Citrus Sales Surge During COVID-19

Ernie NeffCOVID-19, Orange Juice, sales

Sales of Florida citrus and juice jumped during the COVID-19 pandemic in March, The Ledger newspaper in Lakeland reported. The newspaper cited a Nielsen report that not-from-concentrate OJ sales climbed 28 percent for the 4-week period ending March 21. The surge followed approximately two decades of  OJ sales declines. Consumers appear to focus on OJ’s heavy vitamin C content in …

citrus

Orange Juice Sales, Supply and Marketing

Tacy CalliesOrange Juice, sales

Florida Citrus Commission Chairman Ned Hancock reports that the news continues to be positive on the retail sales front for orange juice. “During this time of great uncertainty, Americans continue to seek out products they know and trust,” he said in an April 10 report to Florida citrus industry members. “Additionally, they are turning to items they know may help …

hurricane

Active Hurricane Season Predicted

Ernie Neffhurricane

An above-average Atlantic hurricane season was recently predicted by both Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane researchers and AccuWeather. The CSU researchers cited the likely absence of El Niño as a primary factor in its prediction. “Tropical and subtropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures are currently warmer than their long-term average values and are consequently also considered a factor favoring an active …

brazilian

Brazil Releases Season’s Final Orange Crop Forecast

Tacy CalliesBrazil, Crop Forecast

Brazil reported it will produce 386.79 million boxes of oranges in the 2019–20 season. This is the final forecast for the season and includes production from the São Paulo, Triângulo Mineiro and West-Southwest Minas Gerais Citrus Belt. Fundecitrus, in cooperation with Markestrat, FEA-RP/USP and FCAV/Unesp2, published the forecast on April 9. It represents a decrease of 0.54 percent compared to …

irrigation

Irrigation Management Advice for HLB Trees

Tacy CalliesHLB Management, Irrigation

Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year. Florida citrus trees may require irrigation throughout the year due to the low water-holding capacity of sandy soils and the warm subtropical climate with distinct drought periods during the spring.  Davie Kadyampakeni, assistant professor of soil and water sciences at the University of Florida Institute …

Hemp Grower Partners Wanted

Tacy CalliesAlternative Crops

The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hemp program is seeking 20 qualified partners across Florida for on-farm trials. Zack Brym, agronomist at the Tropical Research and Education Center in Homestead and research coordinator of the UF/IFAS Industrial Hemp Pilot Project, says partner farms will conduct a coordinated field planting on 2 acres with variations in land …

HLB

UF/IFAS Still Serving Citrus Growers

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast

Like much of the rest of the world, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has closed its research and Extension facilities to visitors because of COVID-19. The closures are intended to protect the public and UF/IFAS employees from the coronavirus. Additionally, all UF/IFAS-sponsored events have been cancelled through the end of April. But UF/IFAS employees …

Citrus Canker Management Through the Year

Ernie NeffDiseases

Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences offers suggestions for managing citrus canker at different times of the year. She is an associate professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Dewdney suggests that copper sprays begin when fruit reach three-eighths of an inch in diameter in groves …

fresh

Orange Juice Sales Are Soaring

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release, Orange Juice

Ned Hancock, chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission (FCC), reports that concerns over COVID-19 are increasing the demand for healthy foods and beverages, including orange juice. The FCC is the governing body of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). “A Nielsen retail sales report indicates that many Americans are turning to 100 percent orange juice (OJ) during this time,” says …

HLB and Citrus Root Health

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Root health

“We’re not going to have a silver bullet” for HLB, says Lorenzo Rossi, an assistant professor at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Instead, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) root biologist says that researchers are trying to keep citrus producing profitably. Rossi described some of his research efforts that focus on root health …

Irrigation Management for Young Citrus Trees

Tacy CalliesIrrigation

By Davie Kadyampakeni, Arnold Schumann, Mongi Zekri and Chris Oswalt Irrigation management is important for achieving optimal citrus tree growth and promoting high water- and nutrient-use efficiencies in young trees. In the era of HLB, poor water-management practices, such as infrequent irrigation, lead to water stress in trees resulting in limited growth and impaired root development. On the other hand, …

nutrition

Citrus Research and Development Foundation Updates

Ernie NeffCRDF, Nutrition

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) agreed March 24 to seek very focused research projects that will answer growers’ questions about proper nutrition in the face of HLB. The questions were formulated by CRDF’s Nutrition Working Group, a panel of growers, scientists and others. FOCUS ON NUTRITION “We know it’s (nutrition) important and we have to get it right …

crop forecast

Highlands Growers Hear Marketing Talks

Ernie NeffMarket

Aaron Himrod indicated he was cautiously optimistic about Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) members’ ability to grow fruit in the face of HLB at the association’s annual meeting on March 12. But Himrod, the outgoing association president, said the industry’s emphasis now needs to be on marketing. That and other activities at the meeting were described by association Executive …

Hemp Advice: Start Small, Be Cautious

Ernie NeffAlternative Crops

There are numerous challenges facing potential growers of industrial hemp in Florida, said Jerry Fankhauser at the recent Florida Agricultural Policy Outlook Conference. Fankhauser is assistant director of the Florida Agricultural Experiment Station and lead oversight manager of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Industrial Hemp Pilot Project. Researchers involved in the project are looking …

fresh

Keeping Fresh Fruit Marketable

Ernie NeffFresh

Mark Ritenour with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) discusses research efforts to keep Florida’s fresh fruit marketable. Ritenour is a postharvest horticulturist at the Indian River Research and Education Center. Ritenour begins with maximum residue limit requirements for chemicals in fresh citrus for export. A UF/IFAS website provides pesticide residue limits by various major …

crop forecast

March Citrus Crop Forecast Sees Slight Decreases

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) reported the latest update to the 2019-2020 citrus crop forecast on March 10. Non-Valencia Oranges The Florida non-Valencia forecast is lowered 1 million boxes to 30 million boxes. The row count survey conducted Feb. 25-26 showed 98 percent of the early-midseason rows are harvested. California remained at …

Now Is the Time to Watch for PFD

Ernie NeffPFD

With bloom breaking out in Florida citrus groves, plant pathologist Megan Dewdney recommended growers keep an eye out for postbloom fruit drop (PFD). Dewdney works for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred.  “We have actually observed some diseased flowers,” Dewdney said March 3 at an OJ …

acp

Advice for Psyllid/HLB Control

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Even with the virtually 100 percent level of HLB infection found in Florida citrus trees, reducing Asian citrus psyllids improves tree health and yield, entomologist Lukasz Stelinski says. Stelinski is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center.   Stelinski reports that trials the late UF/IFAS researcher Phil Stansly …

Nutrition: No One Size Fits All

Tacy CalliesNutrition, Research

By Tripti Vashisth Constant supply and soil application of macronutrients and micronutrients can improve the health and productivity of HLB-affected citrus. A 20 to 50 percent higher than University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) recommended rate of micronutrients is beneficial for HLB-affected trees. However, the nutrition program should be customized for each grove, as no one …

Highlights from the PRVCGA Annual Meeting

Ernie NeffCitrus, Public Relations

The new Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) 4-H Citrus Club had a strong showing at the association’s annual meeting on Feb. 25 at the Turner Agri-Civic Center in Arcadia. Eighteen trees grown by club members were sold at the event. This included several grapefruit and tangerine trees that sold for more than $200 each, and the grand champion …