citrus

Citrus Australia Wants Juice Rating Reconsidered

Ernie Neff International, Orange Juice

Citrus Australia says the country’s state governments “will be asked to bring common sense to the Health Star Rating (HSR) system” at a meeting in November. The rating system currently rates diet soft drinks as healthier than fresh Australian juice. Industry bodies have contacted Senator Richard Colbeck, chair of the Australia and New Zealand Ministerial Forum on Food Regulation, asking …

citrus greening

HLB Preparedness in Australia

Ernie Neff HLB Management, International

Learning how other countries manage huanglongbing (HLB) will help shape Australia’s response if the damaging citrus disease hits its shores, according to New South Wales (NSW) citrus pathologist Nerida Donovan. One of the biggest lessons so far has been the importance of treating the psyllid vector with the same respect as the disease. Donovan, with the NSW Department of Primary …

Australia Citrus Harvest to Resume

Tacy Callies International, Labor

Citrus Australia is relieved the citrus harvest in New South Wales (NSW) can resume following the NSW government’s decision to overturn its ban on seasonal workers overnight. Citrus Australia CEO Nathan Hancock has urged the government to consult with relevant communities and industries before making such drastic changes in the future. As of Thursday night, seasonal workers who reside in …

Labor Ban Costs Australia Growers Millions

Ernie Neff COVID-19, International, Labor

On July 27, Citrus Australia CEO Nathan Hancock said a ban on citrus workers entering New South Wales (NSW) is costing growers $1.7 million a day. Hancock has urged NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian to consult with industry and cancel the ban that is keeping out seasonal harvesters. The restriction on harvesters entering NSW was instituted to curtail the spread of …

COVID-19 Restriction Puts Australian Citrus at Risk

Ernie Neff COVID-19, International, Labor

Citrus Australia says a newly enacted border zone instituted to curtail the spread of COVID-19 will result in citrus crops rotting if seasonal harvesters can’t get into New South Wales (NSW) quickly. The new border zone along the Murray River will tighten restrictions for entry from Victoria into NSW. “Although the agriculture industry has been defined as a critical service, …

Australia: Juice Gets Lower Health Rating Than Diet Cola

Ernie Neff International

Citrus Australia stated it is “vastly disappointed” with state ministers’ decision to remove the 5-star rating for fresh juice with no added sugar under the revised Health Star Ratings (HSR) system. The Food Regulation Forum, comprised of ministers from every Australian state and territory, on July 17 rejected Federal Agriculture Minister David Littleproud’s proposals to retain the current 5-star rating. …

Sweet Season for Australian Citrus

Tacy Callies sales

Research conducted by Citrus Australia indicates dry conditions last year leading into this season’s harvest, which is underway in all states, has led to sweeter, juicier fruit. “There are fresh, Australian grown, juicy oranges and mandarins, and really flavorsome lemons, limes and grapefruit in stores across the country now,” said Citrus Australia CEO Nathan Hancock. “All citrus varieties are packed …

Australia: Don’t Downgrade Juice Health Rating

Ernie Neff Orange Juice

Citrus Australia, representing the nation’s citrus growers, has urged the federal government to reject proposed changes that could have 100 percent juice rated the same as diet cola on a health scale. Under proposed guideline revisions, the Health Star Rating (HSR) for fresh juice with no added sugar will fall from 5 stars to as low as 2.5 stars. The …

field day

Finger Lime Field Day Draws Mostly Non-Citrus Crowd

Daniel Cooper Events, Limes

Only a few Florida commercial citrus growers were on hand for an April 24 finger lime field day at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Most of the more than 40 attendees did not own citrus groves, and about half were women — definitely not the standard crowd for a CREC event. Those in attendance had …

Southern Hemisphere

Forecast for Southern Hemisphere Citrus Production

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, International

The World Citrus Organisation’s (WCO) preliminary forecast for the 2024 Southern Hemisphere citrus season projects total production will decrease 0.77% from the prior year. Production for Argentina, Australia, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Peru, South Africa and Uruguay is estimated at 24.34 million tons this year. The WCO broke the forecast down by variety: CLIMATIC CONDITIONS IMPACT PRODUCTION The Southern Hemisphere’s 2024 …

global

Global Orange and OJ Production to Increase

Daniel Cooper Crop Forecast, International

Global orange and orange juice production are both forecast to increase slightly in 2023–24 from the previous year, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). ORANGES Global orange production for 2023–24 is forecast up slightly to 48.8 million tons compared to the prior year. Here’s the country-by-country forecast from USDA FAS: U.S. production is forecast …

waxing

Waxing the Right Way

Daniel Cooper Fresh

An article about citrus waxing was recently published by Citrus Australia. The article, written by John Golding, a research horticulturist with the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries, is summarized here. Waxing citrus can help maintain quality and enhance the fruit’s appearance. However, using the wrong type of wax or applying an excessively thick layer can overly restrict gas …

citrus

Aging Farmers Contribute to Japan’s Citrus Downtrend

Daniel Cooper Crop 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 …

Increased Production of Citrus Crops in China

Tacy Callies China, 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 …

California Researchers Seek HLB Tolerance

Tacy Callies California Corner, HLB Management, Research

University of California, Riverside (UCR) has received three federal grants totaling more than $11 million for research focused on instilling HLB-tolerance in citrus trees. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA). The funding was enabled by the 2018 Agricultural Improvement Act, which authorized the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Development …

sunlime

Finger Lime Interest Expands in Florida

Tacy Callies Limes

Florida is not a major producer of finger limes — yet. Australia has the most finger lime acreage in the world, and most U.S. finger limes are grown in California and Hawaii. But Florida’s acreage is expanding, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist Manjul Dutt reported during a Dec. 20 presentation at the Citrus Research …

Queensland Fruit Fly Quarantine in California

Josh McGill California Corner, Pests, Regulation

Portions of Ventura and Los Angeles counties have been placed under quarantine for the Queensland fruit fly (QFF), the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) announced in late October. The quarantine followed the detection of two adult QFFs within the city of Thousand Oaks in Ventura County. The quarantine area measures 76 square miles. It is bordered on the …

citrus forecast

FFVA Endorses Glyphosate Renewal in Europe

Josh McGill International, 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 …

$5 Million Awarded to UF/IFAS for HLB Research

Josh McGill HLB Management, Research

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has been awarded five federal grants totaling more than $5 million to control HLB. The grants are from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA).   HLB is caused by the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas). The Asian citrus psyllid can transmit CLas into a …

Brite Leaf Citrus Nursery: Innovation and Industry Involvement

Josh McGill nursery

By Tacy Callies Before they were married, Nate and Anna Jameson vowed they would one day farm for themselves. They met while attending the University of Florida. Nate graduated with a Bachelor of Science in ag operations management, while Anna earned her degree in animal science. After graduation, Anna worked for Lykes Meat Group and Nate for Ben Hill Griffin …