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Meister Media Worldwide and AgNet Media today announced the sale of Florida Grower magazine and its Florida-related assets to AgNet Media, effective March 1, 2022. Through Florida Grower, Meister Media has invested more than 25 years of commitment to Florida’s citrus, vegetable and other specialty crop producers. Initiatives like the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Show, the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Achievement Award …
The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …
By Lauren Diepenbrock Insect and mite management is a year-round challenge in Florida citrus. With the warm climate, pests are at the ready as soon as plant resources are available to them. With knowledge of insect and mite biology in relation to tree phenology, plans to protect fruit and maintain productive citrus trees can be developed. MAJOR PESTSPopulations of some …
Orange juice (OJ) sales remain strong, with the 2021 holiday period closing near 2016 levels, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission on Jan. 19. Total OJ volume movement for the holiday period ending Jan 1, 2022, was 37.9 million gallons, an increase of 2 million equivalent gallons compared to 2019. The gains are …
It is set to be a busy legislative session for agricultural interests in Florida. One of the bills making its way through the process is SB 1002, the Citrus Recovery Act. Sen. Danny Burgess (R-District 20) introduced the bill to amend the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). The FCC is the governing body of the Florida Department of Citrus. The Citrus …
Payton Barrington of Orlando was crowned the 2022 Miss Florida Citrus on Jan. 22 in Winter Haven. She will travel extensively promoting the Florida citrus industry. Barrington was chosen during the Miss Florida Citrus and Miss Winter Haven Program held at Polk State College. Jada Carter of Tallahassee was crowned Miss Winter Haven. Barrington and Carter will both compete in …
By Jawwad A. Qureshi and Azhar A. Khan The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, invaded Florida over two decades ago. The need to consistently suppress it became apparent soon after detection and particularly after discovering huanglongbing (HLB) disease, which it spreads. Managing HLB depends strongly on vector control to either reduce disease transmission of healthy trees or reinoculation. Single …
There was a truck driver shortage before COVID-19, but the pandemic certainly compounded the problem. Trucking is just one link in the supply chain that has been greatly disrupted in the past couple of years, but it is a critical one required to move goods across the country. Fruit and vegetable growers that need to transport their produce know the …
Consumers are more likely to buy orange juice (OJ) if they think the fruit comes from Florida, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. In fact, top reasons consumers purchase OJ include taste, health benefits and origin of the fruit. According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), while 80% of OJ consumers who …
Megan Dewdney told citrus growers how to give young trees a good start in the face of HLB. Her Jan. 19 presentation was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred, where she is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist. Trees need a robust, established structural root system before they are …
Highlands County Extension agent Lourdes Pérez Cordero recently offered scouting and management suggestions for citrus leafminers (CLM), Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) and rust mites. The suggestions were part of an article in the January issue of Citrus from the Ridge to the Valley, the Central Florida citrus Extension newsletter. CITRUS LEAFMINERS The emergence of spring and summer flush benefits CLM, …
The Feb. 22–24 Flavor Summit event will now be offered virtually due to concerns about the COVID-19 omicron variant. “We are offering the same level of presentations and plan to have an engaging opportunity with sponsors, exhibitors and students,” said Yu Wang, associate professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and event organizer. “All …
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is committed to updating nutrient management recommendations for citrus. For the next two months, that means seeking state funding for the research. The UF/IFAS team was crafting a specific proposal to the Legislature as of this writing. It’s at the very top of …
By Ariel Singerman According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), production of processed oranges in Florida will decline again this season (Figure 1). If such a forecast materializes, production will have declined by approximately 80% since HLB was first found in the state. The Florida Department of Citrus reports that, as a consequence of COVID-19, orange juice demand has …
As HLB has reduced Florida’s citrus crop, so too has the budget shrunk for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). The agency charged with promoting the state’s signature crop is largely funded by fees based on citrus production. FDOC has been forced to look for creative ways to do more with less with its promotional budget. One tactic has been …
By Megan Dewdney Last summer, I received many calls about algal spot, especially in late June to early July. Algal spot is a disease, caused by the algae Cephaleuros virescens, that occurs mostly on citrus tree limbs. Much of the year it is difficult to see because it is a gray-green color that blends into the color of citrus bark. …
During January’s Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Daniel Tregeagle, an Extension economist with North Carolina State University, gave a presentation on economic and regulatory trends impacting citrus and specialty crop growers. MODEST MARKET GROWTHThe biggest blip on the proverbial economic radar has been COVID-19 and its continuing effects. Tregeagle noted these impacts mostly will be transient, …
By Lukasz L. Stelinskiand Jawwad A. Qureshi Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) are at the mercy of their host (citrus) for survival. They need flush to lay eggs and for the nymphs to develop. Prior to HLB, the majority of flushing had been fairly predictable and occurred in the early spring and late summer. The occurrence of flush in young trees …
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) reported that three Arcadia citrus labor contractors failed to comply with the federal H-2A agricultural worker visa program, shortchanging employees $72,609 in total wages. The DOL’s Wage and Hour Division found that Benjamin M. Ramirez Harvesting Inc., AO Harvesting LLC and Gustavo Cisneros Harvesting Inc. failed to provide H-2A employees with at least three-quarters …
When Lindy Savelle ended her career in federal law enforcement, including stints overseas, she and her husband decided to move back to land they owned in South Georgia. They researched different crops they might grow and settled on citrus. She tells her story in a recent Grower Talks Podcast produced by the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. “Citrus is …
