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News for citrus growers around the globe
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected that production of all citrus varieties in Morocco will increase in 2025–26 compared to the prior year. TANGERINES/MANDARINS Morocco’s tangerine and mandarin production is forecast to reach 1.15 million metric tons, up 4% from the previous season. The area planted in tangerines and mandarins is 59,115 hectares. Tangerine/mandarin …
Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recently proposed a plan to protect farm and ranchland from the rapid spread of data centers. His proposal focuses on creating federal or state-designated Agriculture Freedom Zones (AFZs) that would use targeted tax incentives to guide data center development into appropriate areas. The goal is to safeguard food production while still supporting growth in technology …
Trees in the cold-hardy citrus region have already experienced severe cold weather in 2026. If forecasts come to fruition this weekend, freezing temperatures will make things worse. Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, discussed the impact of recent sub-freezing temperatures that citrus in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama has been subjected to. …
The February issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine features Part 2 of results from the Citrus State of the Industry Survey. Florida growers reveal details on their planting intentions. Find out what varieties and rootstocks they’re selecting, what percent are growing citrus under protective screen, and other insights. In the digital edition of the magazine, readers can find bonus coverage …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected 2025–26 production and trade volumes for Chinese tangerines/mandarins and pomelos/grapefruit. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS For 2025–26, China’s production of tangerines and mandarins is forecast at 27.1 million metric tons (MMT), a slight increase from 2024–25 largely due to favorable weather conditions. According to USDA FAS, China has 890,100 hectares …
Despite declaring there will be no silver bullet for HLB, Ozgur Batuman in a Jan. 21 virtual seminar said growers using integrated pest management (IPM) tools “can stay productive.” However, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor also warned that producing citrus juice in Florida “will not be easy or cheap.” Oranges are by far …
The 2026 Florida Citrus Show provides great educational opportunities for both citrus and small fruit and vegetable growers. The event is also an excellent opportunity to network with peers and learn about the latest goods and services available from the industry. The trade show portion of the event will be presented again this year in a tailgate format, which has …
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Alisheikh Atta and Edilaine Traspadini Citrus trees require optimal nutrition to be able to maintain high fruit yields, canopy size and good root health. Adequate nutrition supports not only yield and growth, but also tree resilience to disease and environmental stress, which is particularly important in HLB-affected groves. A balanced mix of macronutrients and micronutrients is needed …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Jan. 21 received updates on citrus industry economic issues and appointed a chair and vice-chair. The FCC, whose members are appointed by Florida’s governor, is the governing board for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). ORANGE JUICE (OJ)OJ retail sales trends for the four-week period through Dec. 27, 2025 show the price per …
Fresh orange production in Argentina is forecast at 680,000 metric tons (MT) for 2025–26 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s an 80,000 MT increase from the previous year. Argentine tangerine production is expected to reach 240,000 MT in 2025–26, based on favorable weather. That’s up from 180,000 MT the previous year. PLANTED AREA The …
By Peter Chaires Florida breeding programs have been largely focused on the juice stream in recent years. And for good reasons. Retaining the remaining processing capacity and infrastructure is of paramount importance to support Florida’s orange juice industry. Numerous sweet oranges have been released in hopes of achieving incremental improvements in HLB tolerance while improving juice quality. Likewise, there has …
Agriculture officials on Dec. 30 expanded the Peñitas Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Hidalgo County, Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) took the action. APHIS and TDA expanded the Peñitas quarantine following the Dec. 22 confirmed detection of one Mexfly larva in a tangerine collected …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette As I look back through my past columns, I realize I’ve unintentionally overlooked an organization that played a pivotal role in shaping both my career and my passion for Florida’s citrus industry — the Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA). Dundee CGA generously sponsored me — not once, but twice — in the Florida Citrus Queen Pageant, …
Alico, Inc. on Jan. 15 announced the sale of approximately 2,950 acres of citrus grove in Hendry County for $26.8 million. The company also announced that it has made significant progress in its plans to generate cashflow from its agricultural assets. Those actions have advanced its strategic transformation from traditional citrus operations to a diversified land company. According to Alico, …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has issued a forecast for all Japanese citrus varieties for 2025–26. ORANGES Fresh orange production in Japan remains small and continues a gradual long-term decline as growers reduce investment in minor citrus varieties and prioritize more profitable crops such as mandarins. Orange production is estimated to decrease 4.7% from 4,090 …
In the latest All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, discussed a statewide citrus workshop hosted at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in January. The event provided a day full of educational presentations covering a wide range of topics. Rogers …
Fundecitrus doctoral student Lisseth Bibiana Puentes Figueroa received the Best Paper award in the Agricultural Microbiology category at the XV Brazilian Symposium on Applied Microbiology/VII Latin American Meeting on Applied Microbiology. Figueroa is affiliated with the Graduate Program in Agricultural Microbiology at the Luiz de Queiroz College of Agriculture/University of São Paulo (ESALQ/USP) and is supervised by Fundecitrus researcher Franklin …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a statewide citrus grower workshop in mid-January at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. The event offered a full day of education covering a wide range of topics, including management of pests, diseases, weeds and nutrients. Ute Albrecht, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant physiology, provided …
Sponsored Content Question: Are there any updates on the performance of ReMedium TI® and citrus yield improvements? Answer: We are hearing from growers about groves in central and southern Florida where they are observing HLB recovery. I am getting reports from growers that have been steadfast users of ReMedium TI® that seem to be in agreement with much of the …
In the recent Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) newsletter, Riley McKenna discussed conditions in groves, shrinking infrastructure and the importance of block grant funding. GROVE OBSERVATIONS McKenna, HCCGA president, stated that “faint hints of March bloom are already beginning to fill the air.” He added that the weather shows little indication of stabilizing or slowing tree growth, “which could …
