Heavy Department of Citrus Cuts Proposed

Josh McGill Citrus, Legislative

The Florida Citrus Commission discussed on Wednesday proposals for heavy cuts to the Florida Department of Citrus budget next season. Commission Chairman Ellis Hunt and department Executive Director Shannon Shepp discuss the projected budget for next year, the funding for it, personnel cuts and how the budget will proceed. Twelve large growers and several organizations recently requested drastic Sponsored Content5 …

CAST Award Recognizes Dr. Kevin Folta

Josh McGill Citrus

CAST Award Recognizes Dr. Kevin Folta for Excellence in Science Communication WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Council for Agricultural Science and Technology (CAST) announced that the 2016 Borlaug CAST Communication Award will be given to Dr. Kevin Folta, chair of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Dr. Folta is renowned for his …

Citrus Growers Surveyed on Percent of Trees Infected

Josh McGill Citrus, Citrus Greening

Florida citrus growers: 80 percent of trees infected by greening By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu Source: Ariel Singerman, 863-956- 8870, singerman@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s citrus growers say as much as 90 percent of their acreage and 80 percent of their trees are infected by the deadly greening disease, which is making a huge dent in the state’s $10.7 billion …

Improved Rootstock Selection Tool

Josh McGill Citrus, Citrus Greening

Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide: New Custom Query Option The third edition of the Florida Citrus Rootstock Selection Guide was recently released online at flrootstockselectionguide.org and has now been expanded to include an expert system to aid growers in rootstock selection. The expert system was developed as a collaborative effort of Steve Rogers, Bill Castle, Steve Futch and Andrew Persaud. …

Bactericide Trials

Josh McGill Citrus, Citrus Greening

Growers should conduct bactericide trials Multiple meetings have been held across the state to discuss the three bactericides made available to citrus growers by the crisis declaration issued by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam. Growers have many concerns surrounding these products, such as efficacy rates and economic viability. University of Florida associate professor and Extension specialist Megan Dewdney cautions …

Metalized Mulch

Josh McGill Citrus, Citrus Greening

Big boost in young tree growth and yield from insecticides and metalized mulch By Phil Stansly, Scott Croxton and Joby Sherrod With yields dropping in Florida and Brazil, the decision to replant is not an easy one. Still, prospects for eventual success of new plantings are better now than ever in the last 10 years. Think about it: 1) Asian …

Disrupting Psyllid Mating to Control HLB

Josh McGill Citrus, Citrus Greening

By: R. W. Mankin, B. Rohde and S. McNeill The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) is the primary vector of the devastating huanglongbing (HLB) disease of citrus. Efficient monitoring of ACP at low population densities is essential to conduct management programs with timely effectiveness for protection of Florida groves. Extensive research is being conducted to better understand ACP biology and behavior, …

Per-Acre Prices of Florida Citrus Land

Josh McGill Citrus

Average per-acre prices of scores of citrus properties sold in 2015 are provided in this summary of the annual Lay of the Land Market Report prepared by Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate. The prices are for the Central Ridge, Flatwoods and Indian River areas. Prices are also provided for sales of former citrus land that went into other agricultural …

Out of Stock

Josh McGill Citrus

Due to an overwhelming response “The Critical Importance of Citrus Tree Nutrition,” is temporarily out of stock. Thank you for your interest. Stay tuned for possible updates regarding the reprint of this book. Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 18, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENTApril 1, 2024Protect Your Groves From …

U.S. Can Capitalize on Chinese Orange Juice Market Potential

Josh McGill Citrus

From: UF/IFAS By: Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Opportunity awaits American and Florida marketers who want to sell 100 percent not from concentrate Florida orange juice in China if they take a cue from American restaurant giants like Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut, a new University of Florida study shows. Zhifeng Gao, an associate professor of food …

Update on Bactericide Use

Josh McGill Citrus

Harold Browning, chief operations officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), reports on the first month of grower bactericide use on Florida citrus. Topics he addresses include options for the number of applications per year and product availability. He also discusses a soon-to-be-released document CRDF is developing that will provide instructions for growers on how to set up …

Discussing Genetic Engineering With a Concerned Public

Josh McGill Citrus

By: Kevin Folta Our farm producers have brought unprecedented low-priced, safe food to the United States and the world. Despite the success, there are challenges to sustained production that may best be solved with genetic engineering. These technologies have proven safe and effective for almost two decades, mostly in the arena of high-acreage agronomic crops like corn, soy and cotton. …

A Letter to the Editor from Bill Castle: Everybody Needs Somebody

Josh McGill Citrus

A Letter to the Editor, Citrus Industry magazine By Bill Castle, University of Florida professor emeritus Everybody needs somebody to stand by you. For me, the road to the Citrus Hall of Fame was paved with many meaningful personal relationships, people who stood by me and made a difference. During the Hall of Fame ceremony, I said only a few …

Plant Pathologist Joins UF/IFAS

Josh McGill Citrus

Plant pathologist joins UF/IFAS to help solve citrus industry issues By: Robin Koestoyo FORT PIERCE, Fla. – A plant pathologist with 12 years of experience in plant-microbe interactions has joined the faculty of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) to help citrus growers. Following an international search for a …

Miss Florida Citrus 2016 Crowned

Josh McGill Citrus

Miss Florida Citrus 2016 Was Crowned Last Weekend Contestants competed for the title of Miss Florida Citrus 2016 on March 19 in Winter Haven. The whole room grew silent as Summer Foley, Miss Florida Citrus 2015, prepared to announce the first-place winner. Miami’s Stephanie Capon was crowned the 2016 Miss Florida Citrus. Capon’s platform was Healthy HeARTbeats: Arts for Community …

Inaugural Fun Shoot a Big Success

Josh McGill Citrus

The Inaugural Fun Shoot for the Indian River Citrus League Was a Big Success This past weekend was full of excitement at the Indian River Citrus League’s inaugural Fun Shoot in Okeechobee, Florida. The winning team was Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company. The event drew a crowd of nearly 100 citrus industry supporters from across the state. Doug Bournique, executive …

What to Consider When Putting a New Grove in Place

Josh McGill Citrus, Water

By: Mongi Zekri There is a high degree of planning and preparation that goes into making a new citrus tree planting successful. Site preparation, installation of an irrigation system, selection of varieties and rootstocks, tree spacing, purchasing trees from reputable nurseries, and tree planting and care are all important. Site Preparation The planting site should be well prepared. Soils at …

Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees

Josh McGill Citrus

Citrus Industry Legends Inducted into Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Friday, March 11, was the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Celebration Luncheon, where a crowd of over 400 citrus community and industry members welcomed three new inductees into the Hall of Fame. The inductees are Dr. William S. “Bill” Castle of Lake Alfred, John C. “Jack” Norris of Palm City, …

bactericides survey

Update on the 2016-17 Citrus Appropriations and Legislation

Josh McGill Citrus

[nextpage title=”Update on Citrus Appropriations…”] Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM), distributed the following update on Florida citrus appropriations and legislation: Dear FCM Board and Members: I have some very positive news to share. The items/proposals/appropriations I’ve highlighted below have been approved by the Legislature and Governor Scott. This news came about quickly after our e-mail …