florida citrus

COVID-19 Hurts Texas Citrus

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic that reduced food-service sales nationwide took a toll on some Texas citrus growers this season. MARKET DISRUPTION“Schools and restaurants make up a significant percentage of sales for Texas citrus,” said Dale Murden, a grower and president of Texas Citrus Mutual. “Whether it’s fresh or juice, the loss of those markets definitely hurt.” At least in part because of the …

Video in Spanish on HLB Best Practices

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, HLB Management

The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), through its Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program, has developed a mobile-friendly, Spanish-language training video. It’s for use by field crew supervisors and farm labor contractors prior to harvest. The new tool trains industry managers and workers, including field crews, with best practices to prevent the spread of the Asian citrus psyllid …

Coming Attraction: Florida Finger Limes

Tacy CalliesVarieties

Sweet oranges. Ruby red grapefruit. Sugar Belle mandarins. When one thinks of Florida citrus, these fruits immediately come to mind. But finger limes? A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher believes that finger limes may be the next food trend that will continue to fortify Florida’s role as a citrus producer for the world. Manjul …

Lemons Hit Hard by COVID-19 Losses

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, COVID-19, lemons

Lemon growers are seeing good production this year, but the market for choice lemons has been ruined by COVID-19 food-service industry losses. “We’ve seen 20 to 25 percent decrease in fruit movement, and that’s mainly attributable to the decline in the food-service industry,” according to Ventura County lemon grower Will Pidduck. Ironically, it is otherwise a good year for lemons …

Florida Citrus Crop Forecast Numbers Fall

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast

The 2019–20 Florida citrus crop forecast released on May 12 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture saw decreases in all categories. The numbers for California and Texas did not change. ORANGESThe Florida all-orange forecast is 69.7 million boxes, down 1 percent from April’s 70 million boxes. If realized, this will be 3 percent less than last season’s revised final production. …

Report Calls for Water Reforms to Avert Crisis

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, Water

California citrus growers may soon face even more water hardships, according to a report by University of California, Berkeley economists David Sunding and David Roland-Holst. The report shows that the lack of responsible, balanced water reforms will lead to the loss of up to 20 percent of today’s working farms. According to data released by California State Assemblyman Jim Patterson, …

psyllids

Watch Out for Invasive Species

Daniel CooperPests

By Clint Thompson April is Invasive Plant Pest and Disease Awareness Month, and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants help in identifying invasive species that threaten the food supply and cause plant diseases. Samantha Simon, USDA’s executive director of emergency and domestic programs, says invasive species can threaten agriculture and many farming operations, especially in the Southeast. She …

production

Georgia Also Opposes China Citrus Imports

Ernie NeffExport/Import, Georgia

Like several organizations in Florida, the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) has asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to reverse its decision to allow fresh citrus from China into the United States. GCA President Lindy Savelle asked for the reversal and expressed “strong opposition” to the April 15 USDA decision in an April 17 letter to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture …

Citrus Leaders Want Chinese Imports Decision Reversed

Tacy CalliesExport/Import

Leaders of citrus and other agricultural groups in Florida joined Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried in strongly opposing the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) recent decision to allow fresh Chinese citrus imports into the United States. An April 21 letter that Fried wrote to U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue stated in part, “The dire situation on the ground due to …

Citrus Work Still Moving Forward at University of Florida

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

While the scenery may have changed, the work remains the same for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus faculty and Extension agents. “The coronavirus pandemic has altered the daily routine but not our mission to provide research and educational service to the citrus industry,” said Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and …

Reactions Vary on China Citrus Imports

Ernie NeffFresh

Representatives of the California and Florida fresh citrus industries had distinctly different reactions to the announcement that some fresh citrus from China can now be imported into the United States. California Citrus Mutual President Casey Creamer said, “We don’t anticipate any major disruptions in our fresh markets. It is not anticipated that much volume will come to the U.S.” But …

COVID-19 Citrus Damage to Top $200 Million

Ernie NeffCOVID-19

The chief executives of three large U.S. citrus grower associations estimate that “the immediate COVID-19 impact to certain varieties of citrus will be over $200 million.” Casey Creamer of California Citrus Mutual, Dale Murden of Texas Citrus Mutual and Mike Sparks of Florida Citrus Mutual offered that economic damage assessment in an April 9 letter to U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny …

Final Herbicide Strategy

Florida Sees Dips in Orange and Grapefruit Forecasts

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

The 2019–20 Florida all-orange forecast released on April 9 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is 70 million boxes, down 1 million boxes from the March forecast. This represents a 1 percent decrease in the expected orange crop size. Non-Valencia Oranges The forecast for Florida non-Valencia orange production is unchanged at 30 million boxes. The non-Valencia harvest is about over …

china

U.S. Citrus Supply and Prices

Tacy CalliesCrop Forecast, Economics

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service (ERS) released a Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook report on March 31. The report shows that the forecast for the U.S. citrus crop is down 4 percent from last season and how this is affecting imports, exports and pricing. LOWER PRODUCTIONU.S. all-orange production is expected to decrease by 1.6 percent, largely due …

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

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 …

Citrus Day Updates Growers on UC Research

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Citrus

Over 200 people from the citrus industry and University of California (UC) Riverside gathered on Jan. 29 for Citrus Day. Growers and scientists alike were informed about the current status of huanglongbing (HLB) disease and the tiny insect that spreads it, the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). The consensus of the speakers was that while HLB is a serious threat to …

orange

Florida Citrus Forecast: Grapefruit Up, Oranges Down

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

The 2019–2020 citrus crop forecast released Feb. 11 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) showed changes for Florida orange and grapefruit production levels. ORANGES The February forecast for Florida oranges is 2 million boxes lower than last month’s figures. However, if realized, the Florida all-orange forecast of 72 million boxes will be up slightly from last season’s final production. …

trained

Trained Dogs Are the Most Efficient Way to Hunt Citrus Industry’s Biggest Threat

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release

(USDA/ARS) — Dogs specially trained by Agriculture Research Service (ARS) scientists have proven to be the most efficient way to detect huanglongbing— also known as citrus greening — according to a paper just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Currently, the only solid hope of curtailing the spread of citrus greening is to eliminate trees with the …

CDFA’s Year in Review

Len WilcoxCalifornia Corner, Pests

The mission of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) is to promote and protect the food supply, enhance trade and protect the environment. The agency annually provides information on the steps it takes to fulfill its mission goals. In such a diverse and highly populated state, the challenges are great. Much of the growing regions are geographic islands …