Orange Juice Consumption Declining at a Slower Rate

Tacy Callies Global Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves An annual report on global orange juice consumption was recently completed. This report is based on data from CitrusBR (Brazilian Orange Juice Exporters Association), Tetra Pak, Euromonitor International, Planet Retail, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and others. The report was first published in 2004. Decline in orange juice demand has been seen since then. The …

Grower Appreciates Nutrition Test Kit

Ernie Neff Nutrition

Lake Wales citrus grower Marshall Hartley left a recent meeting at the Citrus Research and Education Center with a box containing nutrition sampling materials for his small grove. His was one of 31 boxes passed out as part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Citrus Nutrition Management Program. More growers will pick up boxes …

IPCs for HLB Prevention in Young Trees

Tacy Callies HLB Management

By Fernando Alferez, Susmita Gaire, Ute Albrecht, Ozgur Batuman, Jawwad Qureshi and Mongi Zekri Controlling the Asian citrus psyllid vector of huanglongbing (HLB) is critical, especially in young trees. Reducing HLB incidence is essential for tree survival and productivity under current endemic conditions. Individual protective covers (IPCs) are a novel strategy based on psyllid exclusion by means of a protective …

grapefruit

Grapefruit and Marathon Discussed

Ernie Neff All In For Citrus Podcast, Grapefruit

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeder Fred Gmitter discusses efforts to create a replacement for grapefruit. He also talks about the recently released mandarin variety, Marathon. Gmitter points out that grapefruit is “one of the most sensitive of all the citrus varieties” to HLB dusease and has “taken the greatest hit” in terms of …

forecast

Sparks on Forecast, FDOC Taxes

Ernie Neff Crop Forecast

Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President/CEO Mike Sparks weighs in on the recent Florida citrus crop forecast and explains why Mutual currently opposes a Florida Department of Citrus tax increase. “I have mixed emotions on the crop estimate,” Sparks says. “The 74 million boxes (of oranges) is good news. It shows that the industry’s starting to recover.” On the other …

guide

Production Guide: What’s New

Ernie Neff Production

The three editors of the new Florida Citrus Production Guide recently told growers at a meeting in Sebring what’s new in the guide this year. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) produced the guide. Megan Dewdney, a UF/IFAS plant pathologist, addresses new information provided about diseases. New items include the addition of a chemical for …

citrus

Citrus Growers Expected to See Production Bump

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, Industry News Release

Florida’s struggling citrus industry is projected to see a 3.3 percent increase in production in the newly started growing season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture, in its first citrus forecast for the 2019-2020 season that will run through July, projected Florida growers will produce enough oranges to fill 74 million of the industry-standard 90-pound boxes, which would top the 71.6 …

commissioner

Commissioner Fried on the 2019-20 Citrus Forecast

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, Industry News Release

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the initial citrus crop forecast for the 2019-20 season. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement: “Today’s forecast reflects the resilience of Florida’s citrus growers, dedication to the citrus industry and commitment to innovation in the face of challenges. Citrus is Florida’s signature crop, and we’re committed to supporting our citrus …

citrus crop forecast

First Citrus Crop Forecast of the Season

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast

The release of the 2019-20 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus crop forecast projects an increase in orange, grapefruit, tangerine and tangelo production for Florida. California and Texas are expected to decrease production in most categories. ORANGESFlorida non-Valencia oranges are projected at 32 million boxes after ending the 2018-19 season at 30.4 million boxes. California is projected at 38 million …

Jackson to Join Florida Ag Hall of Fame

Ernie Neff Awards

Long-time Extension agent John L. Jackson, who is well known in citrus circles, and two others will be inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame next year. Jackson, Hugh Fred Dietrich III and Robert “Robbie” Roberson will be inducted during ceremonies at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 11. Jackson’s professional career spanned more …

nominations

Now Seeking Nominations for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame

Daniel Cooper Awards, Industry News Release

Nominations are now being sought for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are scheduled to take place on Friday, March 6, at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The luncheon is co-sponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus. The mission of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame is to recognize those distinguished …

Crime

The Value of Education and a New Scholarship

Tacy Callies Scholarship

By Ernie Neff Decades ago, Ned Hancock had a conversation with his father about the value of continuing his education at the University of Florida (UF). “Dad said, ‘You will learn more in the next few years than you may be able to remember, but I hope they teach you two important things: One, you don’t really know as much …

CRAFT program

Newly Planted Trees and HLB

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Root health

Newly planted trees need to have root systems that are as established, robust and healthy as possible before contracting HLB, Evan Johnson told growers at Citrus Expo. That’s because HLB takes out a tree’s fibrous root system and causes dieback of the structural root system. Having strong root systems from the start will increase the productive life of trees, the …

Graduate Students Play Big Role in Research

Ernie Neff Research

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty members play the lead role in citrus research, but they depend heavily on graduate students to get the work done. Kelly Morgan, director of the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC), explains the graduate students’ role in research, after first discussing new graduate student housing being constructed …

Pest Update: Lebbeck Mealybug

Ernie Neff Pests

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologist Lauren Diepenbrock provided an update on the lebbeck mealybug pest at a recent Highlands County citrus growers’ meeting. The mealybug, first found in Highlands groves in June, feeds on and damages citrus, leading to fruit drop and crop loss. Diepenbrock reports that surveys conducted by the Florida Department of …

Steaming for Weed Management

Tacy Callies weeds

By Ramdas Kanissery and Yiannis Ampatzidis Weeds are a significant problem in horticultural production and must be controlled to maintain good crop yield. Concerns related to non-judicious use of herbicides, which include ground and surface water contamination and pesticide residues in food, has sparked public awareness and restrictions on herbicide use. For these reasons, alternative and integrated systems for weed …

Sales Leadership Changes at IMG Citrus

Daniel Cooper Industry News Release

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. …

A Growth-Enhancing Pest Management Option

Tacy Callies HLB Management, Research

By Christopher Vincent Particle films can both increase tree growth and reduce Asian citrus psyllid populations. University of Florida (UF) research has found particle films delay infection with the CLas bacterium, which causes HLB. They also enhance growth rates and yield. Particle films do have limitations to efficacy, including being washed off in frequent or heavy rains. Overall, particle films …

Economics of CUPS and IPCs

Ernie Neff CUPS, Economics, HLB Management

At Citrus Expo, economist Ariel Singerman discussed the economics of producing citrus under protective screen (CUPS) and covering young trees with individual protective covers (IPCs). The primary purpose of both strategies is to exclude HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids. Singerman is with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Singerman calculated that a CUPS grower who insures …