Georgia’s citrus industry started with the help of University of Georgia (UGA) Extension. Research assistance from UGA could help the industry flourish.
Georgia citrus growers will have an opportunity to vote on a marketing order that will help fund potential research, explains Ken Corbett, chairman of the Georgia Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits and a producer at Corbett Brothers Farms in Lake Park, Georgia.
“We’re sending out ballots, and it’s two-tenths of 1 cent per pound. That’s what we’re assessing at,” Corbett said. “If you do the math on a fully producing grove, that’s probably a little higher assessment than other commodities do for the same thing. But we’re new and we really need to try to get some research started on citrus.”
Research would assist trees that account for about 4,000 acres throughout South Georgia.
“Most of the established commodities in Georgia already have a commodity commission. Most of them use it for research. We’re committed to using this for research,” Corbett said. “Georgia is new to citrus. We really don’t have any research done on citrus in Georgia. All of our major research that we have comes out of Florida, and Florida has a whole different environment than us growing this type of cold-hardy citrus that we produce. We really need to support research to help this industry grow. It’s not a small backyard thing anymore. It’s actually a thriving industry.”
Georgia citrus growers will soon receive ballots in the mail to vote yes or no to the marketing order, which would be for three years, beginning July 1, 2024, and ending June 30, 2027. The marketing order applies to all citrus growers that produce or have the potential to produce 50,000 pounds that is commercially packed and marketed annually.
Share this Post
About the Author
Sponsored Content