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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Florida”
Editor’s note: This is the second installment of four articles honoring Ben Albritton, the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award winner. The 2025–26 citrus season has arrived, and growers are cautiously optimistic that trees might be turning in a more productive direction — if the weather cooperates. Many growers are taking advantage of Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation programs that …
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has named Bryn Fussell director of membership as well as executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation. She succeeds Sonia Tighe, who retired in September. Fussell will manage FFVA’s membership recruitment, retention and administration efforts. The Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, which she will direct, oversees several scholarship initiatives and the Emerging Leader …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Oct. 22 adopted a revised $23.4 million 2025–26 budget for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). The FDOC budget is funded in part by a tax on each box of fruit growers produce. That tax will remain unchanged from last year, as follows: The FCC also received updates on several issues affecting the Florida …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Oct. 22 temporarily eased maturity standards for processed oranges and processed grapefruit. The Florida Citrus Processors Association and Florida Citrus Mutual requested the changes, which were enacted by emergency rulemaking. The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), which the FCC governs, reported the maturity standard changes and the dates they are in effect. ORANGES For …
The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced the inductees for the Class of 2026: Brenda Eubanks Burnette, Kristen Carlson, the late James “Doc” Redd and L.W. “Pete” Timmer. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 27, 2026, at the George W. Jenkins Fieldhouse at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Burnette is being honored …
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) on Sept. 17 approved a Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) request to exercise the right to eight new varieties from the Florida Foundation Seed Producers (FFSP). These varieties were developed by the University of Florida Citrus Research and Education Center Citrus Breeding Program. The FCC, which governs the FDOC, will retain exclusive rights to the varieties …
By Marisa L. Zansler Two decades of decline has resulted in a loss of nearly 2 out of every 3 acres since 2004. That is a sobering statistic, and it captures the harsh reality of Florida’s iconic citrus industry. The symbol of the state’s agricultural strength has endured a prolonged period of decline driven by the impacts from the spread …
Earlier this summer, the Trump administration appointed Marcinda Kester to serve as the state executive director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) in Florida and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Kester has worked for FSA for 33 years and most recently served as the FSA county executive director for Florida’s Polk, Hillsborough and Pinellas counties. Prior …
With a global market valued at nearly $67 billion, bamboo may offer an alternative crop for Florida citrus growers whose groves have been devastated by HLB. “Bamboo is a good alternative crop to diversify beyond citrus,” said Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC). “The …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS), cooperating with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, recently released Florida’s 2024–25 Citrus Summary: Production, Price Per Box and Production by County. PRODUCTION PLUNGESFlorida’s citrus production in 2024–25 was 14.6 million boxes, down 28% from the previous season’s 20.3 million boxes. Orange production dropped 32% to …
Florida’s annual Commercial Citrus Inventory Preliminary Report, released Aug. 29, shows total citrus acreage is 208,183 acres. This is a 24% decrease from last year. The net loss of 66,522 acres is the second most reported in a Commercial Citrus Inventory in the past 25 years. It trails only the 127,182 acres reported lost in 2006, the year after the …
Residential trees — where citrus greening disease (also known as huanglongbing or HLB) was first detected in the Florida — can serve as reservoirs for disease-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) if the pests are not properly managed. Recognizing that disease prevention is a coordinated effort, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is teaching Florida residents …
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, Senate President Ben Albritton (R-Wauchula) and Senate President Pro Tempore Jason Brodeur (R-Sanford) recently launched Florida’s statewide Farmers Feeding Florida initiative. Spearheaded by Simpson in partnership with the Feeding Florida Network, the Farmers Feeding Florida initiative is a priority of Albritton, sponsored in the Senate by Brodeur. The initiative expands Florida’s food bank infrastructure …
When University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Professor Arnold Schumann started a citrus under protective screen (CUPS) plot in Florida in 2014, the grapefruit trees were in above-ground pots. The plot at the Citrus Research and Education Center was on 1.33 acres that included 1 acre of planted citrus. After five years, the grapefruit trees on …
Edwin Gutierrez is the new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus Extension agent for Florida’s Manatee, DeSoto and Hardee counties. “The citrus industry in Manatee, Hardee and DeSoto counties faces significant challenges,” said Gutierrez, who was raised in a farming family in Colombia. “Despite these challenges, I remain optimistic about the resilience of local growers …
The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) recently announced probable State of Florida requirements for shipping fresh citrus from Georgia to Florida in the upcoming season. Georgia hopes to again be able to ship fresh fruit to Florida in 2025 to be packed. As in previous years, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will almost certainly require groves to …
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins appeared today at Cooperative Producers Inc. in Felda, Florida, to meet with agricultural leaders and growers to announce additional U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) assistance to help producers recover from Hurricanes Idalia, Debby, Helene and Milton. Rollins signed a block grant agreement with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) to provide …
President Trump on July 4 signed into law One Big Beautiful Bill, a budget and tax package with major implications for agriculture. For Florida farmers, ranchers and rural communities, the bill delivers meaningful wins across the board, Florida Farm Bureau stated. The wins include long-term funding for the Farm Bill, pro-growth tax relief and reforms to federal nutrition programs that …
Florida’s tax package was signed into law by Gov. Ron DeSantis June 30. The legislation includes a provision regarding the Greenbelt Law, or tax classification of agricultural land. As of July 1, the revised law ensures that lands taken out of production through a state or federal eradication or quarantine program, such as the Citrus Health Response Program, shall continue to …
Citrus grower trade association Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) installed its board of directors and officers at the association’s 77th annual meeting. The meeting was held in conjunction with the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in June. The officers are: In addition, FCM staff members Matt Joyner, Melanie Burns and Kevin Metheny will serve as executive vice president, executive secretary and …
