Valley. The Texas citrus industry supports almost 6,000 jobs and has an economic impact of $189 million annually.
Currently, six Texas counties are under quarantine for HLB: Cameron, Fort Bend, Harris, Hidalgo, Montgomery and Willacy. In addition to these six Texas counties, the entire states of Florida and Georgia, as well as portions of California, Louisiana and South Carolina, are under quarantine for HLB.
Click here for more information on TAP or contact your local county FSA office.