Meister Media Worldwide Sells Florida Grower Magazine to AgNet Media

Josh McGillFlorida

Meister Media Worldwide and AgNet Media today announced the sale of Florida Grower magazine and its Florida-related assets to AgNet Media, effective March 1, 2022. Through Florida Grower, Meister Media has invested more than 25 years of commitment to Florida’s citrus, vegetable and other specialty crop producers. Initiatives like the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Show, the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Achievement Award …

Growers Discuss Priorities for 2023 Farm Bill

Josh McGillAgriculture, Farm Bill, Legislative

The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …

Agent Has Pest Management Advice

Josh McGillPests

Highlands County Extension agent Lourdes Pérez Cordero recently offered scouting and management suggestions for citrus leafminers (CLM), Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) and rust mites. The suggestions were part of an article in the January issue of Citrus from the Ridge to the Valley, the Central Florida citrus Extension newsletter. CITRUS LEAFMINERS The emergence of spring and summer flush benefits CLM, …

Florida Citrus Forecast Drops Again

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service released its monthly U.S. citrus production forecast on Jan. 12. ORANGESThe report showed another 3% drop in Florida orange production down to 44.5 million boxes. The initial forecast in October predicted 47 million boxes. The forecast for all oranges fell by 1.5 million boxes from the December report. Florida’s non-Valencia …

Multistate Scientists Seek HLB Tolerance

Josh McGillHLB Management, Research

A $1.5 million emergency grant is enabling scientists in citrus-producing states to find trees tolerant to the devastating citrus disease HLB. The disease has crippled Florida’s citrus industry and has already been detected in California, which grows 80% of America’s fresh citrus. The National Institute of Food and Agriculture is supporting scientists at the University of California, Riverside (UCR); the University …

Resolved to Give Growers What They Need

Josh McGillFlorida, Research

By Michael Rogers January marks the season for resolutions: exercising more, eating well and being more organized. But in the research world, resolutions may not be that simple. I don’t think that University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers could be any more “resolved” in finding ways to fight citrus diseases and ways to improve how …

New H-2A Wages Effective Dec. 29

Ernie NeffLabor

A recent issue of the Florida Citrus Mutual Triangle newsletter provided information about the wage that growers must pay H-2A labor, effective Dec. 29. H-2A workers are foreign agricultural workers who are allowed to work in the United States temporarily. In recent years, the vast majority of Florida citrus has been harvested by H-2A workers. The Employment and Training Administration …

Grapefruit Issues Tackled by Mutual

Ernie NeffGrapefruit

The Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) Triangle newsletter recently updated efforts to have the federal government rescind an action that suspended the juice content requirements on imported grapefruit. In early October, the domestic grapefruit industry was made aware of a “patch” that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) had issued in April of this year suspending the juice content requirements on …

sweet orange scab

Sweet Orange Scab Quarantine Expanded

Ernie NeffDiseases

A quarantine for Elsinoë australis, the fungal causal agent of sweet orange scab (SOS), was established in all of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama to prevent the spread of the disease. The quarantine was established by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI). …

Educational Videos on Cover Crops

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, Cover Crops

Cover crops, typically planted in the early fall, deliver a host of agricultural and conservation benefits. Citrus growers have found that cover crops reduce water demand, thus saving substantial irrigation costs. In addition, cover crops provide support to beneficial insects, which help reduce pesticide requirements. In partnership with the Contra Costa County Resource Conservation District, two University of California Cooperative …

Port Problems Plague Producers

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, Shipping

The ongoing supply-chain crisis is a big headache to businesses and consumers alike, with no end in sight for the immediate future. Perishable products are particularly at risk, as even a week or two delay can affect product quality. The port delays that caused the supply-chain crisis began on the West Coast with labor shortages due to the pandemic. These …

Texas Researchers to Lead HLB Project

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Research

Scientists from Texas A&M AgriLife Research will lead a public-private collaboration across Texas, Florida, California and Indiana to advance new, environmentally friendly and commercially viable HLB control strategies. The $7 million, four-year AgriLife Research project is part of an $11 million suite of grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. In addition to Texas …

Seeking Psyllid Controls for Organic Citrus

Tacy CalliesOrganic, Psyllids

At the recent California Citrus Conference held in Visalia, Monique Rivera, assistant cooperative Extension specialist at University of California Riverside, presented information about management of Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) in organic citrus grown in the San Joaquin Valley. “There is consumer demand that needs to be met for organic citrus,” Rivera said. “So there is a quick transition in the …

florida orange

Ups and Downs in Florida Citrus Forecast

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

On Dec. 9, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service reported the Florida orange forecast at 46 million boxes. Total orange production is down 2% from the October forecast but down 13% from last season’s final utilization. The decrease is in Florida non-Valencia production, which now stands at 18 million boxes. Current droppage is above average and …

HLB Quarantines Established in Alabama

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Regulation

Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI), is establishing new quarantines for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening disease). The new quarantines are effective in all areas of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama. APHIS is taking this action because of HLB detections in …

Mandarin: ‘The Perfect Piece of Fruit’

Ernie NeffMandarins

Mandarin citrus is “the perfect piece of fruit,” Suntreat Packing Vice President Scott Owen told a recent Global Citrus Congress audience. “It tastes great. It’s easy to peel. It doesn’t have seeds. It’s a healthy snack, so moms love to give it to kids.” Mandarins are now a $1.8 billion market, compared to $1.2 billion for oranges, Owen said. He …

HLB Research Grants Go to UF/IFAS

Ernie NeffResearch

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) was recently awarded more than $2.2 million in federal grants for HLB research. The funding came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program. UF/IFAS researchers are also serving in leadership roles in two other NIFA-funded …

HLB Research Funded for $11 Million

Ernie NeffResearch

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced an investment of nearly $11 million for research to combat HLB. “NIFA’s Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension program brings the nation’s top scientists together with citrus industry representatives to find scientifically sound solutions to combat and prevent HLB at the farm-level,” said NIFA Director Carrie …

Northern Hemisphere Citrus Forecast

Ernie NeffCrop Forecast

The World Citrus Organisation’s Northern Hemisphere Citrus Forecast for 2021-22 projects production of 29.342 million tons, a 1.27% decrease from the previous season. The preliminary forecast was based on data from industry associations in Egypt, Greece, Israel, Italy, Morocco, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey, along with United States projections. The U.S. projections were based on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reports …

Citrus Specialist John Pehrson Honored

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

It’s been 30 years since John Pehrson retired as a University of California Cooperative Extension (UCCE) citrus specialist, but he left such a lasting impression on the citrus industry that his work is still revered today. Pehrson was gifted at translating University of California (UC) research and offering practical solutions to help growers better manage their resources and improve citrus …