The Citrus Administrative Committee’s (CAC) assessment rate for fresh citrus has been increased to 2.5 cents per 4/5 bushel carton or equivalent of oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and pummelos grown in Florida. The prior assessment rate was 2 cents. The assessment increase was announced on April 29, 2026, in the Federal Register as a U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service …
EPA Seeks Comments on Fungicide Strategy
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its draft Fungicide Strategy and is inviting the public to weigh in. The draft strategy identifies practical, science-based protections that fungicide users can adopt to safeguard more than 1,000 federally endangered and threatened species. The strategy also aims to preserve the flexibility that states, growers and applicators need. EPA is opening this draft …
California Sweet Orange Scab Quarantine Expanded
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have expanded the area quarantined for sweet orange scab (SOS). The expansion is in the Irvine area of Orange County and in the La Puente area of Los Angeles County in California. QUARANTINE ACTIONS APHIS is expanding …
California Mexfly Quarantine Expanded
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently expanded the La Mesa Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine twice in San Diego County, California. On March 17, APHIS and CDFA expanded the quarantine following the confirmed detections on March 11 of one wild mated female Mexfly and …
CarriCea Rootstock Registration Is ‘a Major Milestone’
Growers association Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) on April 28 called the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) approval of Soilcea’s CarriCea™ T1 citrus rootstock registration “a major milestone.” According to FCM, CarriCea™ T1 is a first-of-its-kind citrus rootstock designed to tolerate citrus greening disease. It works by precisely editing the rootstock’s own genes, disrupting the bacterium that causes greening from interacting with the …
Ask These Questions When Conducting an Agricultural Water Assessment
By Michelle Danyluk, William “Billy” Mitchell, Stephanie Brown, Emmy Collins, Keith R. Schneider and Taylor O’Bannon Most citrus growers have been meeting the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Produce Safety Rule (PSR) requirements since 2016. However, changes to this rule in May of 2024 now require growers to have an agricultural water assessment (AgWa) for production (i.e., pre-harvest) water. A …
Agriculture Organizations Seek H-2A Fixes
Numerous U.S. agriculture organizations, including some representing citrus growers, recently sent letters to two U.S. Cabinet members regarding concerns about the federal H-2A guest worker program. LETTER TO SECRETARY OF STATE A letter to Secretary of State Marco Rubio requested that the Department of State take action to streamline its portion of the H-2A filing process by expanding interview waivers. …
California Citrus Greening Quarantine Expanded
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have expanded the area quarantined for citrus greening in California. APHIS established a new quarantined area in the Ramona area of San Diego County of 93 square miles. The agency also expanded the quarantined area in …
Fruit Fly Quarantine Updates
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and state agriculture officials recently updated fruit fly quarantines in California and Texas. CALIFORNIA: ORIENTAL FRUIT FLY (OFF) On March 23, APHIS and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) removed the OFF quarantine in Riverside and San Bernardino counties, designated the Jurupa Valley quarantine. This …
EPA Urged to Complete Review of Emerging Rootstocks
U.S. Rep. Scott Franklin recently led members of the Florida congressional delegation in urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to complete a timely, science-based review of emerging citrus rootstock technologies to combat huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening. Florida’s citrus industry has faced steep declines due to HLB, compounded by recent hurricanes and freeze damage. Production has dropped …
Mexfly Quarantine Established and Expanded in California
Agriculture officials on March 5 established a Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in La Mesa, San Diego County, California, designated the La Mesa quarantine. On March 10 they expanded the quarantine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) established the La Mesa quarantine in response to …
Sapote Fruit Fly Quarantines Established
Three sapote fruit fly quarantines have been established in Texas by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). Altogether, the quarantines encompass approximately 1,102 acres of commercial citrus. On Feb. 23, APHIS and TDA established one quarantine in Rio Hondo and another in Harlingen, Cameron County. They were …
Sweet Orange Scab and HLB Quarantines Updated
Agriculture officials announced the expansion of the sweet orange scab (SOS) quarantine and establishment of a new HLB quarantine area, both in California. SWEET ORANGE SCAB On March 11, the quarantine area for SOS in the Van Nuys area of Los Angeles County was expanded by 80 square miles. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service …
Sweet Orange Scab Quarantines Expand in California
Agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for sweet orange scab (SOS) in the Los Angeles and Villa Park areas of Los Angeles and Orange counties in California. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) expanded the quarantine. SOS is a disease caused by …
Federal HLB Quarantine Established in Arizona
Federal agriculture officials recently established an area quarantined for HLB in, paralleling the intrastate quarantine that the Arizona Department of Agriculture (AZDA) established on Feb. 7, 2025. The quarantined area of approximately 9 square miles is in the Nogales area of Santa Cruz County. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) took the recent action …
Another Mexfly Quarantine Established in Texas
Federal and state agriculture officials on Jan. 26 established a Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Granjeno, Hidalgo County, Texas, designated the Granjeno quarantine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) took the action. APHIS and TDA established the Granjeno quarantine in response to the detection on Jan. …
West Indian Fruit Fly in Texas Grapefruit Triggers Quarantine
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) on Jan. 16 established a West Indian fruit fly (Anastrepha obliqua) quarantine in Mission, Hidalgo County, Texas. It is designated the Palmview quarantine. This action parallels a quarantine established by the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) on Jan. 13. APHIS took the action in response to the confirmed …
More Citrus Acreage Affected by Mexfly Quarantine Expansion
Agriculture officials on Dec. 30 expanded the Peñitas Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine in Hidalgo County, Texas. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) took the action. APHIS and TDA expanded the Peñitas quarantine following the Dec. 22 confirmed detection of one Mexfly larva in a tangerine collected …
HLB Quarantine Expansions Impact California Commercial Citrus
Agriculture officials have expanded the areas quarantined for citrus greening disease (known as huanglongbing or HLB) in California. The quarantined area in the Corona area of Riverside County was expanded by 37 square miles. The San Juan Capistrano quarantined area of Orange County was expanded by 18 square miles. The actions were taken by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal …
Mexfly Quarantines Impact Commercial Citrus in Texas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) recently established and expanded Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantine areas in Texas. PEÑITAS QUARANTINE On Dec. 12, the agencies established a Mexfly quarantine in Peñitas, Hidalgo County, designated as the Peñitas quarantine. This quarantine was established in response to the confirmed …





























