Keeping Consumers Engaged With Florida OJ

Ernie Neff Marketing

Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) e-commerce activities have strongly aided orange juice (OJ) sales since January 2020, Jackie Hopkins with FDOC marketing agency Edible told the Florida Citrus Commission earlier this month. She reported the e-commerce program has reached $11.6 million in attributed sales of OJ with 513 million impressions and $5.24 return on ad spend (ROAS). ROAS is the …

PIECES OF THE PAST: February Was Eat More Citrus Month

Tacy Callies Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette February has always been a big month for the Florida citrus industry — so much so that the Florida Citrus Exposition was created in 1923 to help promote the annual crop. It took place every February and incorporated numerous competitions and events over 11 days. In 1954, the exposition included an opening-day parade; Canners and Allied …

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Florida Representatives Concerned About EU Grapefruit Tariffs

Ernie Neff Grapefruit

Twenty-two members of the Florida congressional delegation, led by Reps. Darren Soto and Bill Posey, wrote a letter to Acting U.S. Trade Representative Maria Pagan expressing concerns over retaliatory tariffs placed by the European Union (EU) on U.S. agricultural products. The letter focused on the harm the EU tariffs could do to Florida grapefruit. Here’s the full text of the …

Q&A With FDOC’s Shannon Shepp

Tacy Callies Florida Department of Citrus

Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), answers several questions regarding her agency’s work, including efforts to market orange juice (OJ) and other Florida citrus products. She fields additional questions of interest to the citrus industry, including about demand for citrus products, foreign OJ imports, and industry challenges and opportunities. The FDOC is governed by the …

Miss Florida Citrus Is Out and About

Tacy Callies Miss Florida Citrus

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Miss Florida Citrus, Leila Sabet, is continuing to represent the Florida citrus industry at various events, most recently at the Indian River Citrus League’s Treasure Coast Fun Shoot at the Vero Beach Shooting Club. While there, she helped sell raffle tickets, took photos with the competition winners and helped promote Natalie’s Orchid Island citrus products. She …

FDOC on Global Marketing Efforts

Ernie Neff International, Marketing

A 25 percent tariff placed on Florida grapefruit in Europe has had some impact on retail supply, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Director of Global Marketing Samantha Lane told the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) in early February. The FCC is the FDOC’s governing board. Lane said the FDOC worked with the European industry to ensure Florida-loyal retailers continued to have …

Global OJ Production to Exceed Consumption

Ashley Robinson Orange Juice

Global orange juice (OJ) production for 2020-21 is forecast 17 percent higher to 1.8 million tons. Production in Brazil and Mexico more than offsets the drop in the United States. However, global production continues its general long-term decline, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Similarly, consumption is projected to continue its long-term decline, although exports are …

Alico: Increased Citrus Prices Expected to Continue

Tacy Callies financial, Industry News Release

Alico, Inc., one of Florida’s largest citrus producers, announced financial results for the fiscal quarter ending Dec. 31. Some highlights regarding the company’s citrus operation follow. For the quarter, Alico Citrus harvested approximately 0.8 million boxes of fruit, a decrease of 14.6 percent from the first quarter of the prior fiscal year. The decrease was principally related to there being …

New Florida Citrus Commission Chairman

Tacy Callies Florida Citrus Commission

Steve Johnson, owner and general manager of Johnson Harvesting, was elected chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) this week. He succeeds Ned Hancock in the chairman position. The FCC oversees the Florida Department of Citrus. Johnson is a fourth-generation citrus grower and cattle rancher based in Wauchula. In addition to managing the operations of the citrus harvesting and brokerage …

Update on Florida OJ Supply and Demand

Tacy Callies Orange Juice

In the Feb. 3 Florida Citrus Commission meeting, Marisa Zansler, Florida Department of Citrus director of economic and market research, provided an update on Florida orange juice (OJ) movement and availability. External trends, such as fruit drop and increased demand during the pandemic, may significantly impact the availability of orange juice throughout the season. Coming into the 2020–21 season, beginning …

Uncle Matt’s Launches E-Commerce Site

Tacy Callies Industry News Release

Uncle Matt’s Organic® has made its juices and functional beverages accessible to more consumers with the launch of a new e-commerce site. Currently, shipping is available to most of the East Coast, with plans to expand nationwide. The online store brings organic orange juice, lemonade and functional beverage bundles directly to consumers’ doors in one to two days via FedEx. Because …

The Goals of Pest Management

Josh McGill CEU

By Ajia Paolillo Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. Integrated pest management (IPM) uses a combination of methods to keep pest populations at an acceptable level, which are economical …

USDA to Purchase Citrus Products

Tacy Callies Citrus

Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president/CEO, reported that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced another round of citrus purchases totaling almost $48 million. The breakdown includes $10 million worth of orange juice, $7.5 million worth of grapefruit juice, $25 million in fresh oranges and $5 million in fresh grapefruit. The USDA purchases will be for distribution to …

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Production of OJ to Climb in Europe

Ernie Neff International, Orange Juice

European Union (EU) orange juice (OJ) production is forecast to climb almost 8 percent in 2020-21 compared to the previous year, to 87,987 metric tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The forecast is in line with the expected growth in the volume of European oranges destined for processing this season, especially from Spain and Italy. …

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Research Projects on OJ Recommended for Approval

Tacy Callies Orange Juice, Research

The Scientific Research Advisory Committee met Jan. 21 to review recent updates from the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and to review and recommend to the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) for approval two new research proposals. The FCC serves as the FDOC’s governing board. Rosa Walsh, director of the FDOC Scientific Research Department, gave an update on the 2020–2025 Dietary …

Are Consumers Willing to Pay More for Florida OJ?

Tacy Callies Orange Juice

Multiple studies point to the value consumers place on Florida citrus and their willingness to pay for the “Florida” brand. Lisa House, director of the Florida Agricultural Market Research Center and a professor in the Food and Resource Economics Department at the University of Florida, recently spoke on this subject in a Florida Department of Citrus webinar. She provided an overview of …

Potential OJ Marketing Order Leaves Growers Hesitant

Tacy Callies Marketing, Orange Juice

Many Florida citrus growers are skeptical of the proposed federal marketing order for orange juice (OJ). The proposed marketing order would allow all U.S. fruit used in OJ and all OJ imports to be assessed to share in the cost of marketing. This federal order, however, poses some potential drawbacks for Florida juice orange growers. The U.S. Department of Agriculture …

The State of the Florida Citrus Processing Industry

Tacy Callies Processing

Kristen Carlson, executive director of the Florida Citrus Processors Association, answers questions from Tacy Callies, Citrus Industry editor. Q: What are the current opportunities in Florida citrus processing?  A: There is some excess capacity in Florida should the citrus greening situation improve, and Florida increases its box production. Greening has decreased the yield of boxes per tree. With less impact …

FDOC Update: OJ Sales, Supply and Demand

Tacy Callies Orange Juice

Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), reports that total orange juice (OJ) sales are performing at 2016 levels. “In the four week-period ending Dec. 26, 2020, average year-over-year sales of total OJ increased 7.68 percent with nearly 37.39 million equivalent gallons sold, according to the latest Nielsen retail sales update,” Shepp says. “Volume sales of …

China Orange and OJ Forecasts

Ernie Neff Forecast, International

Orange production in China is forecast to grow to 7.5 million metric tons (MMT) in 2020–21, up from 7.4 MMT in 2019–20, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. The increase will be driven mainly by new trees planted a few years ago in Jiangxi and other provinces. Those trees have started to produce more fruit. FAS …