Florida’s Indian River area lies on the Atlantic Ocean and was the nearest Florida citrus region to Hurricane Dorian late Tuesday morning. Doug Bournique, Indian River Citrus League executive vice president, was optimistic that the region would escape major damage. “It looks like it’s going to track about 80 to 100 miles off the coastline, which is wonderful for our …
USDA to Survey Fruit Growers About Chemical Use
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will survey fruit growers in 11 states, including Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, for its biennial Fruit Chemical Use Survey. The survey will collect information on bearing acreage, pest management practices, pesticide application, acres treated and rates applied for more than 12 fruit crops. “Pesticide data makes this survey a …
Sneak Peek: September 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine
The September issue of Citrus Industry features highlights from this year’s record-setting Citrus Expo. Inside you’ll find: An overview and photos from the trade show and educational programs A report in the Pulpwash column on the general session, which included speakers who addressed three hot topics in Florida ag: hemp, water and labor Research updates from the citrus seminar program, …
Growers Benefit From Citrus Expo Programs
The new Citrus Expo hands-on session hosted by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) drew a full house of appreciative growers. “I think it went a lot better than we were expecting,” says Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center. . “We had a full house … They (growers) thought it …
Hurricane Preparedness for Citrus Groves
By Mongi Zekri, Robert E. Rouse, and Jonathan H. Crane Each year, growers look forward to the rainy season because it helps their young trees grow fast and their mature trees produce good crops. Growers hope for good distribution of rains following the usual dry spring season. However, along with the anticipation of the rainy season, there is also the …
Researchers to Look Deeper Into HLB Management
By Karla Arboleda University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers are getting ready to conduct several trials on tools used to protect young citrus trees from HLB. The team of five researchers will receive $665,471 in funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for experiments at the Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Lauren …
Citrus Crop Value Up as Farmland Shrinks
Florida citrus production and crop value is up from a year ago, when the industry was trying to recover after being hit hard by Hurricane Irma. But the industry continues to bleed acreage in the state, according to numbers released Aug. 28 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The federal agency’s commercial citrus inventory recorded 430,601 acres spread across …
H-2A Made Easier
A panel discussion at Citrus Expo’s general session aimed to help make the federal H-2A foreign guest worker program a little easier for agriculturists to navigate. The panel included a grower representative who has used H-2A, a labor attorney who is an H-2A expert, and a federal Department of Labor (DOL) regional director. Natalie Gupton, director of business services and industry …
Water Issues: Ag Has Allies
“I think that the ag industry has a number of allies within the regulatory arena,” says Rich Budell, who moderated a panel of Florida regulators at Citrus Expo. Budell, now a consultant, spent 31 years working on water issues with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS). The panelists were Chris Pettit, director of agricultural water policy at …
All In For Citrus Podcast, August 2019
August’s All In For Citrus podcast includes some exciting updates from the recent Citrus Expo! First, Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, summarizes the good grower responses that the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences( UF/IFAS) received about the seminar program at Citrus Expo. He discusses the new Hands-on Session that attracted a …
Hands-on Session Was a Hit
A great new addition to the Citrus Expo program this year was a hands-on session that allowed growers to participate in scientific demonstrations while interacting with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers. Expo seminar coordinator Tripti Vashisth said all 11 demonstration stations were crowded. “It went really well, and we got very good attendance — …
PIECES OF THE PAST: A Look Back at the First Citrus Expo
Industry members attended the 28th annual Citrus Expo this month. Let’s take a look back to the event’s beginnings. Known as the Southwest Florida Citrus Expo at the time, the event took place Aug. 26–27, 1992, shortly after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. The first Citrus Expo was held at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, the same …
Nutrient Sampling to Be Funded by UF/IFAS
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) official announced at Citrus Expo that UF/IFAS will fund “starter kits” for nutrient sampling. Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) Director Michael Rogers says the kits will allow for leaf and soil sampling in a 20-acre block for a year. Growers can get the starter kits at meetings slated …
Trade Issues Update for Fresh Citrus
Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus at the Aug. 19 Citrus Packinghouse Day in Lake Alfred. Foreign sales are extremely important for fresh Florida citrus, says Richey, a member for five years of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, appointed jointly by the U.S. secretary of agriculture and the U.S. …
Manipulating Flowering for Better Grove Management
By Tripti Vashisth, Garima Singh and Megan Dewdney Citrus trees grown in the field undergo various types and levels of stress continuously. The stressors can be several things, including heat, cold, drought, soil pH, chemicals, pests and diseases. The constant presence of huanglongbing (HLB) and psyllid infestation adds stress to the trees, which compromises the plant response and makes the …
Students Learn About Citrus at Youth Day
Jazlyn Sanchez and Alexander Garzon, attendees at the June Citrus Youth Day, talk with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies about their experience. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences event was held at the Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. “This is actually my third year at the event,” says Sanchez, a 10th grader. “I’m …
Gun Safe Winner at Expo
One of the traditions at Citrus Expo growers look most forward to every year is the annual gun safe giveaway sponsored by Everglades Equipment Group. Only growers who preregister for Citrus Expo and the Vegetable & Specialty Crop (VSC) Expo are eligible to win the prize. Miss Florida Michaela McLean drew the name of the lucky winner, Emily Matteson of …
FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarship Program Will Launch at 2019 Citrus Expo
FMC to award five scholarships to Florida students. FMC, in collaboration with AgNet Media, announces a new scholarship program for students interested in citrus and horticultural studies at the University of Florida or Florida Southern College. “FMC understands how important the next generation is to the citrus industry in Florida,” said Eric Johnson, FMC retail marketing manager. “We hope this …
Steven Callaham: Integrity, Intelligence and Innovation
By Ernie Neff It didn’t take long for senior managers at Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) to recognize they had acquired a special talent when Steven Callaham was hired in 1999. Callaham came from Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association, where he had worked for four years after college. He made the move because the Lake Wales cooperative closed its packinghouse …
Dundee Growers Have Hope Despite HLB
By Ernie Neff Like all Florida citrus packers, “our citrus volume is down substantially because of HLB,” says Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) Chairman and President Lindsay Raley. But unlike many packinghouses that have closed since HLB was discovered in Florida, Dundee CGA’s packinghouse is still thriving. Diversifying beyond citrus and helping its members cope with HLB have been keys …