putnam talks citrus

Adam Putnam: Citrus Industry ‘Still Blocking and Tackling’

Ernie NeffBactericides, Citrus Greening

“We’re an industry who’s a group of fighters,” Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam says in summarizing his talk Friday at the Indian River Citrus League’s annual meeting in Vero Beach. “With all the challenges that we’ve seen here on the River – from canker to hurricanes and the devastation caused by greening – we’re still blocking and tackling and …

Crop size, PFD

Joe Davis Jr. Predicts Orange Crop Size; Discusses PFD Impact

Ernie NeffBactericides, Citrus Greening, Forecast, PFD

Grower Joe Davis Jr., a panelist at a Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association gathering Thursday, says he expects a Florida orange crop of 61 to 70 million boxes this season. Last season’s Florida orange crop was 81.5 million boxes. “Our groves are down,” Davis says. “We’re guessing that earlies and mids will probably be down about 10 percent, and …

bactericides survey

House Passes Citrus Tax Measure

Daniel CooperCitrus, Legislative

U.S. House Gives Citrus Tax Incentive Overwhelming Bipartisan Support The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a measure Wednesday that provides growers with an incentive to plant more trees and bolster the ailing Florida citrus industry. By a 400-20 vote, Republicans and Democrats approved the Emergency Citrus Disease Response Act which allows growers to immediately expense the cost of planting …

citrus acreage decline

Grower Not Surprised by 4 Percent Acreage Decline

Ernie NeffBactericides, Citrus Greening, Economics

“I don’t think there were any real surprises in the report today,” Indian River area grower and packer Cody Estes says in response to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s report that Florida citrus acreage tumbled 4 percent. Florida acreage is now at 480,121, the lowest number since tracking began in 1966. “Hopefully with the anti-microbial treatments that are going on, …

bactericides survey

FCM Applauds House Ways and Means Committee for Passing Citrus Bill

Daniel CooperCitrus, Legislative

Florida Citrus Mutual on Wednesday applauded the House Ways and Means Committee for passing a measure that would provide growers with an incentive to plant more trees and bolster the ailing Florida citrus industry. Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENTApril 1, 2024Protect Your Groves …

PFD and HLB

Trees Look Good but PFD and HLB Will Impact Yield

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, PFD

Several citrus growers attending a grower forum in Sebring last week said groves are looking very good even though fruit production is expected to be low this season. John Barben, a Highlands County grower and the new president of Florida Citrus Mutual, summarized the situation. “Trees are looking good,” Barben said. “We had a lot of rain the last couple …

EPA Approves KPHITE® RX Systemic Bactericide for HLB Control

Tacy CalliesBactericides

Florida-based Plant Food Systems announced that the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the use of KPHITE® RX Systemic Bactericide for the control of HLB or citrus greening. The approval was granted based on research conducted by a panel of researchers demonstrating that the use of KPHITE® RX and Renew® RX reduces the effects of greening on citrus crops. Further field …

Bactericide Survey Results Summary

Josh McGillBactericides, Citrus Greening

By Stephanie Slinski and Harold Browning (Editor’s note: Click on the graphs throughout the article to enlarge them.) Bactericides have been available to growers as a new tool to improve the health of HLB-infected trees since early March 2016. This use has been under a crisis declaration from the Florida commissioner of agriculture, but on August 15 of this year, …

Citrus Expo

Scenes from Citrus Expo’s Silver Anniversary

Taylor HillmanCitrus, Citrus Expo, Citrus Greening

Citrus Expo 2016 Citrus growers and industry members turned out in full force for the 25th anniversary of Citrus Expo. They came seeking answers on citrus greening and other production challenges, as was evidenced by the large turnout at the “Now Is the Time” seminar program. Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH …

HLB tolerance

Southern Gardens Citrus to Host HLB Webinar

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Citrus Greening

Rick Kress, senior vice president of research commercialization for Southern Gardens Citrus will present a webinar titled “Can We Live Without Citrus?” on August 25 from 11:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. EDT. Can you imagine what your store would look like if the orange juice section was suddenly empty or produce shelves were void of all oranges, grapefruit, lemons and …

