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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “Florida”
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) has positively identified the presence of three Oriental fruit flies, Bactrocera dorsalis, in south Miami-Dade County. The initial fly was discovered during routine trapping, and additional flies were discovered during expanded trapping activities. The department, along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture, monitors more than 56,000 fruit fly traps statewide as an …
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy has a new citrus cost-share program to assist with irrigation improvements on groves that are being replanted. FDACS announced it has set aside roughly $3 million for the Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program (CRISP). The program is designed to be a 75 percent cost share for the …
Growers discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Irma, replanting plans, grove rehabilitation, crop insurance and more. By Tacy Callies Florida citrus growers awaiting Hurricane Irma federal aid and insurance payouts are doing their best to keep crops healthy until more money is available. Paul Meador, citrus grower and head of Everglades Harvesting & Hauling in LaBelle, took a big hit from …
Phil Rucks of Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery weighs in on the increasing demand for late versus early orange varieties, the impact of Hurricane Irma and HLB. Rucks notes that over the past 30 years, the demand for early-season oranges versus late-season oranges has essentially reversed. In the past, he says, early varieties accounted for about 60 percent of plantings. Now, …
At its recent May meeting, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) finalized a communication plan that will attempt to make the organization’s information more easily available to growers and others. Ned Hancock, chairman of the CRDF communications subcommittee, reports. “One of the key elements is we’re going to revamp our website. We’re going to try to make it extremely …
“If you want to survive, you have to plant” is a common sentiment heard among Florida citrus growers. The June issue of Citrus Industry magazine examines several issues of interest related to new plantings. In the cover story, Editor Tacy Callies speaks with citrus growers recovering from Hurricane Irma and shares details about their replanting plans. Other topics discussed in …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I love scouring eBay and antique stores for citrus memorabilia because it’s always interesting to see how we, as an industry, used to do things “back in the day.” With that said, I recently came across an old ad from the Florida Citrus Processors Association for citrus pulp titled “Love at first bite because it’s highest …
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher Christopher Vincent says kaolin clay outperforms foliar insecticides for management of HLB-spreading psyllids at times when kaolin’s use is practical. His presentation on the topic followed the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) meeting on May 22 at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. The presentation, part …
By Len Wilcox There’s a new research facility funded by California citrus growers to help combat huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. The facility, located in Riverside, California, is the result of a 3-year cooperative effort of the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) and California citrus growers. Using funds provided by members of California Citrus Mutual (CCM), …
Hardee County citrus grower John Roy Gough says he’s pleased with his fruit set so far this spring, “if I can just hold them. That’s the key to it, is holding them (fruit) on there … Of course you can’t count your chickens until they hatch, and we’ve got a long way to go.” Gough says he has experienced very …
Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Vice President and Governance Committee Chairman Rick Kress comments on a recent National Academy of Sciences (NAS) report regarding HLB and CRDF. He says NAS reported that CRDF has pursued all angles on HLB, also known as citrus greening, and declared there won’t be a single solution or cure. When NAS worked with CRDF …
Florida producers are encouraged to turn in their Census of Agriculture when they receive it in the mail. Because Florida is so agriculturally diverse, it is crucial for producers to participate so the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) can account for each crop grown. The national return rate is currently lower than it was at this point in the 2012 …
The Florida Citrus Commission approved a preliminary 2018–19 budget of $17.645 million dollars for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). FDOC Executive Director Shannon Shepp discusses the budget and the department’s mission. “We have a net increase in the budget of about $409,000” compared to the current 2017–18 budget, Shepp says. She notes that about half of the funding will …
By Breanna Kendrick Fourth-generation citrus grower James Orrock is a plant pathology graduate student at the University of Florida who is studying tea as a possible alternative crop to be grown on former citrus land. “The citrus industry is having to go through some changes, so one of the key aspects of Florida agriculture right now is diversification,” said Orrock. …
By Fred Gmitter, Yi Zhang and Jude Grosser It is very likely that you have heard about the use of CRISPR technology and its great potential for addressing human health issues, as well as the promise it holds for providing solutions for major agricultural challenges, particularly for huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus. Granting agencies are supporting many citrus research projects aimed …
The level of fruit production in groves was one of the major topics discussed at a citrus grower roundtable meeting on May 15 in Wauchula, Florida. Several growers said their per-acre production increased this season, but one said he had huge production declines. One grower said his Valencia crop doubled. Another said he had a 50 percent crop increase, adding …
The Gulf Citrus Growers Association’s (GCGA) Executive and Long-Range Planning Committees recently announced that the association is now accepting applications for the organization’s executive vice president/general manager position. The GCGA leadership is actively engaged in the search for the association’s next top administrator. The position will be vacated in late September by Ron Hamel, who has led the Southwest Florida …
Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) is thankful U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue recently unveiled additional details about the Florida Citrus Irma Relief Package. The package will total $465 million and will include the Wildfire Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP) at $125 million and a block grant program at $340 million. WHIP will be administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service …
By Amit Levy and Choaa El-Mohtar When thinking about genetic engineering, the first thing that comes to mind is usually GMOs (genetically modified organisms) In a GMO, a plant genome is engineered to include additional genetic sequences, usually genes with some useful activity that give the plant an advantage. This method is called a stable method because genes will be …
Ariel Singerman, University of Florida assistant professor, will be conducting his annual production cost survey for processed oranges grown in Southwest Florida. The survey will consist of grower meetings in two locations. The first meeting will take place on May 18 at 9:00 a.m. at the Hendry County Extension Office (Dallas Townsend Ag Center) in LaBelle. To confirm your participation in …
