Australian

Australian OJ Production Projection

Daniel Cooper International, Orange Juice

Australian orange juice (OJ) production in 2023–24 is forecast at 15,400 metric tons (MT) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s a decrease of 4% from the 2022–23 estimate of 16,100 MT. Higher production and improved fruit quality for fresh oranges is anticipated in 2023–24, resulting in a lower volume of rejected fruit channeled toward …

Increased Production of Citrus Crops in China

Tacy Callies China, Crop Forecast

China production forecasts are increased for both mandarin/tangerine and grapefruit/pomelo crops in 2023–24 compared to the prior year. The forecasts were issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). MANDARINS/TANGERINES China’s mandarin/tangerine production is forecast at 26.9 million metric tons (MMT) in 2023–24, up from 26.5 MMT the previous year. The increase is because of a …

Record Lemon Production in Spain

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, lemons

European Union (EU) lemon production is forecast at just over 1.6 million metric tons (MT) in 2023–24, up from the 1.5 million MT in 2022–23, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently reported. The increase can be entirely attributed to an all-time-record production level in Spain, following the historically low lemon production there in 2022–23. Conversely, …

New Hardiness Zones Favor Southeast Citrus Production

Tacy Callies Weather

Citrus production in the Southeast has spiked due to increased warmer temperatures in recent years. This is reflected in the new U.S. Department of Agriculture Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The updated hardiness zones show a region that is more conducive to growing crops than it has been in prior years. The concern over colder temperatures has dissipated due to global …

Morocco Orange and OJ Production

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, Orange Juice

Orange and orange juice (OJ) production in Morocco are both projected to be higher in 2023–24 than in the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). FRESH ORANGESOrange production in 2023–24 is expected to increase by 5%, reaching 820,000 metric tons (MT). The increase is due to improved weather conditions during the growing …

Chilean Lemon Production to Climb

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, lemons

Lemon production in Chile is projected to grow 6.7% in 2023–24 compared to the previous season and reach 175,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The expected production increase is due to high profits and an increase in planted area. The lemon planted area in Chile is estimated at 1,150 hectares, a …

Sticking to a Solid Production Plan

Tacy Callies Nutrition, Production, Soil Health

Matthew Machata grew up in Polk County on the family’s citrus farm, Rolling Meadows Ranch Groves in Lake Wales, Florida. After he graduated high school, he joined the Marine Corps and served two tours in Iraq. He then attended Auburn University, where he earned a degree in aerospace engineering. At the time, his plans didn’t include farming, but that changed …

Australian Orange Production to Increase

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International

Australian fresh orange production is forecast at 530,000 metric tons (MT) in 2023–24 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). This is a 5% increase over 2022–23 production of 505,000 MT. Producers expect to benefit from easing input costs and labor constraints in 2023–24. In particular, the costs of fertilizer and crop protection chemicals have reduced …

Costa Rica Orange Production to Decline

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast, International, Oranges

Production of oranges in Costa Rica in 2023–24 is expected to decline 15% from the prior year to 250,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The decline is a result of unfavorable weather conditions in Northern Costa Rica associated with an El Niño weather system. Two companies, TicoFrut and Del Oro, control …

EU Orange and OJ Production to Decline

Tacy Callies International, Orange Juice, Oranges

European Union (EU) orange and orange juice (OJ) production are projected to decline in 2023–24 compared to the prior season, according to a new report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). ORANGESEU orange production is projected to reach 5.4 million metric tons (MT) in 2023–24, down 2% from the already short EU orange output level …

California Leads U.S. Grapefruit Production

Tacy Callies Grapefruit, Production

For the third season in a row, California led the nation in grapefruit production again in 2022–23. Over the past decade, the title of top grapefruit-producing state has alternated between Florida, California and Texas. But the Florida citrus industry continues to decline, and Texas grapefruit producers experienced a major setback in February 2021 with Winter Storm Uri. California produced 160,000 …

alico

Alico Citrus Production Declines 51%

Daniel Cooper financial, Industry News Release

Alico Citrus, a division of Alico, Inc., harvested less than half its citrus in the fiscal year ending Sept. 30, 2023 as it did in the prior year. The decline was largely the result of impacts from Hurricane Ian in September 2022. Alico has approximately 49,000 citrus acres in seven Florida counties. The company reported on Dec. 6 that it …

citrus production

U.S. Citrus Production in 2022–23: Winners and Losers

Daniel Cooper Production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (USDA/NASS) final estimates for the 2022–23 season show U.S. citrus production reaching 4.9 million tons, down 12% from 2021–22. This marks the lowest combined production levels for U.S. citrus in at least 50 years. The U.S. citrus crop was valued at $2.6 billion in 2022–23, 13.5% below the prior year’s value. …

planning

Planning Pointers for Cold-Hardy Citrus Production

Daniel Cooper Cold Hardy, Production

Crop planning is an essential part of the citrus production process. What are you going to grow? Where are you going to market? How are you going to overcome HLB (huanglongbing or citrus greening)? John Chater, assistant professor at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, discussed the different factors that …

Northern Hemisphere Citrus Production to Rise

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International

The World Citrus Organisation (WCO) on Nov. 15 projected that Northern Hemisphere citrus production will hit 28.98 metric tons in 2023. That’s up 12.21% compared to the prior year and 1.48% higher than the four-year average. It also exceeds the WCO’s forecast of 24.35 million tons for the Southern Hemisphere. Oranges are forecast to account for 50% of Northern Hemisphere …

IPCs Prove to Be Game-Changer in Citrus Production

Josh McGill IPCs, Production

By Amir Rezazadeh Citrus trees face many threats that can impact fruit development and overall tree health. Pests, including aphids, mites and other insects, can damage fruit and transmit diseases. Extreme weather events, such as hailstorms or heavy rains, can cause physical harm, leading to blemishes and reduced market value. In addition, citrus growers have faced persistent challenges because of …

Citrus Thrips Reduce California Production

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests

California citrus growers faced significant citrus thrips challenges this season due to the unprecedented rainfall, California Citrus Mutual (CCM) reported. The unusual weather pattern led to uncontrollable conditions in the field.  Reports from the CCM Pest and Disease Task Force indicated that some growers have experienced exterior fruit scarring on as much as 80% of the fruit in individual blocks. …

Why Argentine Orange and Tangerine Production Is Down

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International

Argentine fresh orange and tangerine production will decline in 2022–23 compared to the prior season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) forecast recently. Fresh orange production is forecast at 623,000 metric tons (MT), down from 830,000 MT the prior season. Fresh tangerine production is projected to decrease to 285,000 MT, down from 380,000 MT the prior …

Reasons for Less Argentine Lemon Production

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International, lemons

Fresh lemon production in Argentina in 2022–23 is forecast to decline to 1.65 million metric tons (MMT), down from 2.1 MMT the prior year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. The decline is due to the impact of rising costs, which have prompted smaller producers to limit the maintenance needed on lemon-bearing trees and …

Worldwide Citrus Production Down in All Categories

Josh McGill Crop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently estimated that world citrus production is down for oranges, mandarins, orange juice (OJ), grapefruit and lemons/limes. For all categories, production will be lower in 2022–23 than in the prior year. OJGlobal OJ production for 2022–23 is estimated 9% lower to 1.5 million metric tons (MMT). Production is down due …