Orange and green

Re “Orange plague closes in on state,” Dec. 22

Thanks for the informative piece on citrus greening and its impact on Brazil, Florida and potentially every citrus-producing state.

The citrus growers of Florida aren’t counting on federal funds to quarantine this disease. As a director of the Florida Citrus Commission and a member of Florida Citrus Mutual, I’ve supported directing up to $20 million of industry tax dollars toward finding a cure. We can’t wait for someone else to solve this problem.

California growers seem to think they can keep greening out of their state. I would wager that’s a monumental mistake. With the insect that carries the disease currently in San Diego County, it’s only a matter of time before the disease reaches California’s citrus groves, to devastating effect.

Florida will soon propose to California, Texas and Arizona a federal marketing order for research funds to eradicate greening. We ask for the support of the growers of these states. California can either continue its sure-to-fail “stop it at the border” effort, or it can show industry leadership by joining us in an effort that would benefit all citrus growers in the U.S.

Wesley W. Brumback

Oveido, Fla.