Saving Florida’s Citrus Industry Through Collaboration and Innovation

Kelsey FryCitrus, Citrus Greening

From Kevin Shea, Administrator, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service: The Florida citrus industry is under siege and the invader is a tiny bug called the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The ACP spreads a disease known as Huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening, and together they are destroying groves that have been cultivated by families for generations. But all is …

New Book to Debut at Citrus Expo

Kelsey FryCitrus, Citrus Expo

Citrus growers now have yet another reason to attend the 2016 Citrus Expo. They can receive a complimentary copy of a brand new book, “The Critical Importance of Citrus Tree Nutrition.” Authored by citrus Extension agent Mongi Zekri, the book will debut at the Citrus Expo Shindig, a special party to celebrate the show’s 25th anniversary. The shindig takes place …

Senator Rubio: ‘If We Don’t Have Replanting, We’re Going to Lose the Industry’

Kelsey FryAgriculture, Citrus, Citrus Greening, Legislative

On July 21, 2016, U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) visited the Lakeland area to tour a citrus grove affected by citrus greening.  Sen. Rubio was joined by Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. They visited Gapway Groves in Auburndale to meet growers and industry leaders to discuss the grave problem facing Florida’s citrus industry. Rubio and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-FL) …

Senator Rubio and Commissioner Putnam Visit Florida Citrus Grove

Kelsey FryAgriculture, Citrus Greening

U.S. Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) is at Gapway Groves in Auburndale today to see firsthand the plague facing Florida’s citrus industry. Senator Rubio is joined by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam on a tour of a grove impacted by citrus greening. Both Senator Rubio and Commissioner Putnam are key advocates in the fight against HLB and have worked on …

IndexBox Marketing: Orange Market in Crisis

Kelsey FryCitrus, Citrus Greening

According to a report by IndexBox Marketing, the orange market is in crisis.  One of the main reasons is the citrus greening disease, widespread in the key centers of orange cultivation. This is why a reduction of the global orange market volume is expected once again in 2016. Orange yield reduction affects consumption worldwide. In this case, a distinction should …

Section 18 Update on FireWall

Kelsey FryCitrus

The current Section 18 emergency exemption permitting application of FireWall™ 50 WP to aid in the control of citrus canker in Florida grapefruit expires on July 1, 2016. After discussions with EPA, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) have decided not to pursue its renewal. The rationale for this …

New Method Tells Growers More About Citrus Decay

Kelsey FryCitrus

With citrus growers trying to save their groves in the wake of the deadly greening disease, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher has found a new technique that could help growers answer a vexing question – why so much fruit is dropping to the ground prematurely. If we know why fruit is dropping, we can …

Orange Juice Market Challenges

Tacy CalliesEconomics

Allen Morris, vice president of sales and marketing for Blue Lake Citrus Products, discusses the decline of the U.S. orange juice market. “Since 2001, we’ve lost about half of the U.S. OJ market,” he says. “When we look at June of this year compared to June of last year, total OJ consumption declined by 4.8 percent even though prices declined …

Letter to the Editor: Pete Spyke

Josh McGillCitrus

By: Pete Spyke President of Arapaho Citrus Management, Inc. Bill Castle’s recent Letter to the Editor (see January 2016 Citrus Industry) called for our industry to engage in dialogue about HLB that is different from our usual kinds of communication. It seems that a good place to start may be with new varieties and rootstocks. Unless we increase the productive …

UF/IFAS Researcher To Be Honored As Citrus Engineer of Year

Kelsey FryCitrus, Citrus Greening

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher who uses steam to help treat citrus trees infected by greening will receive this year’s Citrus Engineer of the Year Award. Reza Ehsani, a UF/IFAS associate professor of agricultural and biological engineering, will receive the award June 21 at the 59th Biennial Citrus Engineering Symposium at …