trunk-injection

Fall Tree Health After Initial Trunk-Injection Treatments

Daniel CooperHLB Management

By Frank Giles and Maegan Beatty As growers deployed their first application of oxytetracycline (OTC) via trunk-injection this summer, expectations were high but tempered by the fact the therapy is not expected to turn the massive HLB ship around in just one season. By this fall, after the seasonal cooldown, growers were still reporting generally positive signs from the treatments. …

citrus crop forecast

Citrus Crop Forecast Has One Change

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

The only change in the Feb. 8 citrus crop forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS) was a 700,000-box reduction in Florida non-Valencia oranges compared to the January forecast. That reduced the expected 2023–24 Florida non-Valencia crop to 6.8 million boxes and the total Florida orange crop to 19.8 million boxes. The percentage reductions …

assessment

Proposal to Increase Florida Fresh Citrus Assessment

Daniel CooperFlorida, Fresh, Regulation

The federal marketing order assessment rate for fresh Florida oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and pummelos would increase under a rule proposed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service. The proposed rule would increase the assessment rate for the 2023–24 fiscal year and subsequent fiscal periods from $0.015 to $0.02 per 4/5-bushel carton or equivalent for Florida citrus handled under …

Morocco’s

Morocco’s Citrus Crops to Rise

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Morocco’s tangerine/mandarin and lemon/lime production are both forecast to climb in 2023–24 compared to the prior season, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS Production in 2023–24 is forecast to reach 950,000 metric tons (MT), up 3% from the previous season. The increase is largely due to intensified irrigation efforts aimed …

mandarin production

Forecast for Peru’s Mandarin Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Tangerine/mandarin production in Peru is forecast to reach 545,000 metric tons (MT) in 2023–24, down 1% from the previous year, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. Weather anomalies associated with the El Niño phenomenon will likely impact the coming year’s productivity, especially among early-season varieties. PLANTED AREA Tangerine/mandarin planted and harvested area in Peru is …

Australian

Australian Mandarin Production Projection

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Australian tangerine/mandarin production in 2023–24 is forecast at 180,000 metric tons (MT) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s a 5% decrease from the 2022–23 estimate of 190,000 MT. This decline is mainly due to a biennial effect, with this being a down year. INCREASED ACREAGE Queensland, by far, has the largest area of mandarin …

Chile Mandarin and Orange Production Forecast

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, International

Tangerine/mandarin production in Chile is forecast to increase in 2023–24 while orange production is expected to decline, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported.   TANGERINES/MANDARINSProduction of tangerines and mandarins is projected to increase by 7.1% and total 287,000 metric tons (MT). Mandarin planted area is expected to increase nearly 1,000 hectares and reach 12,000 hectares …

European

Ups and Downs Expected for EU Citrus Crops

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected the European Union (EU) tangerine and mandarin crop will decline in 2023–24. The EU grapefruit crop is expected to rise compared to the prior season. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS EU tangerine and mandarin production in 2023–24 is forecast at 2.7 million metric tons (MMT), down from 2.8 MMT in …

korea's

Korea’s Mandarin Production

Daniel CooperInternational, Mandarins

Korea’s production of tangerines and mandarins — virtually the country’s only commercial citrus — is forecast at 570,000 metric tons by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s a 2.1% decline from the previous year’s 582,000 MT. The decline is driven by lower yield for open-field tangerines, decreased fruit set per tree and a slight reduction …

citrus

Aging Farmers Contribute to Japan’s Citrus Downtrend

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Japan’s citrus planted area and production are on a long-term downward trend. Reasons cited by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) are aging farmers, labor shortages and a lack of successors for running farms. In a December annual report, USDA FAS summarized production, planted area and trade for each of Japan’s citrus varieties. TANGERINES/MANDARINS After a …

European

Increased Production of Citrus Crops in China

Tacy CalliesChina, Crop Forecast

China production forecasts are increased for both mandarin/tangerine and grapefruit/pomelo crops in 2023–24 compared to the prior year. The forecasts were issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). MANDARINS/TANGERINES China’s mandarin/tangerine production is forecast at 26.9 million metric tons (MMT) in 2023–24, up from 26.5 MMT the previous year. The increase is because of a …

Changes to U.S. Citrus Forecast

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

In the Jan. 12 citrus forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS), Florida’s citrus crop estimates were unchanged from December, but other citrus-producing states saw changes. CALIFORNIA UPS AND DOWNSThe California forecast for oranges increased for both Valencias and non-Valencias. The Valencia crop rose from 7.5 million boxes to 7.8 million boxes. Non-Valencias increased …

Florida Citrus Marketing Order Amended

Tacy CalliesCAC, Florida, Marketing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is amending the Florida Citrus Marketing Order for fresh citrus to reduce membership of the Florida Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) and to update quorum requirements. Other amendments to the marketing order include: CAC recommended these changes to help fulfill membership and quorum requirements and ensure a more efficient and orderly flow of business. Authority …

Soft Citrus Forecast Up in South Africa

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has forecast that South Africa’s tangerine/mandarin production will total 740,000 metric tons in 2023–24, up 4% from the prior season. Young trees coming into production is a primary reason for the increase. PLANTING EXPANSION SLOWSSouth Africa has 27,500 hectares of tangerines/mandarins, also known as soft citrus. The rapid expansion in …

Food Traceability Rule: Overview and Requirements

Tacy CalliesFood Safety, Regulation

By Clara Diekman and Michelle Danyluk The Food Traceability Rule (FTR) is a federal regulation that establishes recordkeeping requirements for persons who manufacture, process, pack or hold foods on the Food Traceability List (FTL). The goal of this rule is to help the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) identify and remove potentially contaminated food from the market more rapidly, …

citrus forecast

Improvements to Florida Citrus Forecast

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, Florida

In the Dec. 8 citrus forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS), Florida’s grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo production estimates increased. The all-grapefruit forecast for Florida leaped 26% compared to the season’s initial forecast in October. The state’s tangerine and tangelo forecast climbed 10%. All other variety forecasts in the citrus-producing states — Arizona, California, Florida …

citrus production

U.S. Citrus Production in 2022–23: Winners and Losers

Daniel CooperProduction

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service’s (USDA/NASS) final estimates for the 2022–23 season show U.S. citrus production reaching 4.9 million tons, down 12% from 2021–22. This marks the lowest combined production levels for U.S. citrus in at least 50 years. The U.S. citrus crop was valued at $2.6 billion in 2022–23, 13.5% below the prior year’s value. …

Insights on India’s Citrus Industry

Josh McGillHLB Management, International

Fundecitrus researcher Franklin Behlau lectured about canker and HLB and participated in other ways at the recent Asian Citrus Congress in Nagpur, India. His lecture addressed the advancement of HLB (also known as greening) in the Brazilian citrus belt and the work carried out by Fundecitrus in combating HLB and canker. Behlau also moderated a technical session and participated in …

citrus forecast

FFVA Endorses Glyphosate Renewal in Europe

Josh McGillInternational, Pesticides, Regulation

Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service endorsing the European Union’s (EU) 10-year registration renewal efforts for glyphosate. In the letter, FFVA stressed that glyphosate herbicide has been used safely and successfully in Europe for more than 40 years. It noted that leading health regulators, including in Europe, the …

Optimistic First Forecast for Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The bad news is that severe weather warnings caused the annual citrus crop luncheon to be cancelled at Putnam Ranch in Zolfo Springs, Florida. The good news is that the Florida citrus crop forecast is up in all categories. Bill Curtis, agricultural statistics administrator with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, presented the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) …