During the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference, Ned Hancock was presented with the Citrus Achievement Award trophy during a special ceremony at the event’s industry luncheon. Hancock was selected as this year’s winner for his years of dedicated service to the industry and optimism that the industry will overcome HLB and other challenges.
In his acceptance speech, Hancock spent much of his time recognizing other leaders in the industry, including Florida Citrus Mutual, the Florida Department of Citrus and the Citrus Research and Development Foundation.
Hancock also recognized some of the younger generation of growers who were in attendance and said they were going to be an integral part of the future. He added that all of the people who make up the industry will be needed to win the fight against HLB.
“For this deal to work, we all gotta go,” Hancock said of the industry. “And we gotta go hard. I genuinely appreciate the effort and the time that those people are making for us on our behalf, which sometimes go unnoticed, because it often is behind the scenes. We can’t do this without you.”
Florida Senate President Ben Albritton was named Legislator of the Year by Florida Citrus Mutual during the luncheon as well. Albritton was the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award winner. He was unable to attend last year’s award ceremony due to a special session in Tallahassee, so the crowd gave an extra ovation for his award recognition.
The Citrus Achievement Award, now in its 26th year, has honored a distinguished group of leaders over the years. It has become one of the premier recognitions given in Florida’s citrus industry. The award is presented by AgNet Media with support from TJ BioTech.
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