citrus crop

Commissioner Adam H. Putnam on Updated Citrus Crop Forecast

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement today after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its monthly citrus crop forecast for the 2017-2018 season: “Florida’s citrus growers are still recovering from Hurricane Irma’s unprecedented damage, which the March forecast shows is still unfolding in many groves six months later. Thankfully, Congress recently provided more than …

nelson

Sen. Nelson Calls on Federal Agencies to Distribute Disaster Aid

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) took to the Senate floor late Monday afternoon to urge the Department of Commerce and the Department of Agriculture to immediately release the disaster funding approved by Congress in February to help Floridians who are still recovering from Hurricane Irma. “It has been almost six months since Hurricane Irma struck Florida, and it’s been about …

fresh

Fresh Citrus Shipments Continue to Drop; CAC Elections Coming

Ernie Neff Fresh

Fresh citrus shipments from Florida so far in the 2017–18 citrus season have fallen 37 percent below the previous season, reports Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) Manager Duke Chadwell. “And that percentage has held true from the beginning of the season up until now,” he says. “However, I do anticipate as we move forward that that percentage is going to grow. …

marketing

HCCGA Discusses Disaster Relief Funding

Abbey Taylor hurricane, Legislative, Weather

After months of fighting for disaster relief funding, Florida agriculture finally received the answer it has been waiting to hear. On Feb. 9, a disaster relief package was passed through Congress that allocated $3.6 billion to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, with $2.36 billion going toward Florida agriculture producers who suffered hurricane-related crop loss. While this is good news for …

orange juice

Help for Florida Farmers Advancing in Senate

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Farmers and other parts of Florida’s agriculture industry could receive about $75 million in post-Hurricane Irma assistance from the state next year under a measure moving forward in the Senate. The Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously backed the proposal (SB 1608) by Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring. The proposal, in part, would reduce property assessments …

How Will Irma Affect Citrus Canker Management?

Tacy Callies Diseases

By Evan G. Johnson The citrus canker season is quickly approaching again, so it is time to start planning your canker management program to avoid fruit drop and fresh-market quality loss. It is easy to forget the importance of controlling citrus canker with the current state of HLB in Florida. However, citrus canker can cause almost complete crop loss if …

Outlook for Postbloom Fruit Drop

Tacy Callies Diseases

By Megan M. Dewdney, Tripti Vashisth and Ariel Singerman In 2017, the damage from postbloom fruit drop (PFD) was lower than the previous three years. This was mainly due to the low rainfall accumulation in late winter and early spring. The long bloom with relatively few flowers at any one time made the decision of when to apply a fungicide …

irrigation

Water and Nutrient Tips for HLB

Ernie Neff HLB Management, Irrigation, Nutrition

  University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Davie Kadyampakeni offers water and nutrient management tips for HLB-affected trees. He was a presenter at a recent citrus nutrient management seminar in Immokalee hosted by multi-county citrus Extension agent Mongi Zekri. The seminar drew approximately 60 people to the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. Kadyampakeni’s tips include …

citrus crop

Putnam on Disaster Funding for Florida Agriculture

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a spending bill that includes more than $2.3 billion for agricultural assistance: “The passage of this spending bill is a critical first step to finally getting Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers long-awaited and desperately needed relief. Without this emergency assistance, …

orange crop

Call Now for Florida Agriculture Relief Legislation

Tacy Callies Legislative

By Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president/chief executive officer The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) sometime today.  The measure to fund the government includes $2.36 billion for Florida agriculture relief. Please immediately contact your U.S. Representative in the House and strongly urge him or her to vote “yes” on the bill. See …

The Status of Orange Juice Supply

Tacy Callies Global Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The newest estimate from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the 2017–18 season shows Florida with only 46 million boxes of oranges coming from 50 million trees, which represents 33 percent lower production than the 2016–17 season. High droppage and small fruits are also expected. Rabobank estimates Florida’s juice production at 235,000 tons [frozen concentrated orange …

support

House Eyes Tax Help for Agriculture Industry

Daniel Cooper Agriculture, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida’s Hurricane Irma-battered agriculture industry, growing anxious as it awaits federal disaster relief, could land some help from the state House as part of a tax-cut package. The House Ways & Means Committee, which is putting together a package, reviewed three measures Wednesday intended to help the industry, which sustained an estimated $2.5 billion in damages from the deadly September …

Tools for Integrated Management of Citrus Psyllids and Leafminers

Tacy Callies Pests, Psyllids, Research

By Jawwad A. Qureshi, Philip A. Stansly and Lukasz L. Stelinski Pest management has always been important for citrus production in Florida. It has become even more critical following invasion of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and citrus leafminer (CLM), due to their association with huanglongbing (HLB or citrus greening) and canker diseases, respectively. ACP and CLM develop and reproduce …

Sneak Peek: February 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy Callies Sneak Peek

The cover of the February issue of Citrus Industry magazine features a familiar face at the Citrus Research and Education Center. Jude Grosser has been a part of the University of Florida facility for more than three decades. He tells about the citrus variety research he has accomplished so far, as well as the goals he is still striving to …

citrus

Citrus Agency Shifts Money as Industry Seeks Aid

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release

The Florida Department of Citrus adjusted its budget Wednesday for the second time this growing season, as leaders of the storm-battered industry hold out hope the U.S. Senate will approve a disaster-relief package. The Florida Citrus Commission, which oversees the department, agreed to shift more than $70,000 out of administration, scientific-research and global-marketing budgets to cover an anticipated drop in …

citrus greening

USDA Invests in Fighting Citrus Greening Disease

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) announced awards to combat citrus greening disease. The funding to support research and Extension programs is made through the emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program (CDRE). CDRE was authorized as part of the 2014 Farm Bill. “The need to advance research and Extension to develop management …

citrus crop

Putnam on Citrus Forecast and Need for Federal Assistance

Daniel Cooper Industry News Release

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) released its Jan. 12 citrus crop forecast for the 2017-2018 season: “Florida’s iconic citrus industry and its growers continue to struggle with the unprecedented damage caused by Hurricane Irma. This damage, combined with the cumulative impacts of citrus greening, leaves Florida’s growers …

january

January Citrus Crop Forecast Is Stable

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast

According to Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the January 2018 Florida all-orange forecast is 46 million boxes, unchanged from the December forecast. If realized, this will be 33 percent less than last season’s production. The forecast consists of 19 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties) and 27 million boxes of Valencia oranges. For …

freeze

Florida Citrus Mutual Sets Goals for 2018 Legislative Session

Abbey Taylor Legislative

The Florida legislative session began Jan. 9 in Tallahassee. Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) has several goals for the 2018 session to aid an industry already dealing with devastating challenges. Andrew Meadows, FCM’s director of communications, says a big item on FCM’s radar is Hurricane Irma. The industry is continuing to suffer from the storm that occurred in September 2017. So, …

Powerful Citrus Tax Incentive Now Law

Tacy Callies Legislative

By Mike Sparks Executive Vice President/CEO, Florida Citrus Mutual I want to make sure this great news did not get lost in the holiday season. The tax bill recently signed into law by President Trump contains our citrus tax expensing provision that we have been working hard on for more than three years! The new law took effect on December …