A U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientist and his team are hopeful that some so-called “long-shot” varieties will pay off in the effort to find HLB-tolerant grapefruit. Matthew Mattia of the USDA Agricultural Research Services (ARS) U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce, Florida, found the varieties at the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm in Groveland, Florida. The varieties are Florida …
Studying the Mechanisms for HLB Tolerance
John Chater has been on the job now for two years, working with growers to evaluate variety performance in field trials. In the latest All In For Citrus podcast episode, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor discusses his work, including grower collaboration to study new varieties in real-world environments. Chater also talks about …
Sticking to a Solid Production Plan
Matthew Machata grew up in Polk County on the family’s citrus farm, Rolling Meadows Ranch Groves in Lake Wales, Florida. After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. He then attended Auburn University, where he earned a degree in aerospace engineering. At the time, his plans didn’t include farming, but that changed …
Australian Orange Production to Increase
Australian fresh orange production is forecast at 530,000 metric tons (MT) in 2023–24 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). This is a 5% increase over 2022–23 production of 505,000 MT. Producers expect to benefit from easing input costs and labor constraints in 2023–24. In particular, the costs of fertilizer and crop protection chemicals have reduced …
California Researchers Seek HLB Tolerance
University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received three federal grants totaling more than $11 million for research focused on instilling HLB-tolerance in citrus trees. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding was enabled by the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, which authorized the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development …
Sneak Peek: January 2024 Citrus Industry
The January issue of Citrus Industry magazine rings in the new year with positive news! Find out how one Florida grower is producing up to 500 boxes per acre. Matt Machata tells how he rehabilitated his family’s groves in Lake Wales. He shares the details of his dry fertilizer and foliar application schedules. Attention to nutrition, irrigation and soil health …
Ag Employers Want H-2A Wage Methodology Amended
The National Council of Agricultural Employers (NCAE) has petitioned Acting Department of Labor Secretary Julie Su to amend the regulatory methodology for determining adverse effect wage rates in the H-2A temporary agricultural worker program. “America’s farm and ranch families and American consumers continue to bear the brunt of the Department of Labor’s (DOL) misuse of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Gratitude for Growing Florida Citrus
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette December is always a favorite month for me. It’s a time to reflect on the trials and tribulations from the past year and a time to be thankful for the blessings in our lives that have brought us through difficulties. December brings anticipation for the upcoming year and what lies ahead. For citrus growers, December also …
Florida Citrus: The Road Back
By Tom Spreen The Florida citrus industry has experienced a difficult stretch of years since the record crop year of 2003–04, when over 240 million 90-pound boxes of oranges were produced. INDUSTRY DECLINEIn 2004, multiple hurricanes crisscrossed the Florida peninsula. They were the first hurricanes to hit the citrus-producing area of Florida since Hurricane Dora in 1964. The hurricanes themselves …
Alico Citrus Production Declines 51%
Alico Citrus, a division of Alico, Inc., harvested less than half its citrus in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023 as it did in the prior year. The decline was largely the result of impacts from Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Alico has approximately 49,000 citrus acres in seven Florida counties. The company reported on Dec. 6 that it …
H-2A Wage Rates to Rise Again
Florida’s adverse effect wage rate (AEWR), the minimum wage for H-2A agricultural workers, is estimated to climb 3% in 2024. Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) reported the new Florida AEWR is estimated to be $14.77 per hour. Georgia’s AEWR is expected to rise 7%. Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) reported Georgia’s new AEWR is estimated to be …
Australia Seeks Vaccine-Like Solution to CTV
Australian scientists are developing a vaccine-like solution to arm citrus growers with an effective way to combat citrus tristeza virus (CTV), a significant challenge for the Australian citrus industry. The $1.5 million initiative is being delivered through Hort Innovation and collaboratively led by the University of Queensland, the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) and Auscitrus. Researchers …
Vincent Awarded Fellowship in Environmental Protection and Stewardship
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher Christopher Vincent was awarded an Early-Career Research Fellowship in the Environmental Protection and Stewardship track from the Gulf Research Program (GRP) of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. Vincent is an associate professor of citrus tree ecophysiology in the Horticultural Sciences Department at the Citrus Research and …
Florida Citrus Show – Exhibit
HomeAttendSeminarsHotelExhibitSponsorExhibit at the 2025 Florida Citrus Show! The 2025 Florida Citrus Show is excited to once again bring you a tailgate gathering. Exhibitors are encouraged to bring tailgate-style food items to share with growers and industry attendees. The trade show, which will take place in the parking lot between the USDA and UF/IFAS buildings, will open to growers for breakfast …
Florida Citrus Show
HomeAttendSeminarsHotelExhibitSponsor2025 Florida Citrus Show Mar / 2025Florida Citrus Show: A Successful Grower Gathering Mar / 2025What to Know Before You Go The Florida Citrus Show is not your average trade show. The show will be hosted at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture …
Snail Control and Research Update
Baits are currently the best tool for Bulimulus bonariensis snail management, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) entomologists reported recently. Assistant professors Lauren Diepenbrock and Nicole Quinn also provided an update on snail research. Diepenbrock works at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. Quinn works at the Indian River Research and Education Center …
Citrus Recovery Program Funding Allocated
Several scientific projects to be funded with $2 million the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) received from the state’s Citrus Recovery Program were approved by the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC). The Citrus Recovery Program funds came from the Florida Legislature this year. The funded projects include: Also utilizing funds from the Citrus Recovery Program, the FCC approved almost $1.05 million …
Millennium Block Drive-Thru Highlights
Florida citrus growers and researchers arrived from Davie, Bartow, Lakeland, Plant City, Fellsmere and Gainesville to view more than 5,500 trees of several new citrus varieties. Some of the trees are showing initial tolerance to citrus greening. The occasion was the Millennium Block Drive-Thru at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and …
All In With Trunk Injection
Some Florida citrus growers decided to start slowly with trunk injection of oxytetracycline (OTC), treating only a small portion of their acreage. Others took a wait-and-see approach, hoping to learn from their peers’ experiences. But Wheeler Farms went all in, treating 100% of their trees with trunk injection. “What we were doing was not working, so we needed to try …
Fine-Tuning Trunk Injection
Growers have concluded their first round of injecting their citrus trees with oxytetracycline (OTC) and now are anxiously awaiting the results. So far, trees seem to be responding with larger leaves and fruit, but fruit retention will tell the story if the treatment is moving the needle against HLB. For many years, there was a perception among growers that if …