Retaining High-Skilled Harvest Workers

Tacy CalliesLabor

By Skyler Simnitt, Gulcan Onel and Derek Farnsworth  In an environment where citrus is still mainly harvested by hand and skilled domestic workers are harder to employ, employers increasingly rely on the H-2A guest-worker program to establish and retain a reliable and efficient workforce. It is estimated that guest workers now account for 80 percent or more of all citrus …

bactericides

Growers Report on Use of Bactericides for HLB

Ernie NeffBactericides, HLB Management

Ariel Singerman, economist with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, reports on a grower survey he conducted regarding use of bactericides against HLB. “According to my survey, which included 62 growers accounting for approximately 160,000 acres, 92 percent of the growers applied bactericides,” Singerman says. “The majority did three applications, and they spent between $100 and …

orange juice

What Is Happening to the Orange Juice Market?

Tacy CalliesEconomics

A historical perspective and current conditions are key to understanding what will happen to the orange juice market in the future if HLB-resistant trees are introduced. By Allen Morris Between 2001–02 and 2016–17, the Nielsen-measured retail U.S. orange juice market declined by 50 percent, Florida orange production declined by 70 percent and retail orange juice prices increased by 53 percent …

Navigating the H-2A Program

Tacy CalliesLabor

By Fritz M. Roka The number of H-2A foreign guest workers employed in Florida’s agricultural operations has grown from 4,400 in 2009 to nearly 23,000 by the start of the 2015 citrus harvesting season, more than a five-fold increase (Figure 1). More H-2A workers came to Florida in 2015 than to any other state. Industry leaders estimate that more than …

bactericides

Grower Jerkins Revises Stance on Bactericides

Ernie NeffBactericides, HLB Management

At Citrus Expo in August, Premier Citrus President Tom Jerkins clarified comments about bactericides and their effectiveness that he made at the June Florida Citrus Mutual conference in Bonita Springs. “In Bonita Springs, I kind of stated publicly it was difficult for Premier to see a difference in the treated (with bactericides) versus untreated,” Jerkins says. “I said it was …

Florida orange

More Fruit, Better Tree Health in Highlands County

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, fruit, PFD

Echoing comments from growers in some citrus-growing regions in southern Florida, Highlands County citrus Extension agent Laurie Hurner says Highlands County appears to have more fruit and better tree health this year. “It’s interesting. You drive up and down Highway 27, and there is a lot more fruit out there, I think,” says Hurner, who is also the Highlands County …

acreage

Grower Hollingsworth Reacts to Acreage Reduction

Ernie NeffAcreage

DeSoto County grower and Florida Citrus Commissioner V.C. Hollingsworth reacts to news that Florida’s citrus acreage declined 5 percent this year. “That kind of surprised me a little bit because I thought we’ve been planting back a lot of trees,” Hollingsworth says. “I think what it doesn’t show is the number of trees that we’re planting back, trees per acre. …

Impact of Temperature on Psyllid Survival

Tacy CalliesPsyllids

By Nabil Killiny and Steve Futch Citrus growers frequently inquire if Florida temperatures in the summer or winter are sufficiently high or low enough to control or suppress the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). This question is the subject of this short article. The reason growers pose the question about how temperature impacts psyllids is because ACP is a phloem feeder …

More Juice to Come from Brazil

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The first forecast of the 2017–18 Brazilian orange crop was published in May. Brazil expects a total of 364.47 million boxes, including the following: 68.49 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi varieties 17.42 million boxes of Valencia Americana, Valencia Argentina, Seleta and Pineapple varieties 114.52 million boxes of the Pera Rio variety 123.04 million boxes …

HLB

Bactericides, Psyllids and HLB-Resistance/Tolerance

Ernie NeffBactericides, HLB Management, Psyllids

At a recent meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s (CRDF) Commercial Product Delivery Committee, approximately half of the agenda was devoted to bactericides and HLB-spreading psyllids. Reflective mulch that keeps psyllids away and field trials for HLB-resistant or tolerant rootstocks and scions were also addressed. CRDF Chief Operations Officer Harold Browning summarizes some of the discussions. “The issue …

