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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Florida”
High wind speeds were prevalent when Hurricane Debby passed through the North Florida region last week. Perry, Florida, received the brunt of those winds. According to Lisa Strange, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension agent in Taylor County, wind speeds were recorded at 80 miles per hour. It led to some citrus trees toppling over. Others …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In the early 1900s, Florida Governor Napoleon Broward (1905–09) persuaded the Legislature to drain the Everglades and finance a canal system by selling off large blocks of land for $2 per acre. Once drained, the area housed rich fertile soil and, in 1906, millionaire R.P. Davie bought almost 28,000 acres. By 1909, settlers arrived in response …
A new Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) ad campaign is likely to use the term “OG” extensively, according to new FDOC marketing agency Padilla Speer Beardsley, Inc. So, what does “OG” mean? Michelle Amoroso of Padilla explained that an OG is someone who is an original or originator, highly regarded and respected. She added that OGs are the paradigm; they …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA/AMS) recently announced it has a cooperative agreement with Florida under the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI). Through this agreement, USDA and Florida are offering more than $8 million in competitive grant funding for projects designed to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain. Florida is accepting applications for …
Blood oranges teeming with antioxidants and other health benefits may be a shot in the arm for consumers and citrus growers, if the fruit is stored at cool temperatures, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study shows. But it’s too soon to know if blood oranges are a viable crop for the Florida citrus industry, …
A federal workplace safety investigation found a Florida labor contractor could have prevented the fatal illness of a 41-year-old worker who collapsed while harvesting oranges at Alico Farms in December 2023. According to investigators, the incident could have been avoided if the required steps to protect employees from hazards associated with high temperatures were taken. Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s …
In the fall of 2022, five University of Florida researchers investigated Florida residents’ attitudes on HLB and Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) using online surveys over a 9-month period. The results of the study, Residents’ contribution to Asian citrus psyllid and citrus greening management in Florida residential habitats, was recently published in the Journal of Integrated Pest Management. Authors Romain Exilien, …
By Peter Chaires When June rolls around, the last of the oranges are generally coming in and it’s time to reassess what worked and identify areas for improvement. Research-based entities are making every effort to steer dollars to where they will have the most immediate impact. The name of the game right now is capacity preservation. We must do what …
The June 11 federal citrus crop forecast for 2023-24 shows mostly slight changes for all Florida varieties and no production changes in other states. ORANGES The Florida all-orange forecast rose less than 1% from May, or 60,000 boxes, to 17.86 million boxes. That exceeds 2022-23 production of 15.82 million boxes but is far below 2021-22 production of 41.2 million boxes. …
Citrus historian and volunteer extraordinaire Brenda Eubanks Burnette is the 2024 Citrus Achievement Award winner. Brenda Eubanks Burnette’s initial exposure to the citrus industry was merely by chance. As Miss Winter Haven in 1978, she was asked to fill in when the reigning Florida Citrus Queen couldn’t make a scheduled appearance at a citrus processing plant. A MEMORABLE REIGN Needing …
A recent issue of the Annual Review of Phytopathology contains the article, “Management of huanglongbing of citrus: Lessons from São Paulo and Florida.” It discusses the lessons in HLB management, comparing what was done in orchards in Brazil’s state of São Paulo and in Florida. It also highlights the measures that worked and failed from the perspective of controlling the …
The Cutrale Citrus Juices USA plant in Leesburg, Florida, will close and lay off 117 employees beginning in late July. A notice from Cutrale posted on the Florida Department of Commerce website gave the reason for the closing as “primary business partner has decided to move packaging operations from the Leesburg facility to their own facilities.” The notice is required …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Mohamed Ismail recently gave me a booklet titled “Golden Harvest – The Romance of Florida Citrus” written by Nina Oliver Dean for the Florida State Horticultural Society “on the occasion of its semi-centennial celebration.” It was actually a play described as “a pageant depicting the important events in the history of Florida citrus from its introduction …
Agriculture officials have increased the existing citrus black spot (CBS) quarantine area in Florida and established a new quarantine area. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS DPI) took these actions. CBS is a fungal disease that leaves fruit speckled …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Statistics Board released an update to the 2023–24 citrus crop forecast on May 10. FLORIDA ORANGES The Florida orange forecast is lowered 1 million boxes to 17.8 million boxes, representing a 5% decrease from the April forecast. The reduction is in the Valencia crop, which dropped 8% from 12 million boxes to 11 …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (USDA ERS) recently recounted how natural disasters and diseases have reduced Florida’s orange production by 92% since the 2003–04 season. USDA ERS noted that Florida’s citrus industry has long been susceptible to freezes, hurricanes and disease. It pointed out that a series of devastating freezes in the 1970s and 1980s caused production …
A pair of panel discussions during the citrus seminars at the Florida Citrus Show gave growers the opportunity to engage with experts on top-of-mind topics. BREEDER RECOMMENDATIONS The citrus seminar program started with a discussion among citrus breeders moderated by Flavia Zambon, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor at the Indian River Research and …
By Maegan Beatty In mid-April, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted the 9th annual Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma. The conference examines critical policy issues facing agribusiness leaders and provides economic insights. Participants heard from policymakers, key stakeholders and expert researchers on the farm …
Muhmmad Shahid and Shahid Iqbal recently provided advice on planting cold-hardy citrus in Florida. Shahid is an assistant professor of horticulture/fruit physiologist, and Iqbal is a postdoctoral scholar in horticultural sciences, both at the University of Florida North Florida Research and Education Center. Edited excerpts from their article in the Cold Hardy Citrus Connection follow: BEFORE YOU PLANT Properly planting …
Last week, growers convened in Avon Park for the annual Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. The daylong seminar program provides updates on the latest research in the fight against HLB and other production issues facing growers. Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), presented an update on the organization’s research priorities. He noted that CRDF …
