Stem Pitting Could Develop in Florida Citrus

Ernie NeffDiseases

Citrus tristeza virus (CTV) stem pitting, which causes severe problems in Asia and other places, could develop in Florida, according to plant pathologist Amit Levy. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researcher at the Citrus Research and Education Center discussed the disease at this year’s virtual Citrus Expo. Noting that “early detection is essential,” Levy said …

COVID-19 Testing for Florida Farmworkers

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Labor

Florida Agriculture Commissioner Nikki Fried announced new efforts to provide COVID-19 testing for farmworkers as the fall harvest season begins. The efforts are in partnership with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) and local county governments. Farmworkers will have access to numerous no-cost COVID-19 testing events in some …

Florida Crop Workers at Risk

Tacy CalliesCOVID-19, Labor

As laborers return to the fields this fall in Florida, both unauthorized crop workers and H-2A workers are vulnerable to the coronavirus. According to a new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) study, an estimated 75 percent of Florida crop workers have at least one underlying health issue that puts them at risk of developing COVID-19 …

Marketing North Florida Citrus

Ernie NeffMarketing

North Florida growers have planted several citrus groves in recent years. “A lot of those groves are starting to become productive,” Kevin Athearn said during a Sept. 23 Cold Hardy Citrus Association annual meeting, held virtually. Athearn, a regional specialized Extension agent, familiarized new citrus growers with some citrus terminology and suggested possible marketing strategies. “It’s important that we all …

New Rule for Florida Citrus Handlers

Ernie NeffRegulation

Citrus handlers in Florida must register with the Citrus Administrative Committee (CAC) in order to ship regulated citrus outside the production area beginning in the 2019-20 fiscal year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) issued a final rule requiring the registration. The rule applies to the federal marketing order for oranges, grapefruit, tangerines and pummelos grown in Florida. The rule …

Trade Issues for Fresh Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesCitrus

Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company, gave an update on trade issues impacting fresh Florida citrus during the recent virtual citrus Packinghouse Day meeting. Richey, also a member of the Agricultural Trade Advisory Committee, says foreign sales are especially important for Florida citrus.  One of the biggest topics of trade conversation is the effects on the market since the …

Obtaining Optimal Peel Color of Fresh Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesFresh

By Mark A. Ritenour and Fernando Alferez Color development in citrus during fruit maturation is a complex process that involves chemical and physiological changes. This includes chlorophyll (green pigments) breakdown and carotenoid (orange and yellow pigments) biosynthesis. The final color of each citrus variety mainly depends on the final composition of carotenoids, with citrus being among the richest fruit sources …

New Potential Pest for Florida Citrus

Ernie NeffPests

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Division of Plant Industry (FDACS/DPI) recently issued a pest alert about snout scale (Florinia proboscidaria), a potential Florida citrus pest. The alert is aimed at preventing the pest’s introduction to and establishment in commercial citrus in Florida. “This is a heads up that we have a new potential pest to keep an …

Peptide Could Restore Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

CghSAMPa, the peptide found in the fruit of greening-tolerant Australian finger limes, is believed to be the first substance capable of controlling huanglongbing (HLB, also known as citrus greening). University of California, Riverside and Invaio Sciences, Inc. have partnered to advance the peptide research with hopes of bringing an HLB solution to commercialization by 2023. During a recent seminar hosted …

Alico Sells 10,702 Acres to State of Florida

Ernie NeffAcreage

Alico, Inc. on Sept. 11 announced the state of Florida purchased, under the Florida Forever program, approximately 10,702 acres of Alico Ranch for $28.5 million. The transaction was pursuant to an option agreement between the state of Florida and Alico. John Kiernan, Alico president and chief executive officer, said the acreage was on the west side of the ranch. “This is …

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BMPs Impacted by New Florida Water Act

Ernie NeffBMPs

Florida’s new Clean Waterways Act impacts agricultural landowners and producers enrolled in the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Best Management Practices (BMPs) program. The act went into effect July 1. FDACS is required to undertake implementation verification (IV) site visits on properties enrolled in the BMP program every two years. During these IV site visits, FDACS Office …

Florida’s Gift Fruit Industry Remains Resilient

Tacy CalliesFresh

Gift fruit shippers occupy just a small niche in Florida citrus, but the sector’s value to the industry is more than annual sales. For anyone seeking a taste of Florida citrus, regardless of where they are in the United States, gift fruit can be shipped with just a few clicks online or a simple telephone call to a Florida gift …

citrus crop forecast

New Economic Reports for Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesEconomics

By Ariel Singerman Four reports summarizing Florida citrus industry survey-collected data during the 2019–2020 season are available at https://crec.ifas.ufl.edu/economics/. The reports include the average cost of production for processed oranges, harvesting charges, custom rate (or caretaking) charges and packing charges. The estimates presented in those reports, as well as those available for previous seasons, document the changes in the industry …

Florida Citrus Value Takes a Hit

Tacy CalliesEconomics

A new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) report shows the value of the Florida citrus crop has substantially shrunk in the past year. The 2019–2020 Citrus Summary report was released by USDA’s National Agriculture Statistics Service on Aug. 26. It shows the $729 million preliminary on-tree value of the 2019–2020 citrus crop is 19 percent less than the $902 million …

FDOC

Florida Citrus Acres Declining

Tacy CalliesIndustry News Release

Florida’s struggling citrus industry is using nearly 50 percent fewer acres than 20 years ago, according to an annual end-of-season report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service Florida Field Office calculated 419,542 citrus acres in Florida as the 2019–2020 growing season ended in July. The acreage figure was down 3 percent from the …

Florida Hemp Program Setting the Bar High

Tacy CalliesAlternative Crops, Citrus Expo

Holly Bell, director of cannabis for the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), gave an update on Florida’s hemp program as part of the Citrus Expo virtual general session. “Florida is becoming the leader in the country — if not the world — on how we’re getting our hemp program rolled out and the standards that we’re setting,” …

florida

Area-Wide Pest Management of Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

Ariel Singerman, University of Florida assistant professor, made an online presentation during the recent Agricultural and Applied Economics Association annual meeting. He shared his research on the implementation of area-wide pest management throughout the state of Florida. “Diminishment of pest populations by farmers on their own farm is the most widely used strategy for pest control. However, this is compromised …

Steger Forecast for Florida Oranges

Ernie NeffForecast

Elizabeth Steger, president of Citrus Consulting International, has forecast Florida’s 2020-21 orange crop at 62 million boxes. That is 8.35 percent fewer oranges than the 67.65 million boxes the state produced last season. [See the final 2019-20 season forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) here.] Steger has been forecasting the size of Florida’s orange crop prior to the …

The Future Faces of Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesScholarship

Meet the four students who received the FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships. By Tacy Callies The FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships (CAPS) program, a partnership between AgNet Media and FMC, was created to support Florida citrus production and encourage interested youth to pursue careers in citrus. Two University of Florida students and two Florida Southern College students each were awarded …