The owner of a commercial nursery has won a $1.2 million judgment against the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) for the destruction of citrus trees in the 2000s, AP News reported. A jury in Orlando determined the state agency had destroyed more than 160,000 citrus plants in an effort to stop citrus greening, AP reported. The jury …
National Orange Juice Day Celebrated on Social Media
May 4 is the day to celebrate Florida’s signature crop — citrus that is squeezed into wonderfully delicious orange juice. That’s right, it’s National Orange Juice Day! People have taken to social media to mark the occasion. Here’s a few posts we captured. Sponsored ContentA Simpler, Safer and More Effective Way to Fight HLBOctober 25, 20245 Facts About Fire Ants …
Review of the 2020–21 California Citrus Season
California Citrus Mutual (CCM) released its 2020–21 Final California Citrus Season Perspective report, which included the following summary conclusion: For the majority of the season, the fruit quality was excellent. The movement was steady, and shippers managed to hold prices fairly steady. The crop size, however, proved challenging as the season drew on. The 2020–21 season may go down in …
Texas Region Plans Citrus Revival
The area of Falfurrias, Texas, was a very prosperous citrus-growing region from 1909 until 1951, according to Romulo Montilla, who has a ranch there. “However, in 1951 there was a freezing temperature that killed close to 90% of the citrus. In 1967, the remaining citrus was eliminated with another terrible freeze.” Montilla and others recently began working to return citrus …
A Challenging Harvest Season for Alico
The current citrus harvest season “has been a challenging one for Alico,” the company stated in a late March press release. “In addition to a harvest season that was anticipated to produce less fruit than in the prior year, many of the state’s citrus groves, including Alico’s citrus groves, were impacted by a freeze event in late January 2022.” Nearly …
Sneak Peek: April 2022 Citrus Industry
Increased attention on nutrition has become part of the overall strategy for managing HLB. The April issue of Citrus Industry magazine includes several articles on nutrient management designed to help growers keep trees productive in the HLB era. Mandarin growers will want to take note of new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research on how …
Florida Research Order Referendum Slated for May
Florida citrus growers will be asked to vote in a May referendum whether to maintain the Florida Research Order. The order was established in 1992 to support efforts by the industry — through the creation of the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council (FCPRAC) — to develop solutions to production challenges. The research order has a six-year cycle and is …
OJ Is Half of Household Juice Purchases
Orange juice (OJ) recently accounted for more than half of the fruit juice purchased by households, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission on March 16. Citing a report on the Household Purchase Dynamics in the Beverage Category, Zansler added that grapefruit juice represented only about 1.5% of fruit juice sales. All fruit juice …
Georgia Citrus Association Emphasizing Food Safety
One bad apple can spoil the bunch. The same can be said for Georgia citrus. That was the message shared by Beth Oleson, director of food safety and education for the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, during the Georgia Citrus Association’s (GCA) annual meeting on Feb. 28. She spoke with growers about food safety and applauded GCA’s leadership. “We …
ACP and the HLB Pathogen Are Made for Each Other
Nabil Killiny, an associate professor of plant pathology for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has been studying the relationship between the bacterium that causes HLB (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus) and its vector the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). Globally, insect-borne vector pathogens are responsible for more than 700 plant diseases. HLB ranks high among those in terms …
Growers in Northern Regions Whetting Consumer Appetites
Citrus production in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama continues to expand rapidly. That increased production led to a successful marketing year for producers, says grower Kim Jones, who owns a citrus packing facility in Monticello, Florida, and is part-owner of a similar facility in Tifton, Georgia. “We’re selling every piece of fruit we pulled into both sheds this …
Cover Crops in Citrus: Less Weeds, More Microbes
There are many advantages to using cover crops in citrus groves, according to Sarah Strauss, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor. She recently discussed growers implementing cover crops at the Citrus Health Forum at the UF/IFAS North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy. “Certainly, from the microbiology side, the scientific side, I think …
Highlights From Highlands Citrus Growers Meeting
Growers and industry stakeholders recently gathered in Sebring, Florida, to celebrate the 32nd annual meeting of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA). LEADERS ELECTEDNew HCCGA officers and directors were elected. Officers for the 2022 board of directors include: Emma Ezell, president Hank Crutchfield, vice president Charlie Wilson, treasurer Aaron Nelson, secretary New board members are Joe Collins, Billy Barben, …
Who Should Be the Next Citrus Achievement Award Winner?
It is that time of year again when we seek nominations for the next Florida Grower Citrus Achievement Award winner. Since 2000, the honor has grown into the gold standard of industry recognition for those who have made and continue to make a significant impact within and even beyond the Florida citrus community. The Citrus Achievement Award is presented to …
Flavor Summit Delves Deep Into the Science of Taste
In late February, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted its second annual Flavor Summit. The hybrid in-person/online event was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. CREC and the UF Center for Smell and Taste hosted the event that took a deep dive into the science of how flavors …
Building a Brand for Cold-Hardy Citrus
A new brand name for citrus grown in Georgia, North Florida and Alabama should ensure consumers they are purchasing a quality product. Much like Georgia Grown and Fresh From Florida, Sweet Valley Citrus assures consumers and industry members that citrus grown and marketed under this label is high-quality produce. Kyli Lamar, who serves on the board of directors for the …
A Citrus Servant
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP It’s not unusual for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) to have a dozen contacts with Peter Chaires in a day, between the emails, calls and visits. Chaires serves as executive director of the New Varieties Development & Management Corp. (NVDMC), executive vice president of Florida Citrus Packers and …
‘Irma Will Haunt Us’ Regarding Citrus Black Spot
Citrus black spot (CBS) disease has only been found in five Southwest Florida counties, but that could change as a result of 2017’s Hurricane Irma, a researcher reiterated recently. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences plant pathologist Megan Dewdney, in a Feb. 24 presentation, said “Irma will haunt us for a while.” She explained that Irma likely …
Controlling Mites in CUPS
Emilie Demard is working to control mites and other pests that damage fresh grapefruit growing as citrus under protective screens (CUPS) at the Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce. “I look at biological control — in this case, predatory mites controlling pest mites to minimize the need for agrochemicals,” said Demard, a Ph.D. entomology graduate with the …
Upcoming Events for Florida Citrus Growers
In the latest episode of the All In For Citrus podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, previews two upcoming events citrus growers will want to attend. The first is a Finger Lime Symposium. The half-day event will be held virtually from 1 p.m. to 5 …