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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Florida”
Federal forecasts for Florida citrus production tumbled Dec. 10, led by a 20% decrease in oranges compared to the initial October forecast. The declines primarily reflect damage from Hurricane Milton, which was not accounted for in the initial forecast. The 2024–25 season forecasts for all other citrus-producing states were unchanged from October. The Dec. 10 Florida forecasts by variety are …
The 2024 Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey will provide a current view of the status of the state’s citrus industry. Among the topics covered in this year’s survey are hurricane impacts and the use of trunk-injection therapies to improve the health of HLB-infected trees. If you are a grower or a consultant/caretaker (who can answer generally on behalf …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus researcher Fernando Alferez recently visited Brazil’s Fundecitrus, as well as orchards and experiments in Brazil’s citrus region. Alferez, an associate professor of horticulture at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, was accompanied by researchers from Fundecitrus and Embrapa Cassava & Fruits. The project coordinator of Florida’s Citrus Research …
Dundee Citrus Growers Association has struggled with the same major setbacks as the rest of Florida’s citrus industry, including multiple freezes in the 1980s and HLB in this century. But Dundee, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary, has not only survived but has become the state’s largest citrus cooperative. A recent video recounts the association’s history, focusing on the growth, …
The Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) is actively seeking nominations for a new committee member to complete a two-year term ending August 2026. U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service policy is that the diversity of the board should reflect the diversity of its industries in experience of members, methods of production and distribution, marketing strategies and other distinguishing factors …
U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Florida members of Congress recently urged Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack to ensure Florida farmers get critical aid and policy flexibilities as they recover from Hurricanes Helene and Milton. “These back-to-back major hurricanes have decimated Florida agriculture, our state’s second largest industry,” the Florida legislators’ letter to Vilsack stated. “According to the Florida Department …
The value and production of Florida citrus both rose in the 2023–24 season. The $221 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2023–24 crop is 6% more than the $208 million revised value for 2022–23. All citrus production in 2023–24 is 20.2 million boxes, up 12% from the previous season’s 18.1 million boxes. The figures were reported in the 2023–24 Citrus …
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is seeking information about centennial growers — families that have been in the citrus business 100 years or more — so it can honor them. The statewide grower organization is also asking growers to participate in surveys that will determine the cost of production of Florida fresh grapefruit and processed oranges. CENTENNIAL GROWERS FCM wants to …
When HLB arrived in Florida, it changed the world for citrus growers, and a lot of other things had to change with it. One of the biggest changes has been how growers manage their fertilizer programs. The nutrient recommendations that had been developed by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) before HLB became outdated because …
Nominations are being sought by Nov. 1 for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Eligible nominees are distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry in any of the following fields: pioneering, harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, science or education. Nomination forms are available by contacting Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Executive Director Brenda …
The 2024 Commercial Citrus Inventory for Florida shows total citrus acreage of 274,705 acres, down 17% from the 2023 annual survey. The net loss of 57,551 acres is 14,505 acres more than was lost the previous year. New plantings at 4,751 acres are down from 2023, when 6,203 acres were planted. The inventory was released Aug. 29 by the U.S. …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) recently modified the policies and requirements for the citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida. Modifications address the movement of regulated articles and provide a protocol to remove areas from the CBS quarantine. This federal order updates the APHIS-Approved Packinghouse Procedures for Phyllosticta citricarpa, Causal Agent …
A recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) document reported results of research about Florida finger lime storage temperatures and coatings. “Postharvest Changes That Occur in Finger Limes at Chilling and Non-Chilling Temperatures” was written by Moshe Doron, Faisal Shahzad and Jeff Brecht. The document notes that finger limes, like other citrus fruits, cannot continue ripening …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS) recently announced it has a cooperative agreement with Florida under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Florida are offering more than $8 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain. Florida is accepting applications for …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA NRCS) and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) in Florida have purchased a conservation easement at G Road Grove, a citrus grove and tree nursery in Florida panther habitat. G Road Grove expands the protected area within the Florida Panther Dispersal Zone, a 30,000-acre corridor in Hendry and Glades counties. The …
Alissa Hevesh on June 17 became the new Highlands County agriculture production/natural resources Extension agent. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences position includes citrus agent duties. Hevesh received a dual bachelor’s degree in economics and environmental studies and a minor in leadership studies from Eckerd College in 2018. She received a master’s degree in food and …
The June 11 federal citrus crop forecast for 2023-24 shows mostly slight changes for all Florida varieties and no production changes in other states. ORANGES The Florida all-orange forecast rose less than 1% from May, or 60,000 boxes, to 17.86 million boxes. That exceeds 2022-23 production of 15.82 million boxes but is far below 2021-22 production of 41.2 million boxes. …
A recent issue of the Annual Review of Phytopathology contains the article, “Management of huanglongbing of citrus: Lessons from São Paulo and Florida.” It discusses the lessons in HLB management, comparing what was done in orchards in Brazil’s state of São Paulo and in Florida. It also highlights the measures that worked and failed from the perspective of controlling the …
Agriculture officials have increased the existing citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida and established a new quarantine area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS DPI) took these actions. CBS is a fungal disease that leaves fruit speckled …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Statistics Board released an update to the 2023–24 citrus crop forecast on May 10. FLORIDA ORANGES The Florida orange forecast is lowered 1 million boxes to 17.8 million boxes, representing a 5% decrease from the April forecast. The reduction is in the Valencia crop, which dropped 8% from 12 million boxes to 11 …
