The Highlands County Youth Citrus Project is a 4-H program that teaches 8- to 18-year-old students how to successfully grow citrus in Florida.
Thirty-four citrus trees (Valencia on C-54 Carpenter) were entered into the program this year. All of the trees were grown in a protective cover and tested by the state of Florida. The orange trees will be on display at the Highlands County Fair in the ag pavilion through Feb. 13.
This year’s winners of the Highlands County Youth Citrus Project were announced on Feb. 6 at the fair. Samantha Goodwin’s tree was crowned Grand Champion. Maci Albritton was honored with the Reserve Grand Champion award for her tree. These two trees will be sold during the livestock auction at the Highlands County Fair at 6:00 p.m. on Feb. 13.
The remaining trees will be for sale through a silent auction at the fair. Bids can be placed on sheets by each tree.
If you don’t need any trees, but would like to make a contribution to the young people in the program, contact Highlands County Extension director and citrus agent Laurie Hurner at lhurner@ufl.edu or 863-402-6540.