1 Farm Bill – USDA - NIFA Citrus Disease Sub-Committee May 20, 2014 – Washington, DC 2 We need Bactericides, NOW !!

Farm Bill - Citrus Disease Sub-Committee Purpose  For the five year $125mm Farm Bill Funding…….. Under the EMERGENCY Citrus Disease & Research Program Administered by NIFA ( National Institute of Food & Ag) Competitive Grant process Establish Research and Extension Priorities for that funding… Timing : Solicit grants by Fall 2014 …. Award grants by Winter 2015…. First Deliverables by Spring 2016…..

Farm Bill – USDA - NIFA Citrus Disease Sub-Committee May 20, 2014 – in DC 9 - Stakeholder Members  5 Florida Committee Members  Joe Davis  David Howard  Tom Jerkins ( Chair )  Ricke Kress  Matt McLean  3 California Members  1 Texas Member

Farm Bill CDS Process Done Doing Now Relevancy Board & Scientific Board Award by Winter 2015

Farm Bill Relevance Reviewers Selected from : Stakeholders ( ongoing now) (to validate the CDS Prioritization) 1.Persons directly involved in the growing, packing and processing of citrus, and ( cannot be any of the CDS Members) 2.Persons representing above in trade or other professional associations

Farm Bill - CDS Set Priorities  Scored by all Members as Critical vs Important vs Nice to Know  Results – Ranking by Highest Priority ( 9 highest Score) :  ALL US: 1.Bactericides (9) 2. Antibacterial Therapy and Delivery Systems (9) 3. Fast Track Regulatory Approval (8) 4.Resistant rootstocks and scions (8) 5.Maintain existing (pesticide) registrations (7) 6.ACP control (7)

Farm Bill - CDS Set Priorities – more CDS Recognized REGIONAL Priorities California/Texas: Early Detection: HLB & ACP Florida Premature Fruit Drop

Farm Bill CDS Expectations - think continuum  Deliverables in 2016 is a long way off for Florida…….  ….but can dovetail into results in the process pipeline coming through existing funding and schedule of CRDF, and  ….can dovetail into one year Priority $21mm of the MAC funding  ….can deliver useful long term benefits if we can bridge the gap to 2016 with CRDF and MAC - and Private Sector deliverables…..continuum

We need Bactericides, NOW !! Projected

We need Bactericides, NOW !!  Mission Statement of CRDF: May 2009 “Advance Research and product development activities to ensure the survival and competitiveness of Florida citrus growers through innovation.”

We need Bactericides, NOW !!  With Mission, our 2009 Strategic Goal: June 2009 “…Save this generation of trees, employees and growers”

We need Bactericides, NOW !!  How are we doing against our Mission and Strategic Goal ? Sadly……. we are failing we are loosing trees, employees and growers by the month…… We are loosing market share, infrastructure and political clout In 2003/4 we had 683k bearing acres with 294mm boxes In 2009 ( CRDF begins) we had 535k bearing acres with 192mm boxes In 2014, we have 450 bearing acres with 129mm boxes Against 2003/04: ( 10 Yrs ) we now have 66% of acres and 44% of yield

We need Bactericides, NOW !!  …and, Its worse than it looks - -  The increasing costs are wiping out margins, driving up break even pricing and driving away consumers……  With the fruit and income loss, the underlying wealth and equity of the remaining groves is eroding nearly as fast as the rate of grove losses.  That wealth and equity is critical to any redevelopment of new groves.  Replanting is too risky without assurances that bactericides will exist, as both ACP and HLB together have proved too formidable of a vectored disease. We need Bactericides, NOW !!

 ……If we are going to survive long enough to benefit from longer term discoveries, innovations and products…..

We need Bactericide s, NOW !!  ……If we are going to survive long enough to benefit from longer term discoveries, innovations and products…..  …… Not to the exclusion of longer term genetic solutions, that will ultimately lower costs.

We need Bactericide s, NOW !!  ……If we are going to survive long enough to benefit from longer term discoveries, innovations and products…..  ……Not to the exclusion of longer term genetic solutions, that will ultimately lower costs.  ……Bactericide S: We need a pipeline, a flow of bactericides that will improve efficacy and minimize resistance

We need Bactericides, NOW !! Bactericides come in many forms: 1.( not just)…Traditional Antibiotics ( which We NEED!) 2.Other less known global Ag Antibiotics 3.Inorganic elements or compounds 4.New Molecular Entities 5.Bio-pesticdes ( good microbes) 6.GRAS (EPA’s General Regarded As Safe – fast track compounds) Naturally occurring plant oils 7.Heat: Seemingly awkward now, but No regulatory, No EPA…maybe with engineering???..let’s see….

We need Bactericides, NOW !! Who is listening…who can or will deliver ? 1)CRDF has performed well as a research grant prioritizing and administrating machine, but we’re in new unchartered territory as a Product Development machine….we just aren’t….we’re a Product Development facilitator……. 2)CRDF is quasi-government, and cannot complete or compete at the speed of entrepreneurial and commercial product developers…. 3)CRDF and ALL of us need to reach out to Private Capital…..find Solvers in the Private sector with a PROFIT motive. 4)Our Industry wants to BUY your products……. 5)Call to Solvers: Come here with registered bactericides and make PROFITS ( …..not a dirty word – the only word that will save us. )

We need Bactericides, NOW !! If we want to survive……  Our industry needs to speak with ONE resonating message to :  Our industry trade organizations – all of them, ( Mutual, Gulf, League, Highland's, Peace River) in concert, not distracted by side issues or distracting theories…….. this is a disease, with a real pathogen… it is not a nutritional or pH imbalance  Our Agencies: FDACS, USDA, EPA, FDA and CDC…….  Our Ag Commissioner, our Governor, our State Representatives, our National Delegations…….  Our Brands ( the International Brands that have made Florida citrus juices the world gold standard)……..  Any Private companies and capital that can with RESONATING Industry support develop Products and obtain registrations quickly, and make profits selling products to Florida citrus growers.

We need Bactericides, NOW !! There is Hope….. We do not have to fail…. we can beat this disease… we’re running out of time but we’re close…… ……some of these bactericides may be close enough to matter, and bridge the gap to better bactericides, and then better bactericides, and then maybe genetically resistant plants…… But we need singular focus and ONE MESSAGE: “We need Bactericides, NOW !!”