Visiting Southern Gardens Citrus

Abbey TaylorCitrus

Last week, members of the AgNet Media team had the opportunity to visit the Everglades Agricultural Area (EAA) to meet with some of the area’s key players. During the three-day tour, the team explored various agricultural operations, including Southern Gardens Citrus. The Southern Gardens Citrus visit began with a tour of Devil’s Garden Grove, led by grove manager Luke Davis. …

Perdue to Rooney: Expect Citrus Disaster Relief Plan Next Week

Tacy Callieshurricane

On April 18, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the details of the $2.3 billion disaster relief program for Florida citrus growers impacted by Hurricane Irma will be finalized by next week. Congressman Thomas J. Rooney (R-FL), who spearheaded the relief effort, issued the following statement in response: “Today, Secretary Perdue reassured Florida citrus producers that he is working to make sure that disaster relief is made …

Managing Mites in Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesPests

By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Jawwad A. Qureshi and Philip A. Stansly Florida citrus is host to four main groups of mites categorized by differences in lineage and morphology. However, only rust mites, spider mites and broad mites historically cause economic damage to commercially grown citrus in the state. The fourth group, referred to as false spider mites, are vectors elsewhere …

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Scott Urges Quick Action on Agriculture Aid

Daniel CooperCitrus, financial, hurricane, Industry News Release

Gov. Rick Scott is asking U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to move quickly to get disaster-relief funding into the hands of Florida citrus growers, as it may be another three months before farmers can start to apply for the money. In a letter Tuesday, Scott also asked Perdue to “customize federal aid for Florida citrus growers” to meet their needs. …

Steep Florida Grapefruit Production Declines

Abbey TaylorGrapefruit

Most growers and professionals in the citrus industry are aware that Florida’s orange crop has declined due to diseases like citrus greening and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. However, Florida’s grapefruit crop has been suffering tremendously as well, even more severely than Florida oranges. The Florida orange crop has dropped by 35 percent this year, while Florida grapefruit has dropped …

crop forecast

Tree Assistance Program Tweaked to Help Citrus Growers

Tacy CalliesLegislative

By Michael W. Sparks Florida Citrus Mutual, the citrus industry and our Congressional delegation continue to work with Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam on obtaining federal relief payments from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for citrus groves damaged by Hurricane Irma. Once specifics are unveiled, we will get them to you as soon as possible. In the meantime, I wanted …

orange juice

International OJ Market Sees Some Positives

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The third Fundecitrus estimate of the season for the Brazilian orange crop on Feb. 11 was just shy of 400 million boxes. It is 3.13 percent larger than the last estimate in December, and 9 percent larger than the initial estimate published in May. Fruits are bigger and heavier, reaching 247 fruits per box. This is …

Current Considerations for Citrus Irrigation Management

Tacy CalliesIrrigation

Growers can use these tips and tools for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. By Davie Kadyampakeni, Kelly Morgan, Mongi Zekri, Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Arnold Schumann and Thomas A. Obreza Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year. This is because of the low water-holding capacity of sandy soils resulting from low clay …

growers

Citrus Growers Should Purchase Crop Insurance by April 15

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

By Michael W. Sparks The Hurricane Irma Florida citrus relief package is moving forward and Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) expect U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to unveil the program sometime in the next few weeks. FCM is in contact with our allies in Washington and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam’s staff on a daily basis. Once the news breaks, we …

Sneak Peek: April 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Water is a key ingredient in achieving a healthy citrus crop, but too little or too much can be detrimental. Two articles in the April issue of Citrus Industry magazine address irrigation management. In the first article, growers will learn about irrigation scheduling methods and get production pointers for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. The second article looks …

State of the Florida Citrus-Packing Segment

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Peter Chaires Florida’s fresh-packing segment is in a significant period of transition. The freezes of the 1980s caused substantial southward movement of citrus production and the loss of supply to most packinghouses in the northern regions. During this time, urban expansion and construction booms were also depleting acreage that supplied fresh houses. The early battles against citrus canker eliminated …

Citrus Industry Priorities for the Next Farm Bill

Abbey TaylorLegislative

Crop insurance fixes and the continuation of research funding are top priorities for the citrus industry when it comes to developing the new farm bill. Robert Guenther, senior vice president of public policy with the United Fresh Produce Association, recently discussed these issues with AgNet Media Founder and President Gary Cooper. They spoke during the recent Crop Insurance Industry Convention …

citrus crop

Commissioner Adam H. Putnam on Updated Citrus Crop Forecast

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its monthly citrus crop forecast for the 2017-2018 season: “Florida’s citrus growers are still recovering from Hurricane Irma’s unprecedented damage, which the March forecast shows is still unfolding in many groves six months later. Thankfully, Congress recently provided more than …

nelson

Sen. Nelson Calls on Federal Agencies to Distribute Disaster Aid

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) took to the Senate floor late Monday afternoon to urge the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to immediately release the disaster funding approved by Congress in February to help Floridians who are still recovering from Hurricane Irma. “It has been almost six months since Hurricane Irma struck Florida, and it’s been about …

fresh

Fresh Citrus Shipments Continue to Drop; CAC Elections Coming

Ernie NeffFresh

Fresh citrus shipments from Florida so far in the 2017–18 citrus season have fallen 37 percent below the previous season, reports Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) Manager Duke Chadwell. “And that percentage has held true from the beginning of the season up until now,” he says. “However, I do anticipate as we move forward that that percentage is going to grow. …

orange juice

Help for Florida Farmers Advancing in Senate

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Farmers and other parts of Florida’s agriculture industry could receive about $75 million in post-Hurricane Irma assistance from the state next year under a measure moving forward in the Senate. The Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously backed the proposal (SB 1608) by Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring. The proposal, in part, would reduce property assessments …

Outlook for Postbloom Fruit Drop

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Megan M. Dewdney, Tripti Vashisth and Ariel Singerman In 2017, the damage from postbloom fruit drop (PFD) was lower than the previous three years. This was mainly due to the low rainfall accumulation in late winter and early spring. The long bloom with relatively few flowers at any one time made the decision of when to apply a fungicide …

irrigation

Water and Nutrient Tips for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Irrigation, Nutrition

  University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Davie Kadyampakeni offers water and nutrient management tips for HLB-affected trees. He was a presenter at a recent citrus nutrient management seminar in Immokalee hosted by multi-county citrus Extension agent Mongi Zekri. The seminar drew approximately 60 people to the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. Kadyampakeni’s tips include …

citrus crop

Putnam on Disaster Funding for Florida Agriculture

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a spending bill that includes more than $2.3 billion for agricultural assistance: “The passage of this spending bill is a critical first step to finally getting Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers long-awaited and desperately needed relief. Without this emergency assistance, …

orange crop

Call Now for Florida Agriculture Relief Legislation

Tacy CalliesLegislative

By Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president/chief executive officer The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) sometime today.  The measure to fund the government includes $2.36 billion for Florida agriculture relief. Please immediately contact your U.S. Representative in the House and strongly urge him or her to vote “yes” on the bill. See …