citrus

Orange Production to See Global Increase

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

Global orange production for 2020–21 is forecast to rise 3.6 million metric tons from the previous year to 49.4 million metric tons. Favorable weather leading to larger crops in Brazil and Mexico will offset declines in Turkey and the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Consequently, consumption, processing fruit and fresh exports are also …

china

Production of OJ to Climb in Europe

Ernie NeffInternational, Orange Juice

European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production is forecast to climb almost 8 percent in 2020-21 compared to the previous year, to 87,987 metric tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The forecast is in line with the expected growth in the volume of European oranges destined for processing this season, especially from Spain and Italy. …

China Orange and OJ Forecasts

Ernie NeffForecast, International

Orange production in China is forecast to grow to 7.5 million metric tons (MMT) in 2020–21, up from 7.4 MMT in 2019–20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The increase will be driven mainly by new trees planted a few years ago in Jiangxi and other provinces. Those trees have started to produce more fruit. FAS …

nominations

Four to Join Citrus Hall of Fame

Ernie NeffAwards

The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame will induct four new members in 2021. They are John L. Jackson of Sorrento, Florida; the late Lew J. Prosser of Plant City, Florida; Adam H. Putnam of Memphis, Tennessee; and Steven D. “Steve” Sorrells of Arcadia, Florida. They will be inducted during a luncheon tentatively scheduled for Nov. 5 at Florida Southern College …

Cutrale Wins Quality Award

Tacy CalliesAwards

Cutrale has been named a 2020 Supplier Award winner by ADM. An international agribusiness group, Cutrale is involved in orange growing and processing, orange juice manufacturing and distribution with operations in Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. ADM is an agricultural origination and processing company that connects crops to markets on six continents. During …

fresh

Orange Juice Import Impacts

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Economist Tom Spreen discussed the impact of imports in the United States orange juice (OJ) market at the Sept. 16 Florida Citrus Commission meeting. Spreen is retired from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Spreen’s analysis began with increased imports in 2017 after Hurricane Irma struck Florida. Largely as a result of the storm, nearly 24 …

Growers Sustain Losses

Ernie NeffEconomics

Not many watching a recent virtual Citrus Expo presentation were surprised by Ariel Singerman’s declaration that “taking into account total cost, on average, growers sustained a loss” in the 2019-20 Florida citrus season. Singerman, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economist, pegged the average per-acre losses at $1,606 for early-midseason oranges and $1,254 for Valencias. Singerman …

World Orange Production to Fall

Ernie NeffCrop Forecast

Global orange production for 2019-20 is estimated to fall 7.8 million metric tons (MMT) from the previous year to 46.1 MMT, according to a July report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Consumption is forecast to be flat, though not down. Global trade is expected to be lower with an anticipated drop in exports from Brazil and …

Steger Forecast for Florida Oranges

Ernie NeffForecast

Elizabeth Steger, president of Citrus Consulting International, has forecast Florida’s 2020-21 orange crop at 62 million boxes. That is 8.35 percent fewer oranges than the 67.65 million boxes the state produced last season. [See the final 2019-20 season forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) here.] Steger has been forecasting the size of Florida’s orange crop prior to the …

citrus

Global Orange Juice Production to Drop

Ernie NeffInternational, Orange Juice

Global orange juice production for 2019-20 is estimated to slip 23 percent from last season, to 1.6 million tons, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Much of the blame falls on Brazil and Mexico, where fewer oranges are expected to be available for processing. Worldwide orange juice consumption is projected to be flat, though not down. …

sour

State of the Lemon Industry in the European Union

Ernie Nefflemons

The European Union (EU) lemon crop forecast for 2019-20 decreased 16 percent from the previous season, to 1.471 million metric tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently reported. The FAS also provided an overview of the EU lemon industry. The overall decline is due to the expected strong production drop in Spain and Italy, the largest …

town hall

FFVA: Protect Ag Workers From COVID-19

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Department of Labor have provided joint COVID-19 guidance for agriculture workers and employers. Topics in the guidance include: creating an assessment and control plan; screening and monitoring workers; managing sick workers; returning to work after exposure; engineering controls; cleaning, disinfection and sanitation; administrative controls, including training and social distancing; cloth …

Southern Hemisphere Citrus Crop Forecast

Ernie NeffForecast, Industry News Release

A preliminary forecast for the Southern Hemisphere citrus season shows an expected small production decrease but an increase in exports. The first crop production and export forecast for the 2020 season was released by the World Citrus Organisation (WCO) on May 29. The preliminary forecast is collected from industry associations in Argentina, Australia, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay. The …

Malcolm Manners: Model Professor, Admired Mentor

Tacy CalliesCitrus

In college, Malcolm Manners saw his share of “really good” and “really bad” professors. When he decided to become a professor himself, he tried to use the best ones as his pattern. “They could catch a student’s interest and educate rather than preach,” he recalls. Manners just began his 40th year as an educator at Florida Southern College (FSC) in …

Florida Citrus Season Soured by Imports

Tacy CalliesExport/Import, sales

A small grower shares his thoughts on the current market situation. By Chip Henry The functionality and integrity of the cash (spot) market for Florida oranges this season has been undermined by the untimely and excessive supplanting of imported juice into Florida processing plant inventories. The resulting price crash has cast a pall on growers selling their fruit on the …

FDOC Shifts Money to Marketing

Tacy CalliesFlorida Citrus Commission

Florida Department of Citrus money unused because of the coronavirus pandemic will be directed toward increasing orange juice sales, as projections of this season’s citrus production have declined. The Florida Citrus Commission agreed Tuesday to add $277,000 to an ongoing digital ad campaign, with most of the money coming from employee travel plans that were halted because of the deadly …

china

U.S. Citrus Supply and Prices

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, Economics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook report on March 31. The report shows that the forecast for the U.S. citrus crop is down 4 percent from last season and how this is affecting imports, exports and pricing. LOWER PRODUCTIONU.S. all-orange production is expected to decrease by 1.6 percent, largely due …

Citrus Leprosis Poses a Threat to Florida

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Amit Levy, Ozgur Batuman, Peggy Sieburth and Lauren Diepenbrock Citrus leprosis is an exotic viral disease not currently present in Florida. This disease is of interest since it was reported in citrus in Florida and Brazil in the early 1900s, where it caused great crop and tree losses, but it was eliminated from Florida in the early 1960s. Currently, …

citrus

All In For Citrus Podcast, December 2019

Taylor HillmanAll In For Citrus Podcast

The December All In For Citrus podcast has critical insights on citrus production, including contract issues, a view from Brazil, soil health research and the Winter Weather Watch program. Numerous Florida citrus growers have no contracts and no offers, or very low offers, for their juice oranges this season. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus …

orange juice

Citrus Industry ‘Pretty Close to a Cliff’

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release, Orange Juice

(NSF) — State lawmakers and citrus growers expressed a need Tuesday to entice people to drink more orange juice and for citrus importers to help in the marketing of Florida’s struggling signature crop. After 15 years of fighting the impacts of hurricanes, citrus greening disease, a reduction in acres because of the state’s rapid growth and changes in drinking habits, …