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Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Industry News Release”
Sumo Citrus announced it will harvest its largest crop to date this season, running January to April, and double the amount of fruit produced last season. The fruit — derived from satsuma, orange and mandarin citrus varieties — will be distributed across North America. Sumo Citrus was originally cultivated in Japan in the 1970s by a single grower. The fruit …
IMG Citrus, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has acquired J&J Fresh Produce assets. These assets, also located in Vero Beach, include a new 185,000-square-foot cold storage and packaging facility and 1,000 acres of farmland in the Delta Farms Water Control District. “This is an exciting acquisition and a key component of our growth strategy,” said Melanie Ressler, co-chief executive officer …
Alico, Inc. recently summarized its second sustainability report. President and Chief Executive Officer John Kiernan said the company over the past year has delivered environmental, social and governance (ESG) promises made in its first sustainability report in 2021. He cited the following as some of Alico’s notable accomplishments: “Our goal with this report is to make it easier for our …
The Brazilian company Citrosuco recently announced the launch of Evera, a new business unit that will produce natural ingredients for different industries. The natural ingredients will come through reuse technology of orange waste, including husks, peels, leaves, flowers and seeds. Evera pointed out that Brazil produces approximately 13 million tons of oranges annually, equivalent to 320 million boxes, but only …
Norwegian company Desert Control has developed a liquid natural clay (LNC) that reportedly restores and enhances soil ecosystems to reduce usage and improve efficiency of water, fertilizers and natural resources for agriculture and other uses. It has signed contracts with the Limoneira Company to apply LNC to citrus trees in California and Arizona. The project’s initial scope is to apply …
Florida’s Natural Growers’ round orange pool for last season paid an average of $3.50 per pound solid, Chief Financial Officer Matthew Woodall announced at the cooperative’s recent annual stockholders’ meeting. Early and midseason oranges paid a combined $3.42 per pound solid, and Valencia oranges paid a combined $3.55 per pound solid. Tangerines paid an average of $2.60 per pound solid, …
The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) recently announced its 2022–2024 strategy priorities for what it calls “future building” the global citrus community. The five priorities are membership, engagement, statistics, nutrition and health, and promotion. MEMBERSHIPIn 2022–2024, the WCO membership will be further consolidated to include the top citrus-producing countries and the top citrus-exporting countries. These include Africa, Brazil, China, Egypt, Greece, …
Alico, Inc. announced the appointment of Perry G. Del Vecchio as chief financial officer effective Sept. 6. He is responsible for all corporate finance, treasury and accounting functions of the company and reports directly to President and Chief Executive Officer John Kiernan. “Perry’s background as a senior finance leader for a $6 billion division of a Fortune 500 company, combined …
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has appointed internationally acclaimed entomologist and ecologist Matthew Thomas as director of the new Invasion Science Research Initiative (ISRI). Thomas will establish the framework for ISRI, which will bring together more than 120 UF/IFAS scientists from more than 20 departments currently dedicated to the detection, diversion, tracking and control …
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced details of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) $300 million investment in a new Organic Transition Initiative. The initiative will help build new and better markets and streams of income for growers. The number of non-certified organic farms actively transitioning to organic production dropped by nearly 71% since 2008. USDA hopes to reverse this trend, …
Alico President and CEO John Kiernan recently pointed out that the company had less orange crop decline than Florida as a whole in the 2021–22 citrus season. He noted that while the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported that the Florida crop declined 22.7% from the prior season, Alico’s decline was only 12.9%. “The company believes this lower rate of decline …
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame is now accepting nominations for its class of 2023 inductees. The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame honors producers, commodity leaders, educators, scientists and others who have made significant contributions to the production of food in Florida. The online nomination form is available on the Florida Ag Hall of Fame website. Visit floridaaghalloffame.org and click …
Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company founder and CEO Marygrace Sexton has been inducted into the Specialty Food Association Hall of Fame. Sexton started the company more than 30 years ago with a single, used juicing machine, no contracts and a small production space. Today, the company has two facilities in Fort Pierce, Florida, and distributes its juices in 32 states …
Michael Burton has been named the next director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC). He’s scheduled to start at the Immokalee facility on July 1. Burton recently served for 17 months as proxy for the dean of Missouri State University’s William H. Darr College of Agriculture. He …
Uncle Matt’s Organic recently announced the launch of its Matt50 orange juice beverage. Matt50 contains half the sugar and calories of regular orange juice and is boosted with Vitamin C, prebiotics, probiotics, calcium, potassium and folate. Susan McLean, Uncle Matt’s Organic vice president of marketing and innovation, said Matt50 contains just 50 calories per serving. It is sweetened with organic stevia, a …
Alico Inc. reported it had reduced orange production and lower pound solids per box during the six months that ended March 31. However, the company received higher prices per pound solids. For the period, Alico Citrus harvested approximately 4.1 million boxes of fruit, a decrease of 10.3% from the same period of the prior fiscal year. The decrease is principally related to fewer pieces …
Christopher Groom will succeed Robert Behr as chief executive officer (CEO) of Florida’s Natural Growers on Jan. 1, 2023. Groom is currently chief operating officer (COO) of the cooperative. Since 2011, Groom has held several roles with the organization. He was marketing executive and then vice president of sales and marketing before becoming COO in 2019. “Chris is a valued …
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 …
The Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) is reminding growers that participation in the Florida Citrus Recovery Block Grant (CRBG) requires the purchase of federal crop and/or tree insurance. The CRBG is available to growers who suffered crop damage due to Hurricane Irma in 2017. The insurance must be bought for two years (Part 3, Option 1) or four years …
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) disaster designation for 17 counties and 10 contiguous counties impacted by the freezing temperatures that occurred in late January. View the USDA’s approval letter here. “With the approval of our request for a disaster declaration, farmers in Florida have resources available …
