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News for citrus growers around the globe
Florida citrus production and crop value is up from a year ago, when the industry was trying to recover after being hit hard by Hurricane Irma. But the industry continues to bleed acreage in the state, according to numbers released Aug. 28 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The federal agency’s commercial citrus inventory recorded 430,601 acres spread across …
A panel discussion at Citrus Expo’s general session aimed to help make the federal H-2A foreign guest worker program a little easier for agriculturists to navigate. The panel included a grower representative who has used H-2A, a labor attorney who is an H-2A expert, and a federal Department of Labor (DOL) regional director. Natalie Gupton, director of business services and industry …
“I think that the ag industry has a number of allies within the regulatory arena,” says Rich Budell, who moderated a panel of Florida regulators at Citrus Expo. Budell, now a consultant, spent 31 years working on water issues with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The panelists were Chris Pettit, director of agricultural water policy at …
August’s All In For Citrus podcast includes some exciting updates from the recent Citrus Expo! First, Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, summarizes the good grower responses that the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences( UF/IFAS) received about the seminar program at Citrus Expo. He discusses the new Hands-on Session that attracted a …
A great new addition to the Citrus Expo program this year was a hands-on session that allowed growers to participate in scientific demonstrations while interacting with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers. Expo seminar coordinator Tripti Vashisth said all 11 demonstration stations were crowded. “It went really well, and we got very good attendance — …
Industry members attended the 28th annual Citrus Expo this month. Let’s take a look back to the event’s beginnings. Known as the Southwest Florida Citrus Expo at the time, the event took place Aug. 26–27, 1992, shortly after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. The first Citrus Expo was held at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, the same …
Florida Citrus Packers honored George H. Streetman with its John T. Lesley Award for Excellence at Packinghouse Day. The John T. Lesley Award is the organization’s highest recognition, reserved for individuals making sustained and outstanding contributions to Florida’s fresh citrus industry. The list of recipients reads like a “who’s who” of the Florida citrus industry. Streetman served as president of …
A new regulation from California’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) will affect citrus field work during wildfire season. The Cal/OSHA Standards Board has approved an emergency regulation designed to protect workers exposed to wildfire smoke. The emergency regulation will be in effect for one year and will expire on July 29, 2020. The agency is working to develop …
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) official announced at Citrus Expo that UF/IFAS will fund “starter kits” for nutrient sampling. Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Director Michael Rogers says the kits will allow for leaf and soil sampling in a 20-acre block for a year. Growers can get the starter kits at meetings slated …
Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus at the Aug. 19 Citrus Packinghouse Day in Lake Alfred. Foreign sales are extremely important for fresh Florida citrus, says Richey, a member for five years of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, appointed jointly by the U.S. secretary of agriculture and the U.S. …
By Tripti Vashisth, Garima Singh and Megan Dewdney Citrus trees grown in the field undergo various types and levels of stress continuously. The stressors can be several things, including heat, cold, drought, soil pH, chemicals, pests and diseases. The constant presence of huanglongbing (HLB) and psyllid infestation adds stress to the trees, which compromises the plant response and makes the …
“Florida farmers will eventually overtake the rest of the country” in hemp production, predicts Holly Bell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) director of cannabis. In an interview with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies, Bell summarizes her talk at the general session of Citrus Expo. Bell says “Florida farmers are going to be the best hemp growers in …
Jazlyn Sanchez and Alexander Garzon, attendees at the June Citrus Youth Day, talk with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies about their experience. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences event was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. “This is actually my third year at the event,” says Sanchez, a 10th grader. “I’m …
One of the traditions at Citrus Expo growers look most forward to every year is the annual gun safe giveaway sponsored by Everglades Equipment Group. Only growers who preregister for Citrus Expo and the Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo are eligible to win the prize. Miss Florida Michaela McLean drew the name of the lucky winner, Emily Matteson of …
FMC to award five scholarships to Florida students. FMC, in collaboration with AgNet Media, announces a new scholarship program for students interested in citrus and horticultural studies at the University of Florida or Florida Southern College. “FMC understands how important the next generation is to the citrus industry in Florida,” said Eric Johnson, FMC retail marketing manager. “We hope this …
By Ernie Neff It didn’t take long for senior managers at Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) to recognize they had acquired a special talent when Steven Callaham was hired in 1999. Callaham came from Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association, where he had worked for four years after college. He made the move because the Lake Wales cooperative closed its packinghouse …
By Ernie Neff Like all Florida citrus packers, “our citrus volume is down substantially because of HLB,” says Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) Chairman and President Lindsay Raley. But unlike many packinghouses that have closed since HLB was discovered in Florida, Dundee CGA’s packinghouse is still thriving. Diversifying beyond citrus and helping its members cope with HLB have been keys …
The 2019 hurricane season is well underway. Florida’s citrus industry hasn’t been threatened yet, but several months of the season remain. Multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt suggests that growers be prepared for the possibility of a hurricane. “Have a plan; work that plan,” he says. Oswalt offers several ways growers can be prepared for a severe storm. “If you …
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation Board held its initial meeting on July 31 at Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) headquarters in Bartow. FCM President Tom Mitchell as well as FCM board members Glenn Beck and Mark Wheeler serve on the CRAFT board along with Harold Browning, Premier Citrus; John Updike Jr., Florida citrus grower; Phillip Rucks, Phillip Rucks …
The latest technical advice on citrus greening disease, tree nutrition, grove management and other aspects of Florida citrus cultivation will reach growers Aug. 14–15, as the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) unveils the newest edition of its annual guide at the 2019 Citrus Expo. Known as the “Florida Citrus Production Guide 2019–2020,” the 275-page document …
