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News for citrus growers around the globe
Most Georgia citrus growers believe microsprinkler irrigation will save their trees from a multi-day freeze that saw temperatures dip into the low 20s Friday morning, said Georgia Citrus Association President Lindy Savelle. “I think we’re going to do fine,” said Savelle, who ran microsprinklers virtually round-the-clock in her south Georgia grove because temperatures never got above 40 for five days …
Allen Morris has been directly involved with the citrus industry since 1984. He has seen many ups and downs in the industry during this time. Now, he is ready to face the current citrus challenges head on. Morris is the owner and operator of Morris Agribusiness Services. In the past, he held events called the International Citrus Economics Conference. Along …
California Citrus Mutual (CCM) joined with several other associations to oppose major changes proposed by the State Water Resources Control Board set to be adopted for the East San Joaquin Water Quality Coalition. The affected agricultural community and water quality coalitions expect the board to adopt the proposed revisions without substantial modifications at its Jan. 23 meeting. CCM and other …
By Mike Sparks Executive Vice President/CEO, Florida Citrus Mutual I want to make sure this great news did not get lost in the holiday season. The tax bill recently signed into law by President Trump contains our citrus tax expensing provision that we have been working hard on for more than three years! The new law took effect on December …
By Jawwad A. Qureshi and Larry Duncan Root weevils are a major pest group for many kinds of plants, with at least nine species that colonize citrus. Species commonly infesting citrus include Diaprepes root weevil (Diaprepes abbreviates), blue-green citrus root weevils (Pachnaeus litus and Pachnaeus opalus), little leaf notcher (Artipus floridanus), Fuller rose beetle (Asynonychus godmani) and Sri Lanka weevil …
The 2018 International Citrus Business Conference will be a meeting to tackle the pressing issues facing the citrus industry, including the rapid decline of citrus juice markets. Allen Morris, of Morris Agribusiness Services, says the citrus industry has lost 50 percent of the U.S. orange juice market since 2002. The industry continues to decline at a swift 5 to 7 …
Researchers are trying to use all available tools to control HLB-spreading psyllids, says entomologist Michael Rogers with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, says scientists want “to show that we can actually grow citrus in the age of HLB and still be profitable.” “The …
It seems trade issues abound as we enter the new year of 2018. In this radio brief from our network headlines this week, American Farm Bureau President “Zippy” Duvall, who is from one of the states where specialty crop producers are not so happy about NAFTA, briefly shares his concerns about the renegotiation efforts underway for NAFTA, which will soon …
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet will take place Feb. 13 in Tampa. This event will honor the 2018 inductees to the hall of fame. Four agricultural leaders have been chosen to enter the hall of fame this year. They are Alfonso Fanjul, J. Pepe Fanjul, Lowell Loadholtz and Harold K. Mikell. These four men have dedicated their lives …
Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation This article addresses the idea that beneficial, naturally occurring soil- and root-based bacteria might aid in the management of HLB. The background for field trials described below is work by Nian Wang of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, funded in part by the Citrus Research and …
Economist Tom Spreen thinks advanced production systems (APS) and citrus under protective screen (CUPS) offer hope for some growers in the face of HLB. Spreen, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences professor emeritus, discussed APS and CUPS at a recent Gulf Citrus Growers Association economic seminar in LaBelle. Spreen says growing with APS “means you have …
Citrus Industry magazine subscribers have one more Christmas present to open. The January issue comes packaged with a complimentary copy of a brand new magazine, Vegetable and Specialty Crop News. Brought to you by AgNet Media, VSCNews is geared to growers in the Southeast. It contains production-related information as well as updates on big-picture agricultural issues like trade reform and …
Integrated pest management (IPM) strategies and copper are both good control measures for common citrus foliar fungal diseases, as well as for citrus canker. So says University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Ozgur Batuman. Batuman summarizes information he presented at a fall field day and seminar attended by about 60 people at the Southwest Florida …
By Travis K. Chapin, Keith R. Schneider, Renée Goodrich Schneider and Michelle D. Danyluk On Nov. 27, 2015, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) published the Foreign Supplier Verification Programs (FSVP) for Importers of Food for Humans and Animals rule in the Code of Federal Regulations under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The final rule requires that importers …
Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, provides the following update on hurricane disaster relief legislation: This was another busy week in Washington. The industry, led by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, spent two days working with the Florida delegation and Congressional leaders in an attempt to find a path forward for disaster relief legislation. There is more …
Federal relief for Florida citrus growers cleared the U.S. House on Thursday, but its fate remained unclear in the Senate, which may not take up the package until January. Before the House vote, leaders separated an $81 billion disaster-relief package that includes citrus money from a short-term funding resolution needed to keep the government open through mid-January. The move drew …
Citrus growers and other agriculturists can use the Florida Automated Weather Network’s (FAWN) Cold Protection Toolkit to make decisions when using irrigation for cold protection. FAWN Project Manager Rick Lusher provides an overview of what he calls the toolkit’s “step-by-step guide.” “You can look at a four-day forecast from the National Weather Service, and then you can go down to …
Events across the Southeast are being held to help meet growers’ needs for information and resources on growing cold-tolerant citrus. Many north Florida and south Georgia growers are interested in these crops as weather patterns begin to shift. One event was Cold Tolerant Citrus Production for the Southeastern Coastal Plain, held on Dec. 13. “We’re trying to have a meeting …
U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) officials have confirmed the first detection of sweet orange scab (SOS) in Alabama. The fruit sample was collected in Baldwin County by Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries’ (ADAI) plant protection inspectors during a delimiting survey for citrus greening disease. The Auburn University Plant Diagnostic Clinic provided the initial diagnosis of SOS, and USDA Animal …
An increase in imported orange juice is anticipated by the Florida Citrus Commission to offset a decline in tax revenue from the state’s hurricane-battered growers, who await congressional action on disaster relief. The commission — during a brief conference call Wednesday — agreed to shift $556,147 from reserves to help cover the Department of Citrus’ budget for the current fiscal …
