assistance

First Crop Forecast of the Season Is Oct. 9

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

Industry members will have several ways to hear the first official U.S. citrus crop forecast of the 2020–21 season. Agricultural Statistics Administrator Bill Curtis of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will deliver the forecast at 12:00 noon Eastern Daylight Time on Friday, Oct. 9. His live report will be broadcast on the Southeast AgNet Radio Network, online …

HLB Research Featured on Website

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Madison Sankovitz, Barbara Alonso, Monique Rivera, Lukasz Stelinski, Sara García-Figuera, Peggy G. Lemaux and Beth Grafton-Cardwell The bacterial disease huanglongbing (HLB) is a devastating disease and has caused massive losses to the U.S. citrus industry. The disease vector, the Asian citrus psyllid, is currently in all U.S. citrus-producing states, and the disease continues to exert a severe impact on …

Quarantine Expansion for HLB in California

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

A quarantine expansion has been declared following the detection of the citrus disease huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening) in five residential citrus trees located in Rancho Cucamonga, California. This is the first time the disease has been confirmed in Rancho Cucamonga, marking the fifth city in San Bernardino County to have had a positive detection of HLB. California …

Florida citrus industry

Hall of Fame Call for Nominations

Ernie NeffAwards

Nominations are being sought for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame (FCHOF). Eligible nominees are industry leaders who have made significant contributions to the Florida citrus industry in any of the following fields: pioneering, harvesting, packing, processing, marketing, science and/or education. Those chosen will be inducted in ceremonies Friday, March 5, 2021, at Florida Southern College in …

COVID-19 Testing for Florida Farmworkers

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Labor

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced new efforts to provide COVID-19 testing for farmworkers as the fall harvest season begins. The efforts are in partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and local county governments. Farmworkers will have access to numerous no-cost COVID-19 testing events in some …

citrus black spot

Black Spot and Production Guide Updates

Ernie NeffDiseases

Megan Dewdney recently provided information about positive results from fungicide trials for citrus black spot, as well changes to the new Citrus Production Guide. Dewdney is a plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), working at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Dewdney conducted the fungicide trials for black spot in a 20-year-old …

Long-Term Rootstock Evaluation Is Best

Ernie NeffRootstocks

A variety of different findings in recent rootstock trials led to a conclusion that long-term evaluation of rootstocks is necessary to assess economic benefits to growers. That conclusion was part of a take-home message in Ute Albrecht’s virtual Citrus Expo presentation. Albrecht is a researcher with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Her report was …

McKown, Stitt to Join Ag Hall of Fame

Ernie NeffAwards

Two people who had major impacts on Florida citrus, Bobby McKown and John Stitt, are among four who will be inducted into the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame in 2021. They will be inducted at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 16. McKown spent his career championing and defending Florida agriculture and the Florida citrus …

wage

Florida Crop Workers at Risk

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Labor

As laborers return to the fields this fall in Florida, both unauthorized crop workers and H-2A workers are vulnerable to the coronavirus. According to a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study, an estimated 75 percent of Florida crop workers have at least one underlying health issue that puts them at risk of developing COVID-19 …

Mexfly quarantine

More Mexfly Quarantine Reductions in Texas

Ernie NeffPests

Two Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines were removed in Texas in mid-September after three Mexfly life cycles elapsed with no additional detections in the areas. The quarantines were removed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA/APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA). Effective Sept. 13, the agencies removed the quarantine in Zapata in …

USDA Seeks Input to Increase Production

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release, Production

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is seeking public- and private-sector input on the most innovative technologies and practices that can be readily deployed across U.S. agriculture to further its work on the Agriculture Innovation Agenda. The agency is looking for ready-to-go technologies and practices to achieve its goal of increasing agricultural production by 40 percent to meet global population needs …

Roe & Sons Names New CEO

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release

The Wm. G. Roe & Sons family of companies recently announced the hiring of Darrell Jensen as its new chief executive officer (CEO). Charlie Soule, current CEO and long-time advisor to the company, will continue to serve as a consultant and member of the board of directors.  Quentin Roe and Bill Roe will continue in their roles as president and vice …

fresh

Orange Juice Import Impacts

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Economist Tom Spreen discussed the impact of imports in the United States orange juice (OJ) market at the Sept. 16 Florida Citrus Commission meeting. Spreen is retired from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. Spreen’s analysis began with increased imports in 2017 after Hurricane Irma struck Florida. Largely as a result of the storm, nearly 24 …

IPCs Prevent HLB Infection

Ernie NeffCitrus Expo, HLB Management

The use of individual protective covers (IPCs) for young trees prevented Asian citrus psyllid transmission and HLB infection in a trial near Immokalee, Fernando Alferez reported during the recent virtual Citrus Expo. Alferez said citrus trees planted at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in January 2018 and covered with IPCs have been HLB-free for 32 months. Alferez …

Phytophthora Root Rot Management

Tacy CalliesDiseases, Tip of the Week

By Evan G. Johnson As September winds down, the fall root flush is starting and will continue through November/December. This is the largest root flush of the year that stores carbohydrate reserves for next spring. Coming out of the rainy season, phytophthora has had the chance to build up plenty of inoculum, especially in groves with a history of root …

Growers Urged to Apply for CFAP Funds

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks has joined Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in urging growers to apply for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Coronavirus Food Assistance Program (CFAP). The program will provide up to an additional $14 billion for agricultural producers who continue to face market disruptions and associated costs because of COVID-19. “We are strongly urging you …

COVID-19 Safety Video Series for Farmworkers

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) partnered with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) on a nine-part video series to provide guidance on COVID-19 safety precautions for farmworkers. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried said Florida’s farmworkers “face an elevated risk of respiratory illnesses like COVID-19, and often lack access to health resources …

china

Mexico Exceeds Brazil in OJ Sales to the United States

Ernie NeffOrange Juice

Orange juice (OJ) sales from Mexico to the United States now exceed those from Brazil, according to a recent study by CitrusBR. CitrusBR is an entity representing Citrosuco, Cutrale and Louis Dreyfus, the three largest exporters of Brazilian OJ. The study indicates sales from Mexico to the United States began to gain strength in 1993 and have skyrocketed since 2008. …

scott

New Guide to USDA Disaster Programs

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release

To better assist agricultural producers, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has published a new brochure, Disaster Assistance Programs at a Glance. The brochure is a quick reference guide to available Farm Service Agency (FSA), Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) and Risk Management Agency (RMA) assistance programs. The guide gives a short description of each program and lets growers quickly …

weather

Improved Weather Data at Growers’ Fingertips

Tacy CalliesWeather

Weather is one of the most important factors affecting crop growth and production. The Florida Automated Weather Network (FAWN), a University of Florida-operated service, was created to assist growers in making decisions related primarily to irrigation scheduling and cold protection. Currently, the FAWN network operates 42 stations located from Jay to Homestead that record and report every 15 minutes on …