Hancock Honored With Citrus Achievement Award

Some of Ned Hancock’s earliest memories illustrate what set him on the path to become a citrus grower. His grandfather would pick him up on Saturdays with some tasks to complete in the groves. Then his father awakened his entrepreneurial spirit in his early teens.

“My dad had bought a piece of land that had some old seedling orange trees,” Hancock says. “He told me and my two cousins that we could pick them and haul them to Wauchula, where someone would buy them. We thought we were going to be rich.

“At the end of the day, with our skills as fruit pickers, I think we made $25 split three ways. In 1970, that was okay, but we were not getting rich. At the same time, we probably had a little more fun than we should have that day, and there was something there that I found I really liked to do. I enjoyed being outside and working with the people in the industry. My earliest memories are of the people. It was not just your grove — it was always neighbors wanting to talk about what was going on in their groves. For a younger kid, it was a way to be part of adult conversations and part of the community.”

That early passion led Hancock to pursue citrus as a career, growing what was a fairly small citrus operation into a larger part of the family business over the years. During that time, he also chose to serve his fellow growers and the citrus industry, taking on leadership roles in various associations and organizations that advocate for the advancement of the state’s signature crop.

For that service, Hancock is being honored as the 2026 Citrus Achievement Award winner. Service to the industry during the HLB years has been particularly important. He says it’s a way to stay connected with the people who make up this one-of-a-kind industry, and that connection is a reward in and of itself.

Read the rest of the article and watch a video about Hancock shown at the Citrus Achievement Award presentation last week at the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference.