**Hope for Florida citrus growers in a new tax law designed to help that state’s battered industry bounce back from the one-two punch of the citrus greening disease HLB and Hurricane Irma.

According to growingproduce.com, State Congressman Vern Buchanan wrote the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act that allows a 100% deduction for lost trees in the first year instead of depreciating the cost over 14 years.

Meanwhile, he’s working to revive a disaster relief plan to orange growers impacted by Irma.

**A reprieve may be on the way for Agricultural truckers from the electronic logging device requirement.

The Western Livestock Journal reports the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration published a proposed rule last month in the Federal Register to exempt members of the

Ag Retailers Association from the ELD requirement.

They had received a 90-day exemption back on November 20th.

**American Farm Bureau President Zippy Duvall kicked off his organization’s annual meeting by showing his appreciation for the new political climate in Washington.

Taking the stage at the Farm Bureau convention in Nashville, Duvall rattled off a list of accomplishments in President Donald Trump’s first year on the job, but still called on Congress and the administration to improve the status quo on trade, immigration, and farm policy.

Duvall tells Agri-Pulse, “President Trump has put a team in place that is getting good things done for farmers and ranchers.”

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