farm bill

March Citrus Forecast Has Changes

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

There were two changes to the Florida citrus forecast in the March 8 report issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS).   Florida’s grapefruit forecast dipped 8% in March compared to the February forecast, and its tangerine and tangelo forecast declined 9%. FLORIDA GRAPEFRUITThe entire decline in Florida grapefruit was in the red varieties, …

hlb

Discovery Speeds Push for HLB-Tolerant Citrus

Daniel CooperBreeding, Orange Juice, Research

It’s one thing for a hybrid citrus tree to tolerate HLB, but quite another thing for it to produce orange-like fruit that makes delicious orange juice (OJ). That holy grail of traits could be nearer, thanks to a team of U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) scientists. …

production

Turkish Tangerine Production to Soar

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Tangerine production in 2023–24 in Türkiye (previously known as Turkey) is forecast to increase 55% to 2.88 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). The huge increase is due to favorable spring rains and temperature conditions during blossoming in March 2023. The yield in Türkiye’s Aegean region is expected to increase …

texas

New and Expanded Canker Quarantines in Texas

Daniel CooperDiseases, Regulation, Texas

Federal and Texas agriculture officials announced they are establishing four new quarantine areas for citrus canker in Brazoria and Harris counties, Texas. They are also expanding three existing quarantine areas for citrus canker in Brazoria, Fort Bend, Galveston and Harris counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture …

long

Long-Term U.S. Production Projections

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

Total U.S. citrus production levels are projected to continue their long-term decline before stabilizing through 2033, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Office of the Chief Economist recently reported. The trend is attributed to declining orange and grapefruit production alongside increasing production of lemons and tangerines. In the report, USDA Agricultural Projections to 2033, total U.S. citrus production is projected …

AgNet Media Set to Host Florida Citrus Show

Morgan ColeEvents, FCS24

Citrus and specialty crop producers should mark their calendars for the upcoming Florida Citrus Show, scheduled for Wednesday, April 3, in Fort Pierce, Florida. This will be the second year of AgNet Media hosting the event, which will once again feature a tailgating theme with vendors exhibiting their products and services while sharing delicious foods. In addition, general and educational …

citrus

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: A Day of Learning About New Rootstocks and Varieties

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Rootstocks, Varieties

By Peter Chaires The U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS) U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory and Florida Citrus Research Foundation (FCRF) jointly held an open house, variety display and field tour at the W.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm between Leesburg and Groveland in early December. This annual event provides a great opportunity for industry members to see the latest innovations in …

lemon/lime

World Lemon/Lime Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, lemons, Limes

Global lemon/lime production in 2023–24 is forecast up 225,000 tons from the prior year to 10 million tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. Higher production in the European Union, South Africa and Turkey more than offsets lower production in Mexico and the United States. Here are the regional lemon/lime forecasts for 2023–24: Turkey production …

grapefruit

Global Grapefruit Production to Rise

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Global grapefruit production in 2023–24 is estimated up slightly from the prior year to 6.9 million tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. A slight increase in China more than offset lower production in South Africa. World exports of grapefruit are projected to increase while fruit for processing is forecast to be lower. Here are …

Oriental fruit fly

Oriental Fruit Fly Quarantine Conditions Modified

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Conditions for the movement of fresh citrus fruit from the Redlands Oriental fruit fly (OFF) quarantine area of San Bernardino and Riverside counties in California have been temporarily modified for the duration of the 2024 harvest season. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) announced the modification on Feb. 5. Due to the imminent …

South African

South African Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

South African orange and orange juice (OJ) production are both forecast to decline slightly in 2023–24 compared to the prior season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). FRESH ORANGES Orange production in South Africa is forecast at 1.62 million metric tons (MMT). That’s a decrease of 1% from the prior season based on a …

tangerines/mandarins

Greater Worldwide Production of Tangerines/Mandarins

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Global production of tangerines/mandarins for 2023–24 is forecast to rise 3% over the prior year to 38 million tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. The increase is mainly due to favorable weather in China and Turkey. Here’s the region-by-region forecast for tangerines/mandarins: China production is forecast 400,000 tons higher to 26.9 million tons due …

Israeli

Production of Israeli Citrus to Decline

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported that production of all Israeli citrus varieties is forecast to decline in 2023–24 compared to the previous season. Israel’s planted citrus area is forecast to be 16,200 hectares, the same as the prior year. USDA FAS reported that low profitability and water shortages have disincentivized farmers from planting new …

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 …

orange juice

A Large Leap in Turkish Orange and Orange Juice Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Fresh orange and orange juice production in Türkiye (previously known as Turkey) are both forecast to increase by considerable amounts, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. FRESH ORANGES Fresh orange production in Türkiye in 2023–24 is forecast to increase 31% to 1.73 million metric tons (MMT). The expected increase is due to favorable weather conditions …

global

Global Orange and OJ Production to Increase

Daniel CooperCrop 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 …

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 …

South African

South African Grapefruit Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, Grapefruit, International

Grapefruit is an unpopular citrus fruit in the South African domestic market, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported recently. Consequently, only 5,000 metric tons (MT) of an expected 400,000 MT grapefruit crop in 2023–24 is forecast to be consumed in the country. The majority of South Africa’s grapefruit is expected to be exported. The production …

rootstock

New Results From Owari Rootstock Trial

Daniel CooperGeorgia, Rootstocks

By Jake Price Rubidoux is considered the standard rootstock for Georgia, but it was not obtainable from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)-certified nurseries in Florida in 2014 and 2015 because it is not a rootstock used in Florida. It is a proven rootstock in Georgia known for cold hardiness but did not perform well in a multiyear trial. The chart shows …

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 …