FLORIDA CITRUS PRODUCTION RESEARCH ADVISORY COUNCIL
Administered by the Florida Department of
Agriculture and Consumer Services
Bob Crawford, Commissioner

SEVENTH ANNUAL REPORT
July 1998 - June 1999

Introduction | Chairman's Message | Scientific Coordinator's Message | Funding Overview | Research Reports | 1999/2000 FUNDED PROJECTS | FCPRAC Contents Page

Table of Contents (for print copy) Page (s)

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INTRODUCTION

Presented in this Seventh Annual Annual Report is information about research conducted during Fiscal Year 1998-99 supported by the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council operating under the Florida Citrus Production Research Funding Order. This research support program was established under the Florida Marketing Act which enables Florida citrus growers to tax themselves for the purpose of providing funding to support needed research. Growers approved this marketing order by referendum in 1991 and the Council began its work in 1992.

FINANCIAL SUMMARY for FISCAL YEAR 1998-99

Balance Forward 7-1-98.............................. $1,817,406.98

Collections 7-1-98 thru 6-30-99........................ 959,548.56

Refunds................................................... 1,056.88

Total Cash.......................................... $2,778,012.42

Disbursements

Research Projects................................... $1,432,878.00

Administrative Cost*.................................... 43,162.41

Total Disbursements................................. $1,476,040.41

Available for 1999-2000............................. $1,301,972.01

*Administrative costs include Scientific Coordinator salary, Project Peer Review Team expenses, travel, postage and supplies. (3% of funds expended).

CHAIRMAN'S MESSAGE
December 31, 1999

Dear Florida Citrus Grower:

As we move into a new millennium, we find the citrus industry and citrus research in a period of change. Along with change comes opportunities to move in new directions to maintain Florida's superior rating and thus compete in the present global market. If we hope to survive as agricultural producers, we must stay on the cutting edge of available technology.

The Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council (FCPRAC) has completed its seventh year under the grower-approved Florida Citrus Production Research Funding Order. The assessment to raise funds for citrus production research projects has been maintained at 4/10 cent per box for FY 1999/00. Administrative costs this year are at 3%, largely due to support of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Further savings are provided by the University of Florida - IFAS and USDA - ARS because they have waived normal overhead costs on all our projects.

Collections for FY 1998-99 totalled $959,548.
Funding for research projects was $1,447,878
Funding was provided for 51 projects selected from 54 proposals.
This includes: 16 - entomology $355,208
14 - plant pathology $453,379
17 - management/physiology $462,291
4 - plant improvement/other $177,000

Thus far, FCPRAC has directed over $7,400,000 in funding for 256 new and continued Florida citrus production research projects. These monies have enhanced citrus research, much of which would have gone undone without this program.

Your Council members (listed on previous page) have an awesome responsibility but equally great privilege to direct the future of Florida citrus research. Committee members have diligently strived to maintain a high standard through many hours of donated time.

In the near future, we hope to take statewide audits of grower organizations on production priorities and work to coordinate those into short and long term research goals. This coordination becomes increasingly important as budgets are stretched. Please make your concerns and suggestions known to the Council, so we can continue to improve our procedures.

Andrew B. Pike
FCPRAC Chairman

A Message from the FCPRAC Scientific Coordinator
December 31, 1999

Florida citrus growers have now invested nearly $7.5 million over the seven year life of the Florida Citrus Production Research Marketing Order. While this seems like a lot of money, the amount collected pales when compared to the myriad other taxes collected from growers for other purposes. The amount collected each year and provided to researchers is but a fraction of the money required to run research programs. The balance is made up by the institutions receiving the grant since they are paying the investigators' salaries and providing the infrastructure for them to work in. Each dollar provided through this marketing order is leveraged substantially - often at a ratio as high as 10:1. This represents a good return on investment for the Florida citrus grower, or as I like to say - "more bang for your buck."

Because of the marketing order and the tax collected through it (currently set at 4/10 of a cent per box), research is now emerging more rapidly and scientists are working on problems of the highest priority for Florida's citrus growers. The 14-member Council assures that your tax dollars are spent wisely. As always, the Council and I welcome suggestions for improvement and ideas on how to make our efforts more productive.

This annual report lists last year's efforts for researchers funded with your box tax dollars through the end of June, 1999. We hope you will find time to study the report and find the information to be of value.

Larry K. Jackson
Scientific Coordinator

FLORIDA CITRUS PRODUCTION FUNDING OVERVIEW
The Council views the monies invested through this program to be contributed by growers to enhance the existing research effort. In order to assure growers that their tax monies are in fact enhancing programs, the Council monitors overall citrus production research expenditures in relation to our funding. This section provides a summary of information received from IFAS and USDA-ARS regarding their research expenditures. The Council has not verified this information, and because we have not established firm definitions of each aspect of the research, we may see some adjustments in the future. Most of this information has not been presented in this form before. The Council can only provide this information because of the candid disclosures of the research institutions. We appreciate their openness and cooperation.





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