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News for citrus growers around the globe
Pest management is the theme of the February 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. University of Florida entomologist Phil Stansly is featured in the cover story. Stansly has been helping growers control Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) since HLB first appeared in Florida. Learn more about his history of HLB work and what he is currently focusing on in the profile …
Ned Hancock, a citrus grower and Florida citrus commissioner, shares thoughts about HLB, including the lack of consumer awareness of the disease and how growers are coping. At the Florida Citrus Commission meeting on January 18, the Florida Department of Citrus staff reported that only 1 percent of American consumers are aware of HLB. Hancock says he would have been …
By Sara LaJeunesse, Penn State University A chemical that is thought to be safe and is, therefore, widely used on crops — such as almonds, wine grapes and tree fruits — to boost the performance of pesticides, makes honey bee larvae significantly more susceptible to a deadly virus, according to researchers at Penn State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture. …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) today announced four grants totaling more than $13.6 million to combat a scourge on the nation’s citrus industry, citrus greening disease, aka huanglongbing. The funding is made possible through NIFA’s Specialty Crop Research Initiative Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program, authorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. Sponsored …
Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Executive Director Shannon Shepp discusses the department’s mission and how it gets its message to its primary audience, millennials. Millennials are generally considered those born from 1977 to the mid-1990s. “Right now, remember, we have a declining availability of OJ (orange juice) worldwide. It’s very hard to increase sales of something you have declining supply …
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) has discussed having national experts educate citrus researchers about the regulatory issues that could impact possible solutions to citrus problems. CRDF Chief Operations Officer Harold Browning explains the need for such education. “It’s a changing world, and researchers are being asked not to just do the experiment and write the paper and give …
By Marcos Fava Neves We are normally threatened by natural storms hitting the orange juice chain, some of them hurricanes. Matthew was the last one, but fortunately it remained off the coast of Florida rather than directly hitting the orange-production area. However, the orange juice chain is facing a storm — an economic hurricane that is complicating supply and demand. …
A handful of citrus growers discussed January bloom and postbloom fruit drop (PFD), bactericides, nutrition and replanting strategies at a grower forum in Sebring on January 12. Laurie Hurner, Highlands County Extension director and citrus Extension agent, summarizes the discussions. “We are looking at areas where we’ve got bloom coming on. That is a little bit nerve-wracking for January,” Hurner …
Across the Southeast we continue to fight those pesky fire ants, but one company is promoting a product to help citrus growers with fire ant control. Tracy Harris, senior director of sales for Central Life Sciences, says Extinguish is the product for them. To learn more about Extinguish for fire ant control, go to centrallifesciences.com. Image: Red …
Mark Hudson, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agriculture Statistics Service in Washington, D.C., delivered the latest citrus crop forecast today. Florida Valencia oranges dropped slightly from 36 million boxes in December to 35 million boxes in January. Hudson explained this was due to fruit drop. White grapefruit dropped from 2 million boxes to 1.7 million boxes. Tangerines and tangelos …
Tree Health Section 18 use of bactericide products on Florida citrus has been restored, effective January 10, 2017. The previous section 18 had expired on December 31, 2016, and the use of FireWall, FireLine and Mycoshield products was temporarily prohibited. The new Secion 18 authorization allows bactericide use through December 31, 2017. See the authorization letter for details of use for …
Postbloom fruit drop (PFD) in recent years has caused many Florida citrus growers as much, or almost as much, anguish as HLB. The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) in December approved an extension of PFD research begun in 2016. CRDF Chief Operations Officer Harold Browning discusses PFD and the research. “Progressively the last several years, PFD has increased in …
Peter Chaires, executive director of New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC), summarizes a January 5 meeting seeking input on the Fast Track program. Fast Track lets citrus growers and nurseries access experimental University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) fresh citrus selections much earlier than was previously possible. Fast Track was co-developed by NVDMC, UF/IFAS and …
By Taylor Hillman The flood of technologies hitting the market hasn’t slowed since developers turned their attention to precision agriculture. One thing that remains common among these technologies is the use of data, which has been previously ignored or unmonitored. Now, developers are focusing on algorithms and patterns in data sets that are collected during farming practices that will improve …
A trio of projects aimed at helping Florida producers cope with the bacterial disease known as citrus greening topped the list of stories shared by the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) in 2016. This year marked the beginning of the state’s second decade battling greening disease, which is also known as huanglongbing or HLB. Other top …
Nurseryman and citrus grower Phil Rucks was one of several industry members offering input on the Fast Track program on January 5 at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. Fast Track lets citrus growers and nurseries access experimental University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) fresh citrus selections much earlier than was previously possible. Among …
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Hugh English, a key figure in the citrus industry known for his many contributions to the University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), has been honored as the 2016 UF/IFAS Champion. English was recognized Dec. 1 at the Gulf Citrus Growers Association luncheon in Fort Myers, Florida. The UF/IFAS Champion Award honors those who strengthen …
Tickets are on sale for the 38th annual Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame banquet on Feb. 14, which will honor four inductees who have made invaluable contributions to Florida agriculture. The banquet, which each year celebrates the accomplishments of industry leaders who have served in research, education and business, is held in the Special Events Center at the Florida State …
“Everyone wants to see positive results when we do a test” to see if something helps battle HLB, says Harold Browning, chief operations officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. But, he adds, “not everything we test … is going to be able to solve this problem for us, though it may contribute in a small way.” He made …
By Ernie Neff Passing a farm from one generation to another can be as simple as waiting for the older generation to die or become disabled. But doing it that way, with no planning, probably won’t be a very rewarding experience for either generation. That was the consensus of several speakers at this summer’s Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference. Michael …
