Editor’s note: This Q&A was conducted prior to Hurricane Ian striking Florida. After the storm, Matt Joyner said that Florida Citrus Mutual is working with growers in the recovery process and collecting information to aid in any potential requests for assistance. Matt Joyner started with Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) in December of 2018 as director of government relations. In April …
Flooded Fields and Food Safety
By Michelle Danyluk In terms of food safety, not all standing water in a field is considered floodwater. Flooding is considered the flowing or overflowing of a field from open bodies of water outside the food crop producer’s control. Events that lead to pooled water or excess standing water in a field, such as rain or a problem with an …
5 Tips for Hurricane Reporting and Documentation
As growers begin to assess the damage left by Hurricane Ian, there’s some important considerations to keep in mind. Kimberly Lott, with Crop Disaster Recovery, provides five tips. She noted that many growers didn’t receive the full amount of money they could have been eligible for after Hurricane Irma — reporting and documentation are key. 1. REPORT LOSSES, GET INSPECTIONGrowers …
Heavy Fruit Loss Expected From Hurricane Ian
Although early assessment attempts were limited by cell phone and internet outages, Hurricane Ian likely caused extensive citrus fruit loss as it tore through Florida Sept. 28–29. The catastrophic hurricane churned through the Gulf and Peace River Valley citrus regions, then headed northeast to impact Highlands and southern Polk counties and the Indian River citrus region. REGIONAL REPORTSRay Royce of …
Gift Fruit Marketing Plan Set
The Gift Fruit Shippers Advisory Council on Sept. 22 agreed with a Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC)-recommended marketing program that includes driving consumers to the Florida Gift Fruit website. The program will begin in early November and conclude in mid-February with a strong focus on gift-giving messaging. This will come to life through social channels via organic and paid social …
CRDF Funds CRAFT and Pest Projects
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) was able to hold its September board of directors meeting just prior to Hurricane Ian. During the meeting, CRDF awarded funding for Cycle Four of the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. This will allow for another round of investments in grower-led research projects. “Kristen Carlson, Tamara Wood, the Technical Working Group …
Hurricane Ian Damage Assessment Gets Underway
By Frank Giles There is no question Hurricane Ian will go down as a historic catastrophe in Florida. It’s impact on agriculture will likely be historic as well. While it is too early to know the full extent of damage, AgNet Media is reaching out to growers and various industry associations and agencies to learn the extent of damage to …
Addressing the Imidacloprid Shortage
Imidacloprid has been a key tool in the fight against HLB. The insecticide is particularly important in protecting young trees from the Asian citrus psyllid, the vector of HLB disease. Admire Pro SLN is currently labeled to treat young citrus trees for HLB. But a fire at the Bayer manufacturing facility where the product is made has disrupted supplies. During …
Research Grants for Growers
Southeast farmers and ranchers may apply for producer grants from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Producer grants give farmers and ranchers the opportunity to conduct their own two-year research projects to develop sustainable production and marketing practices. They are funded at up to $15,000 for …
Growers Anxious as Hurricane Approaches
Editor’s Note: This story was written before Hurricane Ian made landfall. Stay tuned for updates on how the storm has impacted Florida’s citrus industry. Citrus producers in South Georgia, North Florida and East Alabama are on “pins and needles” this week, according to grower Kim Jones. While the crop is about a month away from harvest, it is extremely vulnerable …
HLB Tolerance Data Expected in Early 2023
Conclusive data on trials in the Millennium Block, expected in early 2023, may reveal which of more than 5,500 trees can tolerate HLB, researchers say. The Millennium Block is at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) in Fort Pierce. IRREC Director Ronald Cave said the 20-acre grove, established …
CRAFT Adds Assistant Program Manager
The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation recently hired Tina Buice as assistant program manager. The Highlands County resident had previously worked for nearly two decades at the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS DPI). She was most recently an environmental specialist in the FDACS DPI Avon Park office. Through her work with …
Canker Resistance Progress May Help With HLB
A team of researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has successfully identified the CsDMR6 gene, which impacts a citrus tree’s reaction to the citrus canker pathogen. Zhanao Deng and Fred Gmitter, both professors and plant breeders, are members of that team. By editing the CsDMR6 gene in the plant’s DNA to interfere with …
Fruit Displays Offer Growers Opportunities to Give Feedback
By Peter Chaires Each season, variety displays and field days offer growers, packers, processors, nurseries, marketers, flavor companies and other interested parties an opportunity to experience the latest developments in Florida’s citrus breeding programs. Each team takes its own approach to these events. Some are more focused on fruit displays and sampling, some have field tours, and others include scientific …
HLB and Canker Incidence Increasing in Brazil
The average incidence of HLB rose from 22.37% in 2021 to 24.42% in 2022 in Brazil’s citrus belt, an annual survey by Fundecitrus shows. That’s an increase of 9.16%. In the regions of Brotas, Limeira and Porto Ferreira, where the incidence was already high in previous years, HLB increased to even more worrying levels of 49.41%, 70.72% and 74.05%, respectively. …
When Are Cover Crops Profitable?
At 200 boxes per acre, cover crops can be profitable in Valencia orange production, according to a Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presentation. Tara Wade and Shourish Chakravarty prepared the presentation. Wade is an assistant professor, and Chakravarty is a post-doctoral associate, both at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. …
PIECES OF THE PAST: A TruBlu Tradition
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette The TruBlu brand was one of Wm. G. Roe & Sons’ citrus labels from Winter Haven. When I saw a citrus crate for sale with that label, I immediately bought it. However, once I received it, I was shocked because it was a smaller version of the shipping crates I had seen in the past! I …
How Different Techniques Hold Up to Diseases
How well reflective mulch, kaolin clay and individual protective covers (IPCs) hold up to HLB, canker and greasy spot diseases was researcher Megan Dewdney’s topic at the 2022 Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology at the Citrus Research and Education Center. The research project …
Searching for Sweet Solutions
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Just as HLB can affect fruit flavor, so can our numerous innovations to manage HLB. Yu Wang works to make sure our solutions are sweet. When the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hired her as a flavor chemist seven years ago, Wang worked primarily with breeders. Her objective was …
Support for HLB Product Label Requests
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) has been working with product registrants to gather industry support for two 24(c) label requests being presented to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). REMEDIUM TIThe first request, from TJ BioTech, is related to the use of ReMedium TI via injection in citrus trees suffering from citrus greening. Research has proven oxytetracycline injection …