Alico Citrus

Alico Citrus to Cease Operations After This Season

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

Large Florida citrus grower Alico Citrus will cease operations after the current season’s harvest, parent company Alico, Inc. announced Jan. 6. The company cited increasing financial challenges from citrus greening disease and “environmental factors.”  Alico owns approximately 53,371 acres of land across eight counties in Florida, as well as approximately 48,700 acres of oil, gas and mineral rights in the …

navel oranges

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: Navel Oranges After OTC and Milton’s Impact

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source

By Peter Chaires As fall approached and Hurricane Milton was not yet on the radar, growers were quietly discussing promising results from oxytetracycline (OTC) therapy. As one would expect, results are as variable as the products, methods of application and factors in the field. However, the view from 40,000 feet was encouraging. Growers not only reported positive observations in their …

Texas Farm Bureau

Water Crisis Impacting Texas Citrus

Daniel CooperTexas, Water

“The last five years in Texas has kind of been the perfect storm,” said Dale Murden, a citrus grower in the state’s Lower Rio Grande Valley. First came Hurricane Hannah in 2020; it knocked fruit to the ground before harvest. A year later, Winter Storm Uri devastated the region, freezing thousands of citrus trees. Now, ongoing drought and a water …

Farm Bill

New Legislation Extends Farm Bill and Provides Aid

Daniel CooperLegislative

In one of the last acts of the 118th Congress, lawmakers passed a continuing resolution (CR) to fund the U.S. government that includes a one-year extension of the 2018 farm bill, aid for those impacted by natural disasters and economic assistance for farmers. The CR (American Relief Act, 2025) passed the U.S. House Dec. 20 in a 366-34-1 vote. The Senate …

controls

Controls Needed to Effectively Evaluate Treated Trees

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Ute Albrecht, Gabriel Pugina and Caroline Tardivo Two years have passed since trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC) was approved for HLB management in Florida. Many growers have adopted this technology. While most reported positive responses, others did not. The plant physiology team at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education …

January

Sneak Peek: January 2025 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperSneak Peek

Citrus Industry subscribers will now receive their magazine content inside of Specialty Crop Grower. The new home for Citrus Industry begins with the January issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine, available in print and digitally. On the cover of the January issue of Specialty Crop Grower is a face familiar to many in Florida’s citrus community. Jim Snively of Southern …

root recovery

Root Recovery Precedes Production Gains

Daniel CooperHLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions about optimizing trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: There have been some mixed results from OTC injections depending on geography within Florida. Is the citrus industry in Florida experiencing a recovery from the effects of HLB or not? Tom Johnson: Since the release of ReMedium TI® …

Owari

Owari Yields in Georgia Pruning Trial

Daniel CooperGeorgia, Pruning

University of Georgia (UGA) County Extension Coordinator Jake Price recently reported on the Nov. 19 harvest of fruit from six Owari satsuma trees on X-639 rootstock. The trees were part of a pruning field trial. Price said three pruned trees yielded 380, 527 and 457 pounds of fruit, respectively; three unpruned control trees yielded 569, 596 and 418 pounds, respectively. …

forecasts

Florida Citrus Forecasts Tumble

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, 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 …

Florida citrus industry

Adams, Graham and Richey to Join Hall of Fame

Daniel CooperAwards

The late Charles W. Adams, James H. “Jim” Graham and Daniel R. “Dan” Richey will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame March 28, 2025. ADAMS Adams (1879–1945) was a partner in Adams Packing Association and Growers Fertilizer Corporation. He impacted the citrus industry with his progressive ideas for growth. Adams moved from Michigan to Florida in 1911 …

Citrus Industry

Citrus Industry: A Continued Commitment

Daniel CooperHistory

As Citrus Industry changes to a new format in 2025 (see more here), now is a good time to look back at some of the stories the publication has covered over the years. The world’s largest citrus library at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred holds a mostly …

HLB

Changing With the Times

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

By Robin Loftin and Frank Giles When HLB was first confirmed in Florida in October 2005, it was difficult to imagine the path the disease would take the state’s citrus industry down. In some ways, it has been a testament to the resolve and ingenuity of growers who have kept trees alive and continued planting, despite some early prognostications that …

maturity standards

Juice Maturity Standards Eased; Varieties Approved for Licensing

Daniel CooperFlorida Citrus Commission, Varieties

Update as of 12-2-24: For the period beginning 12:00 a.m. on Dec. 2, 2024, and ending at 11:59 p.m. on May 23, 2025, maturity standards in regard to ratio are suspended for all grapefruit including field run and eliminations. This emergency rule supersedes Emergency Rule 20ER24-4. At the request of Florida processor and grower associations, the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) …

IMG

IMG Citrus Moving Forward With More CUPS

Daniel CooperCUPS

A Nov. 22 Lake County farm tour, hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, included a visit to the 13-acre citrus under protective screen (CUPS) site owned by IMG Citrus. Located in Groveland, the facility consists of Ruby Red grapefruit on Swingle rootstock planted in May 2022. Clint Updike, IMG citrus production manager, told farm …

December

Sneak Peek: December 2024 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperSneak Peek

Citrus Industry magazine has been proudly serving growers for more than a century. In the December issue, AgNet Media announces some important changes to the 105-year-old brand. Beginning in January of next year, Citrus Industry content will become a part of Specialty Crop Grower magazine. The Citrus Industry website and weekly e-news will continue as is. Learn about the reason …

outlook

Florida Citrus Outlook for the 2024–25 Season

Daniel CooperFlorida Department of Citrus

The expected utilization of Florida’s 2024–25 citrus crop was the focus of economist Marisa Zansler’s Florida Citrus Outlook presentation to the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October. Zansler is director of economic and market research for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). Before discussing expected utilization by varieties, Zansler pointed out that her outlook was based on the U.S. Department …

root recovery

Positive Early Harvest Reports

Daniel CooperHarvesting, HLB Management, OTC Expert

Sponsored Content In this special series, Tom Johnson, owner of TJ BioTech, tackles questions on trunk-injection applications to treat HLB. Q: Are there any 2024–25 early harvest reports that have come from citrus growers using ReMedium TI®? Tom Johnson: Yes. There are several reports, but some of the numbers still need to be confirmed before they are reported. However, I …

industry survey

Florida Growers Reminded to Complete State of Industry Survey

Daniel CooperFlorida, Survey

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 …

budget

Citrus Commission Approves Budget and Other Actions

Daniel CooperFlorida Citrus Commission, Florida Department of Citrus

The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in October approved a 2024–25 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and heard about marketing programs the budget will fund. The FCC also approved citrus varieties to be included in the 2024 Program for Expedited Propagation. BUDGET AND ASSESSMENT RATES The FCC approved a $21.75 million operating budget for the FDOC. It …

field day

Field Day Featured Favorable Fresh Fruit Rootstock and Scion Combinations

Daniel CooperEvents, Rootstocks, Varieties

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center recently hosted a field day showcasing its Millennium Block citrus grove. The field day went on despite the grove being impacted by a tornado associated with Hurricane Milton in October. The Millennium Block is one of the largest experimental trials examining fresh fruit …