Citrus Growers Honored for Conservation

Ernie Neff Awards, Environment

Two citrus growers are among 22 farmers and ranchers recently honored by the Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) in recognition of their superior natural resource conservation efforts. They are Travis Miller of DeSoto Grove in DeSoto County and Marlon Pendergrass of The Groves of Peace River in Hardee County. Each received the Farm Bureau’s County Alliance for Responsible Environmental Stewardship …

Korea Is the Top Market for U.S. Oranges

Ernie Neff Trade

Korea is the United States’ top export market for oranges and the third largest market for lemons and grapefruit, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently reported. Oranges, lemons and grapefruit account for 99 percent of the country’s total citrus imports. More information from USDA/FAS about the Korean market follows: Citrus imports by Korea dropped in 2019 …

new york times

Marketing OJ Amidst COVID-19

Tacy Callies Marketing, Orange Juice

Each month, the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) and partner agency, Edible, dig deep into current consumer behaviors to gain insights on how messaging and marketing programs could be adapted for the greatest success. In a recent webinar, Kim McAndrews, senior vice president and food and beverage strategic planner for Edible, discussed the rapidly changing environment of COVID-19 and the …

Research to Prove OJ Health Benefits

Ernie Neff Orange Juice, Research

The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) recently approved three research projects aimed at further proving the health benefits of orange juice (OJ) consumption. The OJ-related projects had been recommended by the commission’s Scientific Research Advisory Committee. The projects were discussed by Rosa Walsh, director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Scientific Research Department, during the October FCC meeting. The FCC …

Uncle Matt’s Announces New OJ

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Uncle Matt’s Organic recently announced the launch of its Ultimate Immune orange juice beverage. It is made with organic orange juice, elderberry, vitamin C, vitamin D and zinc. “Over the past six months, families have turned to what they associate with daily immune support: vitamin C-rich orange juice,” said Susan McLean, vice president of marketing and innovation at the company. …

USDA OJ Purchases Set Precedent

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Marisa Zansler, economist for the Florida Department of Citrus, recently gave the Florida Citrus Commission an update on U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Section 32 purchases of orange juice (OJ). A summary of her report follows. The purpose of USDA Section 32 purchases is to help alleviate depressed markets for domestically produced agriculture products. The USDA Agricultural Marketing Service also …

PIECES OF THE PAST: When Canned Grapefruit Came on the Scene

Tacy Callies Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette October has always signaled the first crop forecast, heralding the start of a new Florida citrus season. However, picking often begins in September for some eager to be the first out of the blocks. But, in the early days, with so much of the crop being sold fresh, it was imperative not to ruin the rest …

Cutrale Wins Quality Award

Tacy Callies Awards

Cutrale has been named a 2020 Supplier Award winner by ADM. An international agribusiness group, Cutrale is involved in orange growing and processing, orange juice manufacturing and distribution with operations in Brazil, Japan, the Netherlands, Portugal, the United Kingdom and the United States. ADM is an agricultural origination and processing company that connects crops to markets on six continents. During …

Boosting Citrus Tree Immunity to Combat HLB

Tacy Callies HLB Management

By Manjul Dutt, Juliana Soares and Jude Grosser Land plants such as citrus are generally anchored to a specific location by their roots. Owing to their immobile nature and constant exposure to pathogenic microbes, plants are very vulnerable. However, you might be surprised by how much plants can protect themselves and survive against multiple adversities encountered during their lifetime. A …

orange

FDOC Offers 2020-21 Citrus Season Outlook

Ernie Neff Economics

Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler recently broke down the expected utilization of the 57 million boxes of oranges Florida is forecast to produce in the 2020-21 season. She also offered projections for utilization of grapefruit and specialty fruit, and made other economic projections in her outlook for the season. ORANGESAbout 96 percent of the orange crop is …

OJ Proves Beneficial for Youth

Ernie Neff Orange Juice, Research

A new, four-year study published in Public Health Nutrition found that drinking 100 percent orange juice (OJ) is not associated with negative effects on body weight, body mass index (BMI) or BMI percentile among 9- to 16-year-olds. It also found that higher OJ consumption is associated with increased height for girls and increased trends for physical activity levels in both …

Increased Florida Department of Citrus Budget

Tacy Callies Florida Citrus Commission

On Oct. 21, the Florida Citrus Commission approved a revised 2020-21 operating budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) of nearly $19.8 million. The commission voted to sustain the preliminary budget set in June, prior to the October crop forecast, through a box assessment of $.12 on oranges used for processing plus up to $1 million in fund balance. …

Pesticide Storage Area

Proper storage of pesticides

expoadmin 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. Pesticides are widely used in the citrus industry and are important tools in agricultural production. Safety precautions should be taken …

OJ Sales at Pre-2017 Levels

Tacy Callies Orange Juice, sales

The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) reports that 100 percent Florida orange juice (OJ) sales finished strong for the 2019–20 season. FOR THE PERIODMarisa Zansler, FDOC director of economic and market research, gave an in-depth overview of the final Nielsen OJ Retail Sales Report for the 2019–20 season through the four-week period ending Sept. 26, 2020. She presented a summary …

HLB

Varieties and Rootstocks Reviewed

Ernie Neff Rootstocks, Varieties

In his virtual Citrus Expo presentation, Jude Grosser reviewed varieties and rootstocks showing promise for productivity in the face of HLB. Grosser is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeder. His presentation was based on work done by him and fellow UF/IFAS researchers Bill Castle and Fred Gmitter. Grosser said UF/IFAS released OLL-20 “based …

irrigation

Irrigation Scheduling to Optimize Tree Performance

Tacy Callies Irrigation, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni Proper irrigation scheduling applies an appropriate volume of water to a citrus grove at the appropriate time based on tree need, soil properties and weather conditions. Applying water in the right amount, right quantity and at the right time is very important for getting the best out of citrus trees. Several tools are available for determining when …

Is Parson Brown the Better Early Orange?

Ernie Neff Varieties

The old Parson Brown sweet orange variety is showing some characteristics that could make it more attractive than Hamlin, which has long been Florida’s leading early-season orange. “Observations made in commercial blocks in Polk and neighboring counties illustrate an improved canopy density, improved mature fruit retention and higher yields in the early-maturing Parson Brown sweet orange when compared to adjacent …

citrus

Commissioner Fried on Citrus Forecast

Tacy Callies Crop Forecast

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried offered the following statement on the initial citrus crop forecast for the 2020-21 season released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA): “When Americans think of wellness and health, their thoughts turn to Florida orange juice and fresh citrus, especially during these unprecedented times. Despite the challenges that Florida’s citrus growers have faced as a …

mandarin

Progress Toward HLB-Tolerant Citrus

Tacy Callies Varieties

Largely due to the advent of huanglongbing (HLB) disease, Florida orange production has declined by over 70 percent in the last 10 years. According to experts, if the trend is not reversed, processing plants will not have enough fruit to maintain production and profitability, ultimately causing shutdowns. Currently, Florida law requires that orange juice be comprised of at least 90 …