planting

CRAFT Program Promotes New Planting and Knowledge

Daniel Cooper CRAFT, planting, Research

Since its founding in 2019, the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program has been responsible for the planting of just under 10,000 acres of new trees. This includes about 6,000 acres of solid-set groves and just shy of 4,000 acres of resets. CRAFT is a first-of-its-kind program and considered an innovation among funding agencies needed to support such efforts. …

cycle 2

California’s CRaFT Accepting Cycle 2 Applications

Daniel Cooper California Corner, Psyllids

California’s Citrus Research and Field Trials (CA-CRaFT) program is now accepting Cycle 2 applications from commercial growers. This initiative aims to showcase the efficacy of additional control measures against the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). ACP is the carrier of the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus bacterium causing huanglongbing (HLB) disease in citrus. For Cycle 2, applications will be accepted until program capacity …

CRAFT program

Update on Florida’s CRAFT Program

Daniel Cooper CRAFT, Florida Department of Citrus

Florida’s Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) board of directors recently approved a slate of Cycle 5 solid set Program for Expedited Propagation (PEP) projects following recommendations from the Technical Working Group. Eleven projects totaling 455 acres were approved. Projects will focus on comparisons of five scions (Parson Brown, Roble, Carney 2, Carney 3 and Donaldson) on the same rootstock. …

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CRAFT Updates Requirements and Expands Eligibility

Daniel Cooper CRAFT

Cycle 5 of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) new tree planting program remains open for applications until 5:00 p.m. on Nov. 30. The application can be found online here.  An update has been made to the general rules, expanding the acreage of eligible projects from a maximum of 100 acres to a maximum of 250 acres. As a reminder, there is no …

CRAFT Public Dashboard Offers a Look at Trials and Results

Josh McGill CRAFT, Research

By Tina Buice The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program was created in 2019. Its work was centered on the mission of moving lab and research solutions into groves for commercial-scale field trials, collecting data on those trials and creating an integrated data management solution to present the results. Four years later, with more than 10,000 acres of new …

Keller Is CRAFT Scientific Coordinator

Josh McGill CRAFT

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation recently hired Carisa Keller to serve as the organization’s scientific coordinator. The Highlands County resident previously worked as director of sustainability for Alico. “As CRAFT continues to grow, it’s imperative that we continue to build a team that is ready and able to support the demands of the program,” said CRAFT Executive …

How to Access CRAFT Grower Data

Josh McGill CRAFT, HLB Management, Research

The Citrus Research and Field Trial Foundation, Inc. (CRAFT) has a website with a public dashboard that houses the data that participating growers have submitted. A recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension newsletter included an article describing how to access the data from the CRAFT grower field trials. The article, summarized here, was written …

CRAFT Reopens Existing Tree Therapies Program

Josh McGill CRAFT, planting

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has reopened the application window for its Existing Tree Therapies Program. Applications will be accepted until 5 p.m. on Aug. 31. Participants will be selected through a random lottery, administered by a third-party entity. The program is designed to provide the industry with a better understanding of the best use patterns, combinations …

CRAFT Update Provided at Citrus Industry Conference

Josh McGill CRAFT, HLB Management

During the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference earlier this month, Tamara Wood, executive director of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation, gave an update on a new phase of the CRAFT program. Started in 2019, CRAFT was initially focused on new plantings. The program helps growers cover the cost of new plantings if they agree to an experimental …

CRAFT Introduces Existing Tree Therapies Program

Josh McGill CRAFT

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has announced a new Existing Tree Therapies Program for Florida citrus growers. The program is designed to provide the citrus industry with a better understanding of the best use patterns, combinations and timing of newly developed therapies. Therapies eligible for the program show promise in restoring health and improving juice quality and quantity, …

CRAFT Application Deadline Extended

Josh McGill CRAFT, planting, Research

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation has extended the deadline for CRAFT Cycle Four to Dec. 31 at 5 p.m. It made the extension in response to multiple requests. The foundation recognized that many Florida citrus growers have had to shift their focus and time for the past couple of months to deal with hurricane recovery. GROWER INCENTIVESCRAFT …

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Apply for CRAFT Cycle 4

Josh McGill CRAFT, Research

The Citrus Research and Field Trial Foundation (CRAFT) is accepting applications online for Cycle 4 of the program. All applications must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Nov. 30, 2022. CRAFT Cycle 4 will continue the practice established in Cycles 1–3 of partnering with Florida citrus growers to evaluate the effectiveness and economic feasibility of various HLB mitigation …

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CRDF Funds CRAFT and Pest Projects

Josh McGill CRAFT, CRDF, Research

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) was able to hold its September board of directors meeting just prior to Hurricane Ian. During the meeting, CRDF awarded funding for Cycle Four of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. This will allow for another round of investments in grower-led research projects. “Kristen Carlson, Tamara Wood, the Technical Working Group …

CRAFT Adds Assistant Program Manager

Josh McGill CRAFT

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation recently hired Tina Buice as assistant program manager. The Highlands County resident had previously worked for nearly two decades at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS DPI). She was most recently an environmental specialist in the FDACS DPI Avon Park office. Through her work with …

CRAFT Cycle 4 Coming Soon

Josh McGill CRAFT, Florida, planting

The application window for Cycle 4 of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program is expected to open in early October and remain open for a period of 60 days. Projects approved for year four of the CRAFT program in Florida will have a planting deadline of June 2024. CRAFT is working to finalize a presentation of factors of …

California CRaFT Project Targets Psyllids

Josh McGill California Corner, Psyllids, Research

All commercial citrus producers in California are invited to apply for participation in the Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) California-focused Citrus Research and Field Trials (CA-CRaFT) project. The overarching goal of CA-CRaFT is to demonstrate the effects of additional mitigations on Asian citrus psyllid control within commercial citrus groves across the various citrus-growing regions in California. The project is supported by …

Florida Growers Detail CRAFT Projects

Josh McGill Citrus, Florida

There has been quite a bit of interest in the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) program. During the Florida Citrus Show held in Fort Pierce in late January, a panel of citrus growers discussed projects they have been approved to conduct under CRAFT. Tamara Wood, executive director of the CRAFT Foundation, moderated the panel and provided an update on …

What CRAFT Wants for Cycle III

Ernie Neff CRAFT

Five Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Technical Working Group leaders on Aug. 31 discussed the types of projects they’d like to see CRAFT Cycle III growers pursue. The types of projects the leaders expressed interest in will, to some extent, fill gaps in knowledge expected to be gained from previous cycles. CRAFT pays Florida growers to plant trees on …

Growers Discuss CRAFT Projects

Ernie Neff Research

Four Florida growers recently discussed efforts they’ll take to cope with HLB in plantings subsidized by the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. Their comments were part of a virtual educational session sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Florida Citrus Mutual. CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said the projects discussed were among 103 funded …