Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Industry News Release

Nominations are now being sought for potential inductees to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. Induction ceremonies are scheduled to take place on Friday, March 9, 2018, at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The luncheon is co-sponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus. Eligible nominees are those distinguished leaders who have made significant contributions to the …

Citrus Leprosis: a Continuing Threat in Florida and North America

Tacy CalliesDiseases

By Richard F. Lee The old-timers called citrus leprosis “nailhead rust.” Prevalent in Florida in the early 1900s, the disease was first called leprosