IMG Citrus, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has acquired J&J Fresh Produce assets. These assets, also located in Vero Beach, include a new 185,000-square-foot cold storage and packaging facility and 1,000 acres of farmland in the Delta Farms Water Control District. “This is an exciting acquisition and a key component of our growth strategy,” said Melanie Ressler, co-chief executive officer …
IMG Citrus Launches YELLOS Grapefruit
IMG Citrus announced the launch of the YELLOS Florida grapefruit brand and specialty product. “Although considered a new product on the U.S. market, the YELLOS grapefruit variety is in fact Florida’s original, heirloom grapefruit and the white-fleshed counterpart of the well-known Florida Ruby Red grapefruit,” the company stated. According to a press release, YELLOS are harvested from mature groves more …
IMG Citrus Buys 2,500-Acre Grove
IMG Citrus, a citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, recently bought a 2,500-acre grove in Charlotte County. The grove increases the company’s control of citrus land management in Florida by 27%; it now has 11,387 acres. The property was acquired from the Packers of Indian River. The grove was originally planted in the 1990s and known as …
IMG Citrus Celebrates 40 Years in Business
IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, is celebrating 40 years in business. The business began in 1979 when Michel Sallin, IMG Citrus president, traveled to Florida seeking investment opportunities in agriculture. Sallin and his wife Veronique’s first investment, 72 acres of Hamlin orange groves in Manatee County, would become the beginning …
Sales Leadership Changes at IMG Citrus
IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer, importer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, announced the upcoming retirement of Vice President, Veronique Sallin, after 40 years with the company. Sallin’s retirement will officially begin at the end of the 2019-2020 Florida citrus season. The company further announces the promotion of Sydney Allison to the role of director of sales. …
IMG Citrus Invests in Packinghouse
IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, has invested $1.5 million into its packinghouse processing line. The company added a state-of-the-art electronic fruit grader, the Global Scan 7, manufactured in France. The new sorter has the ability to precisely capture 120 images per fruit and up to 120 fruit per second in …
Haffield Reprises Role at IMG Citrus
IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, renamed Todd Haffield as director of packinghouse operations. He previously held this role with the company from 2010 to 2017. Haffield has been with IMG Citrus since 1999 in various logistics and sales roles in addition to his director position. He contributed to many operational improvements, …
IMG Citrus Adds 4,000-Acre Grove to Portfolio
The future of Florida citrus is bright. IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, announced the acquisition of one of the largest grapefruit groves in St. Lucie County. The 4,000-acre grove increases IMG’s control of citrus land management in Florida by over 75 percent, securing the company’s position as an established citrus leader …
Psyllid Control Discussed at South African Citrus Symposium
Researchers Marcelo Miranda and Haroldo Volpe with Brazil’s Fundecitrus discussed control of the HLB-spreading psyllid during a recent visit to a South African research symposium and accompanying events. During the Citrus Research Symposium in Drakensberg, Miranda discussed studies developed at Fundecitrus on the management of the HLB-spreading psyllid (Diaphorina citri). In South Africa, HLB is caused by a bacteria different …
Citrus Executive Named Chair of Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has named Steven Callaham, chief executive officer of Dundee Citrus Growers Association, as its chair for 2024–26. “Steven Callaham has long been a driving force in Florida’s citrus industry. His leadership, vision and dedication have strengthened the resilience and future success of the agricultural community,” said FFVA President Mike Joyner. “With his commitment …
Big Year Expected for Diverse Georgia Citrus Crop
Georgia’s citrus industry is growing and so are the diverse varieties producers are planting every year. Jake Price, University of Georgia citrus agent, said at the Citrus Grower’s Summer Update meeting last week in Valdosta that there were 4,400 citrus acres planted in South Georgia. At approximately 145 trees per acre, this equates to about 638,000 trees. What started out …
HLB Incidence Exceeds 44% in Brazil’s Citrus Belt
Fundecitrus’ annual survey of HLB in Brazil indicates that disease incidence rose from 38.06% in 2023 to 44.35% in 2024 throughout the Citrus Belt of São Paulo and Triângulo/Southwest Mineiro. This is the seventh consecutive year of growth for the disease. HLB was found in approximately 90.36 million trees. In total, there are 203.74 million orange trees throughout the Citrus …
Florida Citrus Gained Ground in 2023–24
The value and production of Florida citrus both rose in the 2023–24 season. The $221 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2023–24 crop is 6% more than the $208 million revised value for 2022–23. All citrus production in 2023–24 is 20.2 million boxes, up 12% from the previous season’s 18.1 million boxes. The figures were reported in the 2023–24 Citrus …
HLB and Psyllids in Georgia Commercial Citrus
One of Georgia citrus growers’ worst fears is slowly becoming a reality. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), was observed in a Georgia commercial citrus grove for the first time in 2023. This is alarming news for the industry, says Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist. “We knew HLB was here in residential …
Syngenta Seeks Citrus Interns for Summer
Syngenta Crop Protection has announced it is accepting applications for its summer 2025 citrus internship program. These are paid internships offering hands-on experience in the agriculture industry. Applications can be made online. Applicants should complete the survey and upload their resumes here. The deadline for applying is Nov. 8, 2024. ABOUT THE INTERNSHIPS Interns are assigned to mentors and territories …
Citrus Nutrient Management Recommendations Continue to Evolve
When HLB arrived in Florida, it changed the world for citrus growers, and a lot of other things had to change with it. One of the biggest changes has been how growers manage their fertilizer programs. The nutrient recommendations that had been developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) before HLB became outdated because …
Risk of Citrus Floral Rot in Brazil
Brazil’s Fundecitrus recently issued an alert about the risk of citrus floral rot during the current citrus flowering period. Citrus flowering periods must be on growers’ radar to avoid damage to orchards caused by citrus floral rot, also known as starlet. Attention must be doubled, especially if the flowering coincides with rainy periods, a determining factor in the occurrence of …
Fundecitrus Researchers Participate in Northeast Citrus Show
Fundecitrus researchers Silvio Lopes and Wellington Ivo Eduardo participated recently in the second edition of the Northeast Citrus Show in Aracaju, Brazil. Lopes gave a lecture on the two main Brazilian citrus diseases: citrus variegated chlorosis (CVC) and citrus greening. “In the orchards of Bahia and Sergipe, greening has not yet been detected, but there are psyllids,” Lopes reported. He …
Seeking the Finest of the Florida Citrus Industry
Nominations are being sought by Nov. 1 for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Eligible nominees are distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry in any of the following fields: pioneering, harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, science or education. Nomination forms are available by contacting Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Executive Director Brenda …
The Future of Citrus
By Rob Gilbert, ragilber@ufl.edu Last month I went to Lake Alfred for a look at the future of the citrus industry. You’ll like what I saw. BREEDING EFFORTS What I saw first was a lab focused on finding an HLB-tolerant tree that has doubled in size since my last visit to the Citrus Research and Education Center. Nian Wang can …