Fresh

Fresh Fruit: Challenges and Changes

Ernie NeffFresh

Florida’s fresh citrus industry has suffered even more from HLB than has the much larger juice industry. Duke Chadwell, manager of the Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC), discusses pending organizational changes in the fresh industry, brought on primarily by HLB. The CAC administers a federal marketing order for fresh Florida citrus that has been in place since 1939. “The Citrus Administrative …

California Department of Pesticide Regulation to Study Chlorpyrifos

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Regulation

A new effort is underway in California to further regulate chlorpyrifos. On August 18, the California Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) issued a directive for interim mitigation measures to address health risks from the pesticide. This action marks the start of a public and scientific review of DPR’s revised draft risk assessment that could lead to increased restrictions statewide. At …

Zekri Earns Dallas Townsend Award

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

Mongi Zekri, multi-county citrus Extension agent, won the 2017 Dallas Townsend Extension Professional Enhancement Award from University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension. The award recognizes a county Extension Agent with a 1-year term professorship for demonstrating an outstanding ability to plan and implement Extension programs that address needs that have been identified in consultation with clientele. Zekri …

Grower Response to Psyllid Insecticide Resistance

Ernie NeffPsyllids

Lee Jones was in the Citrus Expo seminar audience recently when a scientist reported there have been incidences of HLB-spreading psyllids being resistant to insecticides. Jones, general manager of Gardinier Florida Citrus, has one recommendation for dealing with the issue, at least partially. “I would really suggest that October to March window as an application window for the imidacloprids (a …

acp

HLB-Spreading Psyllids Resistant to Insecticides

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Ears perked up in the Citrus Expo seminar hall last week when Lukasz Stelinski reported incidences of Asian citrus pysllid resistance to insecticides, “particularly the neonicotinoid group of insecticides in Florida.” The neonicotinoids have been a key weapon against the psyllids that have spread HLB to groves statewide. Stelinski, an entomologist with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and …

bayer crdf

CRDF President on Bayer Partnership

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening

We first told you last week that the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) and Bayer CropScience had announced a new partnership during Citrus Expo to fight citrus greening. Various solutions are being researched, like genetically improved trees. But CRDF President Tom Jerkins knows help is needed before those trees are ready. Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How …

Rootstocks and HLB Tolerance — Another Perspective

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Rootstocks

By Ute Albrecht Tolerance to a disease is generally defined as the ability to be productive in the presence of disease-causing organisms. This is contrary to resistance, which is defined as the ability to completely evade a pathogen due to specific resistance mechanisms. The question as to what defines an HLB-“tolerant” rootstock was posed in an article by Bill Castle, …

CUPS Test to Begin at California Research Center

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner

University of California (UC) scientists at the Lindcove Research and Extension Center (LREC) will soon begin to test the effect of growing citrus under protective screen (CUPS). CUPS is a proposed new method of controlling huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening disease, by keeping psyllids, small insects known to spread the disease, away from the trees. The test will evaluate the …

HLB

How the Best Growers Cope with HLB

Ernie NeffBactericides, Citrus Greening, HLB Management

  Some of Florida’s “best” citrus growers recently told Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) researcher Jim Syvertsen how they try to cope with HLB. There was much agreement among the growers on fertilization, irrigation, the management of psyllids that spread HLB, and bactericides that have been used against HLB for more than a year. Syvertsen says a survey conducted …

HLB Affects Grapefruit Sales

Abbey TaylorCitrus Greening, Grapefruit

By Jaci Schreckengost For grapefruit growers, huanglongbing (HLB) has been a huge issue, leading to many fears in the industry, including the fear of a shortage. Rob Atchley, general manager of citrus groves for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, says HLB makes crops vulnerable to new stresses the trees have not previously encountered. He says these stresses can turn into fruit …