(Washington, D.C., May 1, 2018) – Under the direction of President Donald J. Trump, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue today announced new details on eligibility for a new U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) disaster program, 2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (2017 WHIP). Additionally, USDA will provide $340 million through a block grant to the state of Florida for Hurricane …
Managing Mites in Florida Citrus
By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Jawwad A. Qureshi and Philip A. Stansly Florida citrus is host to four main groups of mites categorized by differences in lineage and morphology. However, only rust mites, spider mites and broad mites historically cause economic damage to commercially grown citrus in the state. The fourth group, referred to as false spider mites, are vectors elsewhere …
Steep Florida Grapefruit Production Declines
Most growers and professionals in the citrus industry are aware that Florida’s orange crop has declined due to diseases like citrus greening and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. However, Florida’s grapefruit crop has been suffering tremendously as well, even more severely than Florida oranges. The Florida orange crop has dropped by 35 percent this year, while Florida grapefruit has dropped …
Florida Citrus Forecast: Oranges Hold Steady, Grapefruit Tumbles
The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released on April 10 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is 45 million boxes, unchanged from the March forecast. The total includes 19 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges and 26 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The Row Count survey, conducted March 27-28, showed 99 percent of the early-midseason rows …
Single Breakthrough Discovery for HLB in Florida Unlikely
A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee that wrote the report called for a systems approach to prioritize research on the disease and strategically distribute resources for research to effectively manage the disease, which is the most …
Florida Citrus Land Sales Summary for 2017
Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate (CBCSRE) reported 146 verified citrus grove sales in Florida in 2017. The sales were listed, without seller or buyer names, in CBCSRE’s annual Lay of the Land Market Report distributed at the April 5-6 Land Conference at ChampionsGate near Orlando. The company reported that 109 of the sold groves stayed in citrus and 37 …
Miss Florida Citrus and Miss Winter Haven Crowned
St. Patrick’s Day was lucky for two young women — Megan Price, of LaBelle, who was crowned the new 2018 Miss Florida Citrus and Morgan Boykin, of Thonotosassa, the new Miss Winter Haven. Both ladies were crowned at Theatre Winter Haven on March 17, 2018. Hosted by David Lang, of Regalia Magnificent Apparel, the Miss America preliminary pageant contestants were judged …
State of the Florida Citrus-Packing Segment
By Peter Chaires Florida’s fresh-packing segment is in a significant period of transition. The freezes of the 1980s caused substantial southward movement of citrus production and the loss of supply to most packinghouses in the northern regions. During this time, urban expansion and construction booms were also depleting acreage that supplied fresh houses. The early battles against citrus canker eliminated …
Annual Meeting of the Florida State Horticultural Society
The Florida State Horticultural Society (FSHS) announces that it will hold its 131st annual meeting on June 10 through June 12, 2018, at the Renaissance Fort Lauderdale Cruise Port Hotel located at 1617 SE 17th Street in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. With over 100 technical presentations and special sessions with invited speakers, there will also be a welcome reception, Extension luncheon, …
Florida Specialty Citrus Up; California Valencias Down
Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS), reported the March forecast for Florida oranges is unchanged from last month at 45 million boxes. Non-Valencias are at 19 million boxes and Valencias are at 26 million boxes. The Row Count Survey, conducted on Feb. 26-27, showed 99 percent of the early-midseason rows and 96 percent of …
University of Florida Hosts Citrus Photography Contest
In an effort to showcase the region’s citrus industry heritage, a local University of Florida (UF) research professor is hosting a digital photography contest. Rhuanito “Johnny” Ferrarezi is an assistant professor at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) near Fort Pierce. Ferrarezi leads the center’s citrus horticulture research program, including the …
University of Florida Helps Guide Georgia Citrus Association
University of Florida researchers assisted their neighbor to the north as they put together several presentations to help build the Georgia citrus industry. The presentations were made during the second annual Georgia Citrus Association Conference, which was held Feb. 26 at the University of Georgia Tifton Conference Center. Lindy Savelle, president of the Georgia Citrus Association, says she is very …
Help for Florida Farmers Advancing in Senate
Farmers and other parts of Florida’s agriculture industry could receive about $75 million in post-Hurricane Irma assistance from the state next year under a measure moving forward in the Senate. The Senate Finance and Tax Appropriations Subcommittee on Tuesday unanimously backed the proposal (SB 1608) by Senate Agriculture Chairwoman Denise Grimsley, R-Sebring. The proposal, in part, would reduce property assessments …
Vast Majority of Florida Citrus Is Insured
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences economist Ariel Singerman provided growers attending a recent OJ Break in Lake Alfred with basic information about federal crop and tree insurance. Early in his presentation, he noted that most citrus crops and trees in Florida are covered by crop and tree insurance at some level. He summarizes his presentation. “The …
Putnam on Disaster Funding for Florida Agriculture
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam issued the following statement after the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives passed a spending bill that includes more than $2.3 billion for agricultural assistance: “The passage of this spending bill is a critical first step to finally getting Florida’s farmers, ranchers and growers long-awaited and desperately needed relief. Without this emergency assistance, …
Florida Orange Crop Forecast Falls Again
The 2017–2018 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 45 million boxes, down 1 million boxes from the January forecast. If realized, this will be 35 percent less than last season’s production. The forecast for non-Valencia orange production is unchanged at 19 million boxes. Size and drop components were final last month. The forecast for Valencia …
Call Now for Florida Agriculture Relief Legislation
By Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president/chief executive officer The U.S. Senate is expected to pass the Bipartisan Budget Act (BBA) sometime today. The measure to fund the government includes $2.36 billion for Florida agriculture relief. Please immediately contact your U.S. Representative in the House and strongly urge him or her to vote “yes” on the bill. See …
Freeze Summary for Florida and Georgia Citrus
Temperatures dipped into the 20s in much of the Florida Citrus Belt on the morning of Jan. 18, but the state’s largest citrus growers association expected little, if any, freeze damage. Florida Citrus Mutual spokesman Andrew Meadows said there could be minor or moderate fruit loss in some low-lying pockets, “but absolutely no tree damage.” The coldest Florida citrus region …
Florida Citrus Mutual Sets Goals for 2018 Legislative Session
The Florida legislative session began Jan. 9 in Tallahassee. Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) has several goals for the 2018 session to aid an industry already dealing with devastating challenges. Andrew Meadows, FCM’s director of communications, says a big item on FCM’s radar is Hurricane Irma. The industry is continuing to suffer from the storm that occurred in September 2017. So, …
Register for the 2018 Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet
The Florida Agricultural Hall of Fame Banquet will take place Feb. 13 in Tampa. This event will honor the 2018 inductees to the hall of fame. Four agricultural leaders have been chosen to enter the hall of fame this year. They are Alfonso Fanjul, J. Pepe Fanjul, Lowell Loadholtz and Harold K. Mikell. These four men have dedicated their lives …