Sneak Peek: December 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

As the year races to a finish, growers will want to make sure they are up to date on the “food-safety marathon” described in the December issue of Citrus Industry magazine. The University of Florida’s (UF) Travis Chapin, Matt Krug and Michelle Danyluk discuss what growers need to know about the implementation of the Produce Safety Rule. Topics addressed include …

orange juice

Reps. Yoho, Soto Call on USDA to Stabilize Florida Orange Juice Market

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release, Orange Juice

Reps. Ted. S Yoho (FL-03) and Darren Soto (FL-09) led a bipartisan letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue requesting the U.S. Department of Agriculture increase funding for orange juice purchases in Florida to $90 million, doubling the initial allocation from this past summer.  After Hurricane Irma, Florida orange production dropped precipitously from 68.7 million boxes in 2017 to 45 million boxes …

Citrus Commission Rejects Tax Hike for Marketing

Daniel CooperCitrus, Florida Citrus Commission, Industry News Release

(NSF) — Small growers of Florida’s signature crop, expressing concerns about the future of the citrus industry, indicated a willingness Wednesday to pay a higher tax rate if it gets people to drink more orange juice. But the Florida Citrus Commission rejected a proposal to raise from 7 cents to 12 cents a per-box tax on oranges that growers pay …

florida all

Citrus Oversupply Latest Hurdle for Florida Growers

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

(NSF) — Hurricane Irma continues to challenge Florida’s citrus industry. Two growing seasons separated from the September 2017 storm that flooded groves and uprooted citrus trees across the state, the industry has seen production rebound quicker than some anticipated. But now the problem is an oversupply of citrus because of fruit from other countries, and Florida growers may be forced …

Grower Frustration Mounting Over Millions of Uncommitted Boxes

Ernie NeffEconomics, Processing

Highlands County grower Jarred Eddy recently shared his frustration with the Florida Citrus Commission over his failure to receive any offers for the fruit from his 200-acre grove. Following Eddy’s Oct. 23 presentation, he and Highlands County Citrus Growers Association Executive Director Ray Royce discussed the problem. Eddy says he expected offers several times since the middle of summer, but “as …

Orange Juice Consumption Declining at a Slower Rate

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves An annual report on global orange juice consumption was recently completed. This report is based on data from CitrusBR (Brazilian Orange Juice Exporters Association), Tetra Pak, Euromonitor International, Planet Retail, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and others. The report was first published in 2004. Decline in orange juice demand has been seen since then. The …

brazilian

More Predictable Market Ahead

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves With the announcement of the 2019–20 crop in Brazil and Florida’s season over, more information is now available to see where the global orange juice market is headed. HIGHER FLORIDA INVENTORIESAs of July, Florida had 71.6 million boxes of oranges, 200,000 boxes more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June estimate. Inventories in Florida are high. …

Farewell to Futch

Tacy CalliesCitrus

After 34 years of faithful service to citrus growers, University of Florida Extension agent Steve Futch readies for retirement. By Tacy Callies Steve Futch’s Florida citrus roots sprouted more than a century ago. His great-grandfather owned a Wauchula grove in about 1905. As a boy, Futch’s first hands-on citrus experience was hoeing trees in the family orange groves. Later, he …

Fruit Markets: Then and Now

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves In the last three decades, world fruit production went from 338 to 865 million tons. CHANGES IN THE CITRUS SECTORCitrus represents 17 percent of fruit production but is growing at a slower rate (140 percent) than the 155 percent growth rate seen in the total category of all fruits. Within the citrus sector, oranges represented 67 …

Free Download of New Citrus Book

Josh McGillGlobal Perspectives

Marcos Fava Neves, author of the Global Perspectives column in Citrus Industry magazine, has a new book available for free download. “Orange Juice Chain: Past, Present and Future” offers ways to combat global challenges to juice consumption, discusses trends in the juice processing industry, offers advice for orange producers, and includes much more. Neves is an international expert on global …

$3.5 Million Donation to Aid California Citrus Collection

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Industry News Release

The University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received a $3.5 million donation from Givaudan to support UCR’s Citrus Variety Collection. The gift will help build a screened structure to protect the collection from the impending threat of citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing (HLB). The 2.8-acre protective screened structure will house new trees and back-up collections of the UCR …

citrus

Orange Juice Market Outlook

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves A recent Nielsen report reveals negative news for U.S. retail orange juice (OJ) sales. When comparing November 2018 with November 2017, the decline in OJ consumption was 7.4 percent. The value shrunk 3.4 percent, dropping from $223.94 million to $216.44 million. This represents a $7 million dollar loss. Not-from-concentrate juice came down 12 percent, and reconstituted …

California Citrus Conference Calls Attention to Key Industry Issues

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner

By Len Wilcox The Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) annual California Citrus Conference took place in October in Visalia. This year’s event included a celebration of the organization’s 50th anniversary. The CRB is an important resource to California’s citrus industry. It awards more than $7 million each year to researchers throughout the state. Since 2008, CRB has focused much of its …

Opposite Production Situations This Season

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves When compared to last season’s output, expected orange production this season is dramatically different in both Florida and Brazil. FLORIDA UP The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s November forecast for Florida’s 2018–19 orange crop is 77 million boxes, 71 percent more than last season’s 45 million boxes. Of these 77 million boxes of oranges, 32 million boxes …

Kaolin Clay May Be Viable Option to Protect Citrus Trees from ACP

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release, Psyllids, Research

Florida citrus growers have begun taking notice of kaolin clay, a powdery white compound, because it can cause Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) to “not take notice” of their groves. Long used to protect other fruit and vegetable crops, kaolin can also conceal citrus trees from hungry psyllids by confusing their visual sensory system, said Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus …

Orange Imports Increase as Domestic Juice Supply Remains Squeezed

Tacy CalliesIndustry News Release

Until a solution for citrus greening is found, imports will be key to keeping Florida’s citrus industry afloat. Domestic orange production has been declining steadily over the last two decades, with citrus greening disease being the leading cause of decreased acres and productivity. As the gap between domestic production and consumption has widened, imports have increased to boost dwindling domestic …

orange juice

Looking Beyond 79 Million Boxes of Oranges

Abbey TaylorCitrus, Crop Forecast

Overall, the Florida citrus industry was delighted to hear the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s forecast of 79 million boxes of oranges for the state. After battling citrus greening for over a decade and then devastation from Hurricane Irma in 2017, 79 million boxes gave the industry a glimmer of hope. One industry member, Allen Morris, owner of Morris Agribusiness Services, …

orange juice

World Orange Juice Consumption Falls Again

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The annual compilation of data on the world’s orange juice consumption recently became available for 2017. Markestrat researchers analyzed 40 countries that represent almost 100 percent of the world’s processed juice market. The information was first compiled in 2003. At that time, in frozen concentrated orange juice (FCOJ) equivalent, world consumption was 2,390,000 tons. In 2017, …

Inside Spain’s Citrus Industry

Tacy CalliesProduction

By Steve Futch and Ariel Singerman Editor’s note: The authors share what they learned while touring Spain’s citrus industry in March of 2017. Spain is the leading citrus producer in the European Union (EU) with approximately 300,000 acres that yield about 21 million boxes. FOCUS ON FRESH Production is primarily focused on the fresh market, with much fruit exported to …

Study Shows Economic Impact of Citrus in California

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

The total economic impact of California’s citrus industry is $7.117 billion according to a new study commissioned by the Citrus Research Board (CRB). “In updating our economic analysis, we selected a well-known expert, Bruce Babcock, Ph.D., a professor in the School of Public Policy at the University of California, Riverside, to conduct the research. His findings quantified the significant impact …