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News for citrus growers around the globe
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 …
Florida’s storm-battered citrus growers are closer to landing federal relief sought since Hurricane Irma devastated large parts of the state’s agriculture industry in September. The U.S. House on Wednesday will consider providing $2.6 billion for lost farm crops as part of an $81 billion disaster-relief package, which has been attached to the latest short-term “continuing resolution” needed to keep the …
University of California Riverside (UCR) is committed to a major offensive against huanglongbing (HLB, or citrus greening disease), as the threat is marching ever closer to commercial citrus orchards in California. The only confirmed cases in Southern California have been in residential trees in Los Angeles and Orange counties, including near the UCR campus. But some experts believe it is …
A proposal aimed at helping citrus growers replant after Hurricane Irma is included in a federal tax overhaul that could be approved this week by Congress, U.S. Rep. Vern Buchanan, R-Fla., said Monday. The proposal, sponsored by Buchanan and backed by Florida’s congressional delegation, would provide tax incentives for farmers who cannot afford to replace trees damaged by the storm …
Gov. Rick Scott spent part of Friday on the phone talking about federal disaster relief amid continuing worries about the storm-ravaged citrus industry. Scott tweeted that his calls with Texas Gov. Greg Abbott and U.S. House Speaker Paul Ryan included talk of hurricane relief. “I spoke with @GovAbbott this morning about the ongoing recovery in FL and TX from Hurricanes …
Grafted orange trees showcased at the 100th anniversary of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) may give the state’s citrus growers new reason to hope the industry can cope with the citrus greening crisis, UF/IFAS researchers say. University of Florida scientists and Tropicana are teaming up to test promising new UF/IFAS-bred …
A citrus nursery employee has found super-root mutants that might offer hope for developing trees that are less susceptible to HLB. The employee is Beth Lamb, a tissue culture expert at Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences citrus breeder Jude Grosser tells about her discovery. “She discovered some mutants of some of the …
More than 100 growers from Florida and Georgia gathered at the Cold-Tolerant Citrus Production for the Southeastern Coastal Plain educational event on Dec. 13. Bob Hochmuth, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Science’s (UF/IFAS) Suwannee Valley Agricultural Extension Center, introduced the event, which was held at the center. Morning presentations by UF/IFAS speakers included information …
Florida hasn’t had a widespread tree-killing citrus freeze in years. That’s very fortunate since the industry has been dealing with the highly destructive HLB disease since 2005 and with negative impacts of Hurricane Irma since September. However, a damaging freeze is always a possibility at this time of year. Consequently, multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt held a winter weather …
