Crop production is only half the battle for citrus growers in the cold-hardy citrus region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. The other half is knowing where that crop is headed once it is harvested.
Bill Barber, Ag Services LLC and Certified Crop Adviser, stressed to growers during a recent citrus meeting that they should have a marketing strategy in place before they even plant their first trees.
“Not that the plan will stay 100% true, but at least if you have a plan you can modify that as you go to fit the circumstances. So many people have not thought about it at all. They just stand there with a tremendous crop, saying, ‘What do I do now?’” said Barber at the recent Cold Hardy Citrus Workshop at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension office in Perry.
A positive development for growers in the cold hardy citrus region is crop demand remains high, even as additional trees continue to be planted, especially throughout South Georgia.
“Florida packinghouses seem to be anxious to get some of the fruit. Satsumas are a little bit of a wild card. They handle differently in the processing and travel to the plant. But all indications are that it’s going to be just fine,” Barber said.
Cold-hardy citrus growers are projected to start harvesting during the last couple of weeks in October, barring any negative impacts from Hurricane Milton. Citrus growers should be mindful, though, that crop management strategies will need to be implemented up until the first fruits are plucked from the trees.
“Some folks think this is an eight- or nine-month per year proposition. There’s something going on in the grove 12 months out of the year,” Barber said.
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