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News for citrus growers around the globe
U.S. Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-GA) recently spoke to South Georgia citrus growers in Ochlocknee about their needs and introduced legislation to reduce a wage-rate increase in the H-2A guestworker program. The industry’s needs include shoring-up supply chains, expanding facilities to keep up with growing demand, and strengthening research on diseases and pests that pose a unique threat to citrus. “I’m …
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) announced the hiring of John Fuller as global marketing director. He has more than 20 years of experience in sports and entertainment, including athlete representation in marketing, public relations and philanthropic endeavors. “I’m excited to enter the citrus industry to help meet marketing goals and work with my team to create innovative programs, both …
By Nian Wang How the huanglongbing (HLB) pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) causes damage to infected citrus trees has been widely debated. A recent study demonstrates that HLB is an immune-mediated plant disease (Ma et al., 2022). It was discovered that CLas infection of citrus stimulates systemic and chronic immune response in phloem tissues, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, …
Growers have been deploying several new therapies aimed at improving the health of HLB-infected citrus in recent years. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and help in fruit retention. More recently, direct delivery of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) via trunk injection has been approved for use in groves. There is …
The marketing order assessment rate for Texas oranges and grapefruit for 2022–23 and subsequent years will be reduced from 5 cents to 3 cents per 7/10-bushel carton. The reduction is the result of a final rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), which implemented a recommendation from the Texas Valley Citrus Committee. The rule’s effective …
The final date to apply for Florida citrus tree and fruit crop insurance coverage for the 2023 crop year is April 15. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing coverage also have until the April 15 to do so. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk …
Many growers and industry partners attended the 2023 Citrus Showcase in early March, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) reported. The trade show was sold out with more than 100 industry partners exhibiting the latest in citrus industry technology, research and products. The event started with a panel discussion on the state of the citrus industry. Panel members included Al Bates, president …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette While passing through St. Augustine one weekend, I came across a sign in the Washington Oaks Historic District that made me stop and take a photo so I would look into it at a later time. In 2009, the National Register of Historic Places designated Washington Oaks as a national historic district. The Friends of Washington …
Recently filed state legislation would create a Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM) card to be used for sales-tax-exempt purchases of agricultural materials. The filing was announced by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, state Sen. Jay Collins, state Rep. Danny Alvarez and agriculture stakeholders. “The Florida Farm TEAM Card will help to alleviate burdens felt by farmers and …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) on March 9 announced a change to the Florida citrus marketing order that exempts pummelos from all marketing order requirements. The change was made at the recommendation of the Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC), which administers the order. The committee, comprised primarily of growers and handlers of fresh citrus, made the recommendation …
Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney put emphasis on new plantings during a mid-March discussion of phytophthora management for citrus trees infected with HLB. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center, where she spoke. Dewdney’s presentation was part of an OJ break hosted by UF/IFAS Extension multi-county …
Georgia citrus farmers and industry leaders scored a legislative victory on Monday when the state Senate overwhelmingly passed the proposal to start a Georgia Citrus Commission. The win for the industry will come when Gov. Brian Kemp signs it into law. The legislation states, “There shall be an Agricultural Commodity Commission for Citrus Fruits established on July 1, 2023.” The …
Orange juice (OJ) and grapefruit juice prices climbed in the four-week period ending Feb. 25 compared to the same period in 2022, but volume sales dipped. Marisa Zansler, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economic and market research director, presented that FDOC Nielsen report information to the Florida Citrus Commission on March 15. The FCC is the governing board of the …
By Ruth Borger Keeping up with the latest news and research findings that impact how growers can successfully produce citrus in the HLB era can be an overwhelming task. Tracking down the right information at the right time for the changing conditions that face citrus growers takes time, effort and persistence. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently visited a citrus grove in Polk County, Florida, to survey the impact of Hurricane Ian and meet affected growers. He highlighted efforts by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help Florida producers recover from the devastating impact of hurricanes. USDA is working through nearly 2,500 requests for assistance following Hurricane Ian. It has aided …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Overnight success comes after years of hard work. In science, that means the “eureka” moment isn’t a moment at all. It comes after years of research that can cost millions of dollars. That’s a level of resources that the federal government helps deliver. We’re fortunate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of …
The short timeframe for satsuma mandarins to be harvested and sold in the fall created a bottleneck of supply around the Thanksgiving holiday in 2022. An excess supply led to a challenge for growers attempting to sell their fruit when demand diminished, according to Kim Jones, who grows and packs citrus in Florida and Georgia. “The week of Thanksgiving when …
Trees in the Sweet Valley Citrus region are more acclimated to cold temperatures than those in Central and South Florida. That is a reason that Bill Barber, Certified Crop Adviser and owner of Barber Ag Services, believes citrus trees in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama have rebounded well following the Christmas freeze event. “I first thought the worst. …
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Samuel Kwakye, Hossein Ghoveisi, Lauren Diepenbrock and Jawwad Qureshi Deficit irrigation practices can reduce water and energy costs, thus potentially increasing water-use efficiency and water savings in citrus production. Irrigation management through deficit applications, if timed at periods of reduced water demand, could help trigger increased root water and nutrient uptake while synchronizing citrus flush patterns. These …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo recently provided information about two commercial oxytetracycline hydrochloride products approved for use against HLB. TJ Biotech LLC was the first company to receive approval from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for trunk injection of this formulation. EPA granted TJ Biotech a Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, …
