New Insurance Option for Florida Citrus Growers

Josh McGillFlorida, Insurance

By Ariel Singerman During the 2021–22 citrus season, the Risk Management Agency (RMA) started offering a new option to Florida citrus growers for insuring their crop. The policy is called Actual Production History (APH) and provides coverage for yield losses based on a farm’s historical records. While the Whole Farm Revenue Protection (WFRP) policy also uses farm records as a …

usda

The Role of Boron in Citrus Production

Josh McGillNutrition, Production

Borates Today recently issued a news release titled Citrus Fruits and Boron: What You Need to Know. A summary follows: Boron is a trace element used in the production of citrus fruits. It is required for proper plant development and preserving consistent fruit yield and quality. The element has a role in flower initiation, pollen germination, nitrogen metabolism, hormonal influences …

Storm Recovery, Drought & Beyond: 4 Reasons Your Citrus Grove Needs Biologicals

Josh McGillSponsored Content

The severe impacts of recent storms are layered on top of the complex set of challenges already facing U.S. citrus growers—especially in Florida. From high input costs to domestic supply shortages, the unmatched devastation caused by citrus greening disease, and now the recovery efforts needed post-hurricane, growers need holistic solutions–and they need them fast. The good news is that breakthrough …

Vero Citrus Label Tour Started

Josh McGillEvents, History

Vero Heritage has enlarged and improved its indoor authentic citrus label collection and started the Vero Heritage Citrus Label Tour, thanks to a grant from the Indian River County Tourist Development Council. This tour of art in public places explores the historic marketing portion of citrus though artistic labels that once adorned wooden shipping crates. Early labels on wooden crates …

Sneak Peek: October 2022 Citrus Industry

Josh McGillSneak Peek

The October cover story in Citrus Industry magazine is a Q&A with Florida Citrus Mutual’s new leader. While Matt Joyner is new to the role of Mutual executive vice president/chief executive officer, he is not new to the association or the citrus industry. Learn about how his experience has uniquely prepared him for the position. Joyner discusses his goals and …

CUPS Update From the Citrus Research and Education Center

Josh McGillCUPS, HLB Management, Research

By Arnold Schumann, Laura Waldo, Chris Oswalt, Napoleon Mariner, Timothy Ebert, Perseveranca Mungofa, Shankar Shrestha and Laura Cano-Castro Florida grapefruit production for the 2021–22 season was 92% less than in 2003–04, which was prior to the arrival of huanglongbing (HLB) disease [Source: U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service, (USDA NASS)]. The decrease in Florida tangerine production for the …

New Sugar Substitutes Found in Citrus

Josh McGillFlavor, Research

Researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) have discovered new, natural sweeteners in citrus for the first time. This finding opens opportunities for the food industry to produce food and beverages with lower sugar content and lower calories while maintaining sweetness and taste using natural products. Yu Wang, associate professor of food science at …

Fresh Oranges on a tree.

The Role of Plant Growth Regulators in Citrus

Josh McGillPGRs

Multi-county citrus Extension agent Ajia Paolillo discussed the role of plant growth regulators (PGRs) in groves in a recent Extension newsletter. She cited University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturists Tripti Vashisth and Fernando Alferez as sources. Here’s a summary of Paolillo’s article: GIBBERELLIC ACIDGibberellic acid (GA) is one of the PGRs used in citrus. It …

pest risk

California Yields Most Citrus per Acre

Josh McGillProduction

California led the nation in boxes-per-acre yield for every citrus variety grown in 2021–22, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) recently reported. The yields per acre, along with on-tree prices and other information, is in the agency’s Citrus Fruits 2022 Summary. ORANGES California’s 140,000 acres of bearing orange acres produced 289 boxes per acre in the …

Decline in U.S. Citrus Production and Value

Josh McGillProduction

Citrus production and crop value in the Unites States both declined in 2021–22 compared to the prior season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) reported recently. PRODUCTIONCitrus utilized production in the United States for the 2021–22 season totaled 5.61 million tons, down 19% from the 2020–21 season. California accounted for 62% of total United States citrus …

Millennium Block

Citrus Growers Invited to Visit Variety Trial

Josh McGillEvents, Rootstocks, Varieties

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host a Millennium Block Variety Trial Field Day on Oct. 19. The event will be held from 9 a.m. to noon. The Millennium Block is at 7850 Pruitt Research Road in Fort Pierce. Registration can be completed online here or by …

Florida Citrus Value Drops Steeply

Josh McGillFlorida, Production

The $438 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2021–2022 Florida citrus crop is 29% less than the $613 million revised value for 2020–2021, according to a federal Citrus Summary. The summary reported production, price and value of the 2021–2022 crop. It was released Sept. 7 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. PRODUCTION PLUMMETS Florida’s all citrus …

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California’s Total Reported Citrus Acreage Slightly Up

Josh McGillAcreage, California Corner

California citrus acreage (bearing and nonbearing) planted in grapefruit, lemons, limes, mandarins and pummelos increased in 2022 when compared to 2020. However, the state’s orange acreage declined. That information was in the 2022 California Citrus Acreage Report by the California Department of Food and Agriculture in cooperation with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS). Although orange …

Florida Citrus Acreage Takes a Hit

Josh McGillAcreage, Florida

Total citrus acreage in Florida dropped 8% in the past year, to 375,302 acres, according to the Commercial Citrus Inventory Preliminary Report. The report was released Sept. 7 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The net loss of 32,046 acres is 19,942 acres more than was lost the previous season. New plantings, at 7,980 acres, are …

Keller Is New Leader for Florida Citrus Association

Josh McGillCitrus, Florida

Emma Keller became executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) Aug. 8. Keller, who is finishing her senior year at Warner University, succeeds Kait Shaw. She is working on a degree in agricultural science with a minor in communications. Keller was born in Charlotte County, Florida. “I grew up on an orange grove in Punta Gorda,” …

Optimizing Gibberellic Acid Applications in Florida Citrus

Josh McGillFruit Drop, HLB Management

Tripti Vashisth, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of horticultural sciences, has dedicated several years of research into the use of plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid (GA) to fight fruit drop in citrus. In the August All In For Citrus Podcast, Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, interviewed …

A Shift Toward Soil Microbes in Young Citrus Tree Care

Josh McGillCitrus, Sponsored Content

SUMMARY: Many Florida citrus growers have made the decision to shift their focus away from saving older HLB-infected trees and toward protecting and strengthening young citrus trees, using soil probiotics, before too much damage is done. Understanding citrus trees’ vascular systemsCitrus trees have developed a complex but effective circulatory system for the uptake, storage, and utilization of water and nutrients. …

Sneak Peek: September 2022 Citrus Industry

Josh McGillCitrus Expo, CUPS, Sneak Peek

The September issue of Citrus Industry magazine centers on two topics: citrus under protective screen (CUPS) research and a wrap-up from the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. Three articles cover the latest CUPS findings from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. An article by Arnold Schumann and his colleagues includes a summary of seven seasons of …