Parson Brown Research Funded

Ernie NeffResearch

Researchers looking into the possibility that the old Parson Brown orange might fare better than Hamlins in the face of HLB will be funded by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler said the organization agreed to fund the project for $53,000 during its December meeting. The funding had been under consideration for several …

Keep OJ Shelves Stocked, Video Urges

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

A video being developed for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) aims to educate retail buyers about the rise in demand for 100 percent orange juice (OJ) during the COVID-19 pandemic. According to FDOC Executive Director Shannon Shepp, the video will encourage buyers to take another look at the space allocation for OJ and all other Florida citrus products. The …

greening

Brazil’s Orange Forecast: Less Fruit, More Drop

Tacy CalliesForecast

The 2020–21 orange crop forecast for the São Paulo and West-Southwest Minas Gerais citrus belt in Brazil is 269.36 million boxes. The updated forecast was published Dec. 10 by Fundecitrus and its cooperators. The decrease of 17.36 million boxes represents a 6 percent decline in crop size from the September forecast update. ADVERSE WEATHER CONDITIONSExpected production was significantly hindered by …

Florida Orange, Grapefruit Forecast Trimmed

Ernie NeffForecast

The forecast for Florida orange and grapefruit production were each trimmed by approximately 2 percent on Dec. 10. Forecasts for all other citrus varieties in all citrus-producing states were unchanged from the initial October report by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). The Florida all-orange forecast is now for 56 million boxes, down from 57 million …

New Virtual UF/IFAS OJ Breaks for Growers

Ernie NeffEducation

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension citrus program is launching a webinar series of OJ Breaks free to all Florida citrus growers. The twice-a-month meeting series will provide the latest information on grove production practices and research findings.  The series will be delivered via Zoom and start Dec. 15. “COVID-19 has made it difficult …

Keep Your Pesticide License Current

Tacy CalliesTip of the Week

By Ajia Paolillo Do you hold a Florida restricted-use pesticide (RUP) license? With the new year approaching, this is a great time to review the continuing education units (CEUs) that you have earned toward the renewal of your RUP license. Your license comes up for renewal every four years, and it is easy to forget about this with everything we …

Grower Discusses Conservation Steps

Ernie NeffAwards

Travis Miller, part owner and manager of the 330-acre DeSoto Grove in DeSoto County, was recently recognized by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation for his natural resource conservation efforts. Miller and 22 other Florida farmers and ranchers received the Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship (CARES) award. Miller reports on the conservation steps taken at DeSoto Grove: “We …

citrus

Disappointing Decision on Australia’s Juice Rating

Ernie NeffInternational, Orange Juice

Citrus Australia expressed disappointment at the Nov. 27 decision by state ministers to endorse a Health Star Rating system that gives diet cola a higher rating than fresh Australian juice. The Food Regulation Forum, comprised of ministers from every Australian state and territory, rejected Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud’s proposal to award fresh juice 4 stars in recognition of its …

Florida’s Natural Growers Get Good Returns

Ernie NeffProcessing

Although COVID-19 whacked away-from-home sales at hotels, restaurants and the like in 2019-20, Florida’s Natural posted record net sales and its growers received strong returns on their fruit. “Our results were better than expected,” said Frank Hunt III, chairman of the nation’s third largest orange juice producer. Chief Financial Officer Chip Hendry pegged the cooperative’s historical high net sales at …

orange juice

Hesperidin to Be Tested Against COVID-19

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The National Institutes of Health’s National Center of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) recently announced plans to evaluate the clinical efficacy of hesperidin against COVID-19. Orange juice and sweet oranges contain hesperidin. NCBI referred to hesperidin as “an old herbal medicine … used to treat vascular diseases in Europe and Australia and distributed with vitamin C as a dietary supplement in the …

COVID-19 Emergency Standards for California

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, COVID-19, Regulation

The California Department of Industrial Relations adopted emergency temporary standards to protect workers from hazards related to COVID-19. Pending approval by the Office of Administrative Law, the temporary standards will be in effect immediately. The emergency standards will undergo a lengthy review process before becoming permanent California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA) standards. The temporary standards apply to …

John Gose: Serving Youth and Industry

Tacy CalliesCitrus

Ray Royce readily acknowledges grower and nurseryman John Gose’s many contributions to the Florida citrus industry, including serving “on way too many advisory committees to list.” Gose has even been president of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association, where Royce is executive director. PROGRAM LEADERSHIPBut it’s not Gose’s work with growers that most impresses the association executive. “I always think …

Flower Bud Advisories Have Resumed

Tacy CalliesIndustry News Release

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has resumed providing growers with regular flower bud advisories now that the critical time for citrus grove management has begun this season. Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS assistant professor, restarted the advisories Nov. 23 and will continue providing them every other week through the spring. The advisories provide critical information about …

production

Irrigating Young Trees in High-Density Plantings

Tacy CalliesIrrigation

Florida citrus yields have declined by almost 56 percent since 2005. With such a large decrease, growers have been forced to replant trees at much higher densities to counter-balance tree loss. In November 2017, researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) initiated a study to determine how …

Texas Mexfly Quarantine Established

Ernie NeffPests

Effective Nov. 5, 2020, the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) established a Mexican fruit fly quarantine in Lasara, Willacy County, Texas. The pest is commonly referred to as Mexfly. APHIS, part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is applying safeguarding measures and restrictions on the interstate movement or entry into foreign …

Grapefruit and Drugs: A Conversation

Ernie NeffGrapefruit

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeder Fred Gmitter recently had an email conversation with a retired Swedish pediatrician about a UF/IFAS grapefruit and pummelo hybrid that likely won’t interact with drugs. The retired physician, Leif Gothefors, had inquired about Gmitter’s work on the hybrid, UF 914. Gothefors noted that he had heard UF 914 …

Texas Research Should Help With HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Research

Texas A&M AgriLife Research scientists have made a discovery that should help combat fastidious or “unculturable” pathogens, such as Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the HLB causal agent. HLB is also known as citrus greening disease. Kranthi Mandadi, a researcher with Texas A&M, and his colleagues have been working several years on developing new technologies to fight the fastidious pathogens. Mandadi and …

Delivering Peptides to Fight HLB

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

Encouraging news stories have appeared in recent months on the possible benefits of using peptides in the fight against HLB. Peptides, small groups of linked amino acids, have many functions, including acting on pathogens. As researchers continue to investigate the role of peptides in the fight against HLB, they are also looking for the most effective delivery method of these …

UF/IFAS Collaborates on HLB Research

Ernie NeffResearch

Several University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) faculty are collaborating with other universities and organizations on research, especially for HLB. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), summarizes the work they are doing on a variety of grant-funded projects. Rogers starts with a U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-funded project led by …

Farmworker Protection Rule

Supreme Court to Hear Ag Union Case

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Legal

The U.S. Supreme Court announced that it will hear a challenge to a California law that allows employee unions to trespass on private property. California law requires agriculture producers to open their property and businesses to union activists. Pacific Legal Foundation attorneys, who represent the companies filing the suit, claim that unauthorized union activities disrupt business operations and take property …