With the 2022–23 season harvest virtually completed for all varieties, the June citrus forecast for Florida had several slight changes. The Florida orange and grapefruit forecasts each climbed 1% from May, while the tangerines/tangelos forecast dropped 2%. Forecasts from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) were unchanged for Arizona, California and Texas. FLORIDA ORANGESFlorida’s all-orange …
Adjustments to the Florida Citrus Crop Forecast
The May Florida citrus crop forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) saw some ups and downs. FLORIDA ORANGESThe Florida 2022–23 all-orange forecast declined 3%, from 16.1 million boxes in the April forecast to 15.65 million boxes in May. If the forecast is realized, this will be 62% less orange production than last season. …
Brazil’s Initial Orange Forecast for 2023–24
The 2023–2024 initial orange forecast for Brazil’s citrus belt is 309.34 million boxes. The forecast was announced on May 10 by Fundecitrus and its cooperators. The projected volume is 1.55% less than the previous crop, which totaled 314.21 million boxes. Fundecitrus reported that weather conditions are positive for the 2023–24 crop with rains being 50% above the historical average. However, …
Citrus Mural Unveiled on National Orange Juice Day
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), in partnership with Visit Florida®, is excited to announce the new installation of a hand-painted mural by artist Lauren Hom. Beginning May 4 (National Orange Juice Day), visitors can view the new Florida citrus themed art at the Florida Welcome Center in Jacksonville. Visitors who stop at the center will be able to take …
Hurricane Forecasts Differ in Severity
The Weather Company and Atmospheric G2 on April 13 forecast 15 named storms for the Atlantic hurricane season. That’s two more than the 13 that Colorado State University (CSU) projected on the same date. The Weather Company and Atmospheric G2 also projected seven of the storms will become hurricanes and that three will become major hurricanes. By contrast, CSU forecast …
Farm Bill Listening Session on April 24
The U.S. House Agriculture Committee will host a farm bill listening session in Newberry, Florida, on April 24. Glenn “GT” Thompson (PA-15), chairman of the House Committee on Agriculture, will host the session. He will be joined by U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack (FL-03), Rep. Austin Scott (GA-08), Rep. Darren Soto (FL-09) and additional members to be announced. The committee is …
Cytokinin Studied for Citrus Health Benefits
Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor, has been leading the research on how plant growth regulators (PGRs) can improve the health of HLB-infected trees. She’s conducted extensive research on the use of gibberellic acid. But she has recently begun to study another hormone, cytokinin. She gave an update on this work during the …
Using Artificial Intelligence to Address Ag Challenges
Far from his roots in a small town in northwest China, Changying “Charlie” Li is now the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) artificial intelligence (AI) administrative coordinator. He’s also a professor of agricultural and biological engineering. Li joined UF/IFAS last year to focus on agricultural AI with research, teaching and administration appointments. He wants to …
Aid for Growers Transitioning to Organic Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced details of a $75 million investment in conservation assistance for growers transitioning to organic production. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will dedicate financial and technical assistance to a new organic management standard and partner with new organic technical experts to increase staff capacity and expertise. The effort is part of the multi-agency …
A ‘Great Day for Citrus’ in Georgia
Georgia’s young, burgeoning citrus industry celebrated a win on April 18. Surrounded by specialty crop industry leaders, state representatives and a throng of interested parties, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed legislation to establish a state commodity commission for citrus. The signing took place at the Bainbridge campus of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. “In 2013, Georgia had 4,500 citrus trees. In …
Predictions for the 2023 Hurricane Season
Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers are predicting a slightly below-average Atlantic hurricane season in 2023, citing the likely development of El Niño as a primary factor. The CSU Tropical Meteorology Project team is predicting 13 named storms during the Atlantic hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 30. Of those, researchers expect six to become hurricanes and …
Growers Press Legislators for Hurricane Relief
Hurricane recovery assistance was top of mind when citrus growers met with U.S. Sen. Rick Scott and U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin April 11 in Highlands County. “The primary topic of conversation during the roundtable was encouraging Sen. Scott and Congressman Franklin to do everything in their power to get the Block Grant Assistance Act passed through Congress as quickly as …
Changes to U.S. Citrus Crop Forecast
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) released its latest citrus crop forecast on April 11. Florida’s grapefruit crop forecast for 2022–23 rose 6%. Projected production for the state’s other citrus varieties was unchanged. FLORIDA GRAPEFRUITThe all-grapefruit forecast for Florida is now 1.7 million boxes, up from 1.6 million boxes in March. Florida’s red grapefruit forecast …
Florida Forecast Sees Small Gains
The Florida 2022–23 all-orange forecast inched up 1% in March to 16.1 million boxes while the grapefruit forecast rose 7% to 1.6 million boxes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) forecast for Florida tangerines and tangelos was unchanged at 500,000 boxes. The entire rise of 100,000 boxes in the orange forecast was in the …
Florida Orange Forecast Continues to Fall
February’s federal citrus forecast trimmed another 2 million boxes from Florida’s projected orange crop, dropping expected 2022–23 production to 16 million boxes. That’s an 11% drop from what had already been projected to be a historically low orange crop. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS). If the Florida orange forecast …
Florida Citrus Forecast Falls Further
Florida citrus crops, already at historically low levels, were forecast Jan. 12 to fall even lower. The all-orange forecast fell 10% from the December projection. The grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo forecasts both tumbled 17%. The forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS). If realized, the orange, grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo crops will be 56%, …
Oak Mulch Can Improve Florida Flatwoods Soil
By Lorenzo Rossi With no cure for HLB available, searching for alternative mitigation strategies is an urgent priority for a sustainable citrus industry. Interest has grown regarding the use of organic amendments to improve the fertility of Florida native soils. Although hardwood mulch applications have been demonstrated to improve both tree health and soil fertility in other fruit industries, little …
Orange Crop Forecast for Brazil Remains Stable
The second 2022–23 orange crop forecast update for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt, published on Dec. 12 by Fundecitrus and its cooperators, is 314.11 million boxes of 40.8 kilograms each. This update indicates that the crop remains within expectations in relation to the projected forecast in September, with an increase of only 20 thousand boxes, which …
Forecast for Florida Citrus Production Plummets
The first federal citrus crop forecast to take into account damage from September’s Hurricane Ian dropped Florida’s projected orange crop for 2022–23 to 20 million boxes. That’s 29% below the initial forecast of 28 million boxes in October, 51% less than last season’s final production of 41.05 million boxes and the lowest orange forecast in many decades. Florida’s non-Valencia and …
All In For Citrus Podcast, November 2022
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recently received a large grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). Michael Rogers provides details of the $16.5 million grant during the November All In For Citrus podcast. Rogers is the director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake …