Alico Sells 10,702 Acres to State of Florida

Ernie Neff Acreage

Alico, Inc. on Sept. 11 announced the state of Florida purchased, under the Florida Forever program, approximately 10,702 acres of Alico Ranch for $28.5 million. The transaction was pursuant to an option agreement between the state of Florida and Alico. John Kiernan, Alico president and chief executive officer, said the acreage was on the west side of the ranch. “This is …

Developing Niche Markets for Florida’s Small Citrus Growers

Tacy Callies Market

By Chip Henry The current state of the commercial citrus marketplace in Florida justifies the need for small growers to find niche markets in which to sell their fruit. Deplorable prices for juice oranges are predicted to continue through the upcoming season. A recent University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economic report indicates the possibility that perhaps …

Miss

Miss Florida Citrus 2020 Is Crowned

Ernie Neff Awards

Leila Sabet, 24, of Ponte Vedra Beach was crowned Miss Florida Citrus June 13 in the very first virtual Miss America preliminary pageant in Florida. Due to COVID-19, “the country closed down just two weeks prior to when this year’s pageant was scheduled to take place” so it was delayed and rescheduled as a virtual event, said Miss Florida Citrus …

Florida May Make $28.5M Land Purchase From Alico

Ernie Neff Industry News Release

The state of Florida has approved entering into an agreement that grants it an option to purchase approximately 10,684 acres of Alico Ranch for approximately $28.5 million. The transaction would occur under the Florida Forever program. John Kiernan, Alico’s president and chief executive officer, said the property is on the west side of the Alico Ranch. “If exercised, we expect …

Water Is Focus of Together Florida Coalition

Ernie Neff Water

Together Florida, a coalition of primarily agricultural organizations focused on water issues, has launched a website advocating for solutions to harmful algae blooms. The website includes information on algae blooms and best management practices that agriculture employs to conserve water and protect water quality. “Together Florida was created to provide a broad coalition advocating for a comprehensive solution to harmful …

sales

Florida Grove Sales and Prices Reported

Ernie Neff Market

SVN | Saunders Ralston Dantzler Real Estate summarized Florida citrus land sales in 2019 during the company’s annual Land Conference Feb. 27-28. Company founder and managing director Dean Saunders pointed out that citrus acreage in Florida is approximately half of its pre-HLB disease level. He said the 300 boxes of production that are now considered good would have been a …

Aiming to Improve Production of Florida Grapefruit

Daniel Cooper Grapefruit, Industry News Release

(UF/IFAS) — Dinesh Phuyal, who is pursuing a master’s degree in horticultural sciences from the University of Florida’s College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, recently garnered a prestigious Yara North America Crop Innovation Scholarship. The award is Phuyal’s fourth academic honor this year for his efforts to improve Florida grapefruit tree size, fruit yield and fruit quality. Phuyal studies higher …

meetings

Meetings on Algae, Citrus and Water Management Ring Alarms for Florida Agriculture

Daniel Cooper Agriculture, Citrus, Irrigation, Water

Three meetings this week in three different areas of the state brought more discussion that should wake up producers and others in agriculture who have remained mostly silent for decades. As the state’s population continues to swell by a 1,000 new residents each day, Florida’s population will likely exceed 22-million next year. As the nation’s third most populous state, there’s …

hall

New Florida Ag Hall of Fame Members Include Citrus Industry Contributors

Daniel Cooper Industry News Release

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam and the Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Foundation announced the new hall of fame inductees for 2019. The induction ceremony will be held at the Florida State Fair’s Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet on Feb. 12, 2019. More information is available FloridaAgHallofFame.org. “Agriculture is Florida’s oldest industry, and it continues to support our …

growers

New Florida Citrus Production Guide Debuts at Citrus Expo

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Production

Beginning this week, Florida citrus growers will have an updated resource to help them keep groves productive despite the ever-present threat of huanglongbing, the bacterial malady also known as HLB or citrus greening disease. Experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have just completed a 180-page technical handbook, “Florida Citrus Production Guide 2018-2019.” It …

lemons

Florida Lemon Grower Shares Experiences

Ernie Neff lemons

Lemon grower Mike Litvany shares his experience growing lemons for the past 20 years in North Central Florida. Litvany has been in the Florida citrus industry since 1975. He says, “What happened to the Florida citrus industry has happened to me; it’s all pretty much disappeared.” His 20-acre lemon grove is 7 miles south of Clermont, east of U.S. 27 …

State of the Florida Citrus-Packing Segment

Tacy Callies Citrus

By Peter Chaires Florida’s fresh-packing segment is in a significant period of transition. The freezes of the 1980s caused substantial southward movement of citrus production and the loss of supply to most packinghouses in the northern regions. During this time, urban expansion and construction booms were also depleting acreage that supplied fresh houses. The early battles against citrus canker eliminated …

University of Florida Helps Guide Georgia Citrus Association

Abbey Taylor Research

University of Florida researchers assisted their neighbor to the north as they put together several presentations to help build the Georgia citrus industry. The presentations were made during the second annual Georgia Citrus Association Conference, which was held Feb. 26 at the University of Georgia Tifton Conference Center. Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association, says she is very …

Freeze Summary for Florida and Georgia Citrus

Ernie Neff freeze

Temperatures dipped into the 20s in much of the Florida Citrus Belt on the morning of Jan. 18, but the state’s largest citrus growers association expected little, if any, freeze damage. Florida Citrus Mutual spokesman Andrew Meadows said there could be minor or moderate fruit loss in some low-lying pockets, “but absolutely no tree damage.” The coldest Florida citrus region …

What Lies Ahead for Florida Citrus?

Tacy Callies Diseases, HLB Management, Pests, Varieties

Editor’s note: This article is part of the special coverage on the 100th Anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie Although it’s difficult to predict future events, directors of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) …

orange

Citrus Crop Forecast: Florida All Oranges at 54 Million Boxes

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast

The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 54 million boxes, 21 percent less than last season’s final production. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Florida Citrus Mutual both issued statements indicating they are concerned that the forecast did not accurately account for the full damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma. Listen to the …

Citrus Expo Is a Great Connection for Florida FFA

Daniel Cooper Citrus Expo

Citrus growers, vendors, and industry professionals are all looking forward to gathering this Wednesday, August 16 at 8:00 a.m. at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. That’s when the doors officially open to the 2017 Citrus Expo trade show, the biggest and best annual gathering of citrus industry members in the U.S. Citrus Expo is proud to announce …

planting

Planting in the Northern Citrus Belt

Ernie Neff planting

Some long-time farmers in the Hastings area plan to develop more than 100 acres of tangerines over the next four to five years. Gary England, University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences regional specialized Extension agent and director of the Hastings Agricultural Extension Center, discusses their plans. He says the farmers, whom he declined to name, are “looking strictly …

Troutman Joins Lineup of Florida Ag Commissioner Hopefuls

Daniel Cooper Agriculture, Industry News Release, Legislative

by Lloyd Dunkelberger News Service of Florida Former state Rep. Baxter Troutman entered the race for state agriculture commissioner on Monday, priming his Republican bid for a Cabinet seat with $2.5 million of his own money. “For two decades, I’ve been building a business and continuing my work in Florida agriculture,” Troutman, of Winter Haven, said in a statement. “Real …

South Florida Algae Bloom

Kelsey Fry Agriculture, Water

The algal blooms in Lake Okeechobee, the Caloosahatchee River and the Indian River Lagoon have gained national coverage and become quite a controversial topic. The blue-green algae, called cyanobacteria, has affected individuals, businesses and farming in South Florida. Charles Shinn, director of government and community affairs for the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, says that Farm Bureau is concerned about the …