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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “production”
By Len Wilcox When Jim Shanley retired from his highly successful career in commodity trading, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it: farm specialty crops in the hills overlooking Morro Bay, California. His choice of crops, however, was not so clear. He started with avocados, but it was a curious little fruit from …
“In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it is extremely difficult to estimate the size of this year’s crop,” Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks said soon after the latest citrus crop forecast was issued on Nov. 9. “In reality, we probably won’t have an accurate number until the middle of 2018 once all fruit is picked. Long term, the effects …
Some growers have found their abandoned citrus groves “make the perfect property” for solar energy developments, says Michael Minton of Dean Mead law firm. Minton summarizes a presentation he made about solar energy opportunities for agriculturists at the recent Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference, held in the Orlando area. “We have found the various utilities we’ve worked with … are …
Florida’s struggling and storm-battered citrus industry took another hit Thursday as the orange crop forecast for the current growing season was reduced by 7.4 percent. And industry officials anticipate the forecasts will continue to decline as the season progresses. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the last decrease we see,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department …
Researchers inspecting their groves at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center after Hurricane Irma found that trees on certain rootstocks were very likely to be uprooted. Fernando Alferez, a horticulturist at the Immokalee center, discusses the uprooted trees and hopes he has for fresh citrus growing. “This is anecdotal evidence from our experience here,” Alferez says. “What we saw …
In an interview at the Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) annual conference last month, Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), said the present status of huanglongbing (HLB) disease is similar to another disease that challenged the California citrus industry years ago. Pierce’s disease was a potentially devastating threat long before HLB. “One of the things …
Regina Thomas, co-organizer of the Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference held Nov. 2-3 near Orlando, provides an overview of the event and discusses its origins. Thomas is senior vice president/director of financially related services for Farm Credit of Central Florida. Thomas says the conference began eight years ago during the recession that rocked the entire U.S. economy. “We had a …
By Manjul Dutt and Jude W. Grosser Huanglongbing (HLB) threatens the survival of the Florida citrus industry. Both conventional cultivars and genetically engineered cultivars that can grow in the presence of HLB have been developed at the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Among the two citrus improvement techniques, engineering citrus remains the fastest …
The long-time project manager for the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) says the group formed to find solutions to HLB has done the best it can. Tom Turpen with Technology Innovation Group was recently honored for his service, which is being curtailed. Turpen actually began work with CRDF’s predecessor, the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council, soon after HLB …
At Citrus Expo, Aaron Himrod of Himrod Citrus Nursery made the case for replanting citrus trees lost to HLB and other causes. “I think growers need to replant because we are having some success with young trees that we’re not having with older trees,” Himrod said. “The young trees are responding a lot better to our treatments. And we …
Oranges imported to Florida — primarily from Brazil and Mexico — are projected to surpass what is grown in the hurricane-damaged Sunshine State this season. The Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday approved an adjusted $17.8 million budget that takes into account an increase in imports that will help cover crops lost in September to Hurricane Irma. “With Hurricane Irma’s impact …
The November 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine features an in-depth article on the first citrus crop forecast of the season. The figure of 54 million boxes of Florida oranges that the USDA predicted was met with mixed reactions and caused some controversy. In the article, industry leaders and growers share their perspectives on the forecast. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
Editor’s note: This article is part of the special coverage on the 100th Anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie Although it’s difficult to predict future events, directors of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) …
The Florida Senate Agriculture Committee held a meeting to discuss Hurricane Irma damage on Oct. 12 in Tallahassee. The meeting featured two panels of growers and ranchers who gave testimony about damage they have witnessed from the hurricane. Ellis Hunt, third-generation citrus grower and chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, gave testimony about his family farm as well as the …
Jim Snively of Southern Gardens Citrus reacts to the Oct. 12 USDA forecast of 54 million orange boxes for the 2017-18 season. He also addresses his company’s damage from Hurricane Irma and the storm’s long-term impact on the citrus industry. “I think the number is as good as what we can ask for right now, with so much uncertainty, not …
Editor’s Note: This article was written before Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida and damaged the state’s citrus industry. This article is part of the special 100th anniversary coverage of the Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie What are the current challenges to Florida’s citrus industry? To a …
Peter Chaires, executive director of the New Varieties Development and Management Corporation, recently spoke at the 2017 Central Florida Fruit Grower Day in Tavares. During his presentation, he discussed findings on specialty varieties from the 2016–2017 season, as well as some miscellaneous varieties catching the eyes of Florida growers. Chaires said he is seeing a lot of interest in some …
The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 54 million boxes, 21 percent less than last season’s final production. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Florida Citrus Mutual both issued statements indicating they are concerned that the forecast did not accurately account for the full damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma. Listen to the …
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam cast doubt Wednesday on the first crop estimate for the citrus growing season, as federal officials prepare to release the estimate Thursday. In Washington, D.C. to discuss federal assistance after Hurricane Irma, Putnam suggested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s forecast for the 2017-2018 growing season may be too high. “I put zero stock in …
Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam has released an initial estimate on agriculture damage from Hurricane Irma. The estimate will serve as a baseline for policymakers as they create a disaster relief package for those impacted by the storm. Although these estimates are not final, they are a starting point. The document includes estimates on crop loss and cost of damages. …
