Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) recently announced its “key advocacy efforts” during the upcoming state legislative session include the following: CITRUS RESEARCH AND FIELD TRIAL (CRAFT) FUNDS The top priority for FCM this legislative session is securing funding to bolster the CRAFT Foundation’s efforts to replant citrus trees. Putting healthier trees in the ground that are apt to be tolerant against …
Florida Citrus Production and Exports in 2023–24
A recent report recapped Florida citrus production and exports in the 2023–24 season. The summary, Florida Citrus Statistics 2023–2024, was published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services’ Division of Fruits and Vegetables. The production statistics for Florida are official estimates of the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. THE BREAKDOWN Oranges constituted 89% of the …
See the Florida Citrus Show Seminar Schedule
The Florida Citrus Show is a day full of learning, fellowship and fun. The educational seminars includes presentations for all specialty crop growers. The general session tackles some of the big issues facing growers today, including ag labor, what to expect from the new Trump administration and a grower panel discussing the challenge of citrus greening. After lunch, breakout sessions …
Florida Citrus Acreage Continues to Contract
Florida citrus land fell from 748,555 acres in 2004 — the year before HLB was found in the state — to 274,705 acres in 2024, according to a recent summary of the 2023–24 citrus season. The summary, Florida Citrus Statistics 2023–2024, was published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Fruits and Vegetables. The statistics …
2025 Florida Farm Bill Announced
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, Sen. Keith Truenow and Rep. Kaylee Tuck announced the 2025 Florida Farm Bill. Sponsored by Truenow and Tuck, the legislation will prohibit ESG (environmental, social and governance) lending practices targeting agricultural producers, increase emergency preparedness, support FFA and 4-H programs, expand consumer protections and transparency across a number of regulated industries, and more. The …
Top Florida Citrus Varieties and Rootstocks
Sour orange jumped six spots from the prior year to become the most-budded rootstock in Florida citrus nurseries in 2023–24. Rootstock US-942 had held the top spot for at least the last three years. Valencia SPB-1-14-19 easily maintained its spot as the most-budded variety clone. It has held the top spot for at least four straight years. The number of …
Florida Citrus Mutual Statement on New Secretary of Agriculture
Last week, Brooke Rollins was sworn in as the 33rd U.S. Secretary of Agriculture by Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court of the United States Clarence Thomas. The U.S. Senate confirmed Rollins’ appointment by a vote of 72 to 28. “It is the honor of a lifetime to serve as the nation’s 33rd Secretary of Agriculture — and a …
Foliar Disease Watch in Florida
By Megan Dewdney Spring is the time to start thinking about foliar disease management in Florida. Depending on the type of citrus being produced and the market destination, different diseases will be important. POSTBLOOM FRUIT DROP The disease that affects all citrus, particularly oranges, is postbloom fruit drop (PFD). This disease is highly dependent on the weather during bloom. Currently, …
All Hands on Deck for Florida Citrus
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP My 89-year-old father-in-law has planted new trees in his California grove in the last two years. Bruce Kelsey believes in the future of citrus, and that reinforces my belief in the future of citrus. I’m not saying everything Bruce does makes sense. I wish he didn’t still go up on ladders and pick fruit, …
Win $500 by Voting for Tailgate Lunch Favorites at Florida Citrus Show!
The Florida Citrus Show is a day packed full of educational opportunities. If you are a citrus, small fruit or vegetable grower, there’s plenty to learn during the seminar program. In addition, the event provides a great opportunity for growers to interact with fellow farmers and industry stakeholders, which is an equally valuable component of the meeting. And it is …
Florida Crop Forecast Has Changes
The Feb. 11 citrus crop forecast, as reported by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA NASS), shows both decreases and an increase for Florida when compared to the January forecast. LESS ORANGESThe 2024–25 Florida orange forecast is 11.5 million boxes, down 500,000 boxes, or 4%, from the January forecast. If realized, this will be 36% less …
Grove Tours a New Feature at the Florida Citrus Show
When a new tool to manage HLB is discovered, it must be tested in the grove in new varieties or in treatments like trunk injection. During the afternoon of the Florida Citrus Show on March 13, attendees will have the opportunity to tour two experimental groves to see this type of research in action. Attendees will see trunk-injection therapies being …
Florida Student Honored for Citrus AI App
The Citrus AI app created by Rohan Dash, an 11th-grade student at Pine View School in Sarasota County, earned first place in the 2024 Congressional App Challenge for the 17th Congressional District of Florida. The app is designed to support Florida’s citrus industry by analyzing crop health, predicting threats and optimizing resource usage. “Rohan Dash’s Citrus AI app stands out …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Remembering the Florida Orange Festival
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1924, a group of citrus growers in Winter Haven decided to showcase Florida’s burgeoning citrus industry with a celebration they originally called the Winter Haven Orange Festival. The event included business booths, beautiful displays of citrus fruit and a search for a young woman to represent the industry during the three-day festival. The festival was …
Farm Labor Addressed at Florida Citrus Show
Labor is a perennial issue specialty crop growers must continue to deal with. Many growers in the Southeast have turned to the H-2A temporary agricultural visa program to source labor that is required on their farms. While the program has its challenges, it has become vital in securing production and harvest of specialty crops. Jamie Fussell, director of labor relations …
Florida Citrus Commission Actions and HLB
Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) Chairman Steve Johnson recently discussed HLB and several actions and reports from the commission’s December 2024 meeting. The FCC is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus. “For almost two decades, we’ve been in a season of fighting HLB, and that fight (while the war is far from over) is changing,” Johnson said. “The tools …
Network With Peers at The Florida Citrus Show
The Florida Citrus Show is a day packed full of educational opportunities. It includes a morning general session focused on big-picture topics that impact specialty crop growers as well as afternoon breakout seminars for citrus and vegetable producers. In addition, the event provides a great opportunity for growers to interact with fellow farmers and industry stakeholders, which is an equally …
Florida Citrus Decline: Frustrations and Solutions
A recent Florida TaxWatch report detailed the reasons for the decline of the Florida citrus industry. The report also described frustrations with efforts to combat citrus greening and suggested solutions for the industry’s decline. Edited excerpts from that portion of the report follow: Prominent citrus growers stated they are still optimistic about the future as many citrus entities are investing …
Registration Is Open for the Florida Citrus Show
The Florida Citrus Show is scheduled for Thursday, March 13, 2025. The event will be held at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce. The Florida Citrus Show combines educational seminars for both …
Florida Citrus Decline Detailed
A December Florida TaxWatch report, The Continuing Decline of Florida’s Citrus Industry, highlights the causes of the industry’s demise in recent decades. Edited excerpts follow: In the last 20 years, Florida’s total citrus production has decreased by more than 90%, from around 300 million boxes in 2003–04 to just 20 million boxes in 2023–24. The 2022–23 season was the worst …