PIECES OF THE PAST: A Tall Tale in the Name of Marketing

Josh McGill Marketing, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I came across a gift fruit brochure for Pioneer-Chester Groves, which had an interesting story on the inside cover regarding the history of the company. The story, by Dr. Bob (Schlernitzauer), is as follows: “Back in the days when the land along the Indian River was nothing but jungle, and the white settlers were few, a …

Affordable and Secure Food Act Introduced in Senate

Josh McGill Labor, Legislative

Update as of Dec. 22, 2022: The current 2023 Omnibus Appropriations bill does not include the Affordable and Secure Food Act. Bill sponsors and farm groups had urged its inclusion.  “Congress has once again failed to deliver the reforms that the fresh produce industry and its agricultural allies have long fought for. International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) did its part …

diversification

Cold-Hardy Citrus Research Initiatives

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, Research

The Fruit Crop Physiology Lab at the North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) in Quincy is focused on developing a sustainable and profitable cold-hardy citrus industry in the southern United States. To do that, it is conducting research-driven Extension projects. The NFREC is part of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). The lab collaborates …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Milestones and Memorable Careers

Josh McGill Awards, Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette This month marks a milestone for the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in several areas. First, it will mark 60 years of honoring the contributions of industry leaders. Second, the 200th member, George Hamner Jr. of Vero Beach, was inducted. In honor of these milestones, a book titled “Florida’s Citrus Pioneers: Shaping a State”has been prepared …

Research Grants for Growers

Josh McGill Agriculture, Research

Southeast farmers and ranchers may apply for producer grants from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education program from the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Producer grants give farmers and ranchers the opportunity to conduct their own two-year research projects to develop sustainable production and marketing practices. They are funded at up to $15,000 for …

Florida Is Leading User of H-2A Workers

Josh McGill Labor

Florida accounted for 14% of H-2A jobs certified in 2020, making it the leading user of the temporary guest agricultural worker program. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (USDA/ERS) recently reported that Florida and five other states accounted for 55% of the certified H-2A jobs in 2020. The other large H-2A users were Georgia (10%), Washington (10%), California …

Minimize Mite Pressure in Citrus

Josh McGill Pests

Hot temperatures and dry conditions in some parts of the Southeast add up to ideal conditions for mite populations to increase in citrus groves. Lauren Diepenbrock, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor and entomologist, said citrus can tolerate some spider mite pressure. Increased pressure, though, can leave an impact. “You can handle some amount of …

Australia Evaluating Dwarfing Rootstocks

Josh McGill International, Research, Rootstocks

Tahir Khurshid of Australia’s New South Wales Department of Primary Industries (NSW DPI) is leading a project evaluating several overseas rootstocks budded to a range of mandarin and sweet orange varieties. One of the components is evaluating the rootstocks for their dwarfing effect, which will potentially produce small trees for high-density planting systems for the citrus industry.   Size-controlling rootstocks have …

Cold-Hardy Citrus Is New Researcher’s Focus

Josh McGill Cold Hardy, Research

Muhammad Adnan Shahid in January joined the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) as assistant professor of horticulture/fruit crops specialist. His Extension goal is providing fruit producers, particularly cold-hardy citrus growers, with relevant, research-based information for improving productivity, profitability and produce quality. Shahid is interested in evaluating new early …

Freeze Damage Update for Florida Citrus

Josh McGill Citrus, Florida, Fruit Drop, Weather

Cold temperatures the mornings of Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 did more citrus damage than an initial report indicated, Highlands County Citrus Growers Association Executive Director Ray Royce said. Royce issued the following update on Feb. 1: “The coldest weather in at least four to five years has left much more damage behind in parts of the South-Central Florida region …

Meister Media Worldwide Sells Florida Grower Magazine to AgNet Media

Josh McGill Florida

Meister Media Worldwide and AgNet Media today announced the sale of Florida Grower magazine and its Florida-related assets to AgNet Media, effective March 1, 2022. Through Florida Grower, Meister Media has invested more than 25 years of commitment to Florida’s citrus, vegetable and other specialty crop producers. Initiatives like the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Show, the Florida GrowerSM Citrus Achievement Award …

Growers Discuss Priorities for 2023 Farm Bill

Josh McGill Agriculture, Farm Bill, Legislative

The 2018 Farm Bill is set to expire in 2023, so preparations are underway to craft the behemoth legislation into law sometime next year. However, it is common for negotiations to extend into the following year. Whether the new farm bill is passed in 2023 or 2024, there’s a lot of work ahead. The farm bill was the focus of …

Fertilizer Price Spike Highest Since Great Recession

Josh McGill Economics, Regulation

During January’s Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference in Savannah, Georgia, Daniel Tregeagle, an Extension economist with North Carolina State University, gave a presentation on economic and regulatory trends impacting citrus and specialty crop growers. MODEST MARKET GROWTHThe biggest blip on the proverbial economic radar has been COVID-19 and its continuing effects. Tregeagle noted these impacts mostly will be transient, …

HLB Quarantines Established in Alabama

Tacy Callies HLB Management, Regulation

Effective immediately, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), in cooperation with the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries (ADAI), is establishing new quarantines for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening disease). The new quarantines are effective in all areas of Baldwin and Mobile counties in Alabama. APHIS is taking this action because of HLB detections in …

Ag Labor Reform Hindered by Regional Differences

Tacy Callies Labor, Legislative

The issue of ag labor legislation reform will remain unresolved as long as southeastern growers and western growers don’t come to a compromise, says Bob Redding. Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., believes compromise is the only way true reform will happen with such a contentious issue. “If …

Florida Grower Advises California on HLB

Ernie Neff HLB Management

Pete Spyke, a Florida gift fruit citrus grower and shipper, recently offered some advice to California citrus growers for dealing with HLB. In a letter to California’s Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program, Spyke suggested that growers continue to detect and remove HLB-infected trees. Spyke’s letter follows: Dear California Citrus Growers, Based on my observations and discussions with growers and …

PIECES OF THE PAST: Christmas Traditions

Tacy Callies Pieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette The orange became part of Christmastime traditions in the 19th century, along with the custom of hanging stockings near the fire. According to Emily Spivack, who wrote about the origin of the Christmas stocking for Smithsonian.com, the tradition of hanging stockings dates back to around 1823, when it is mentioned in the poem “Account of a …

Citrus Growers Dodge Freeze

Ernie Neff freeze

Lindy Savelle received numerous calls and texts from relatively new southern Georgia citrus growers prior to a mild freeze the morning of Dec. 2. “They were asking, ‘What should I do?’” said Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association. The new growers were concerned because lows of 26 and 28 that morning were the coldest in the region in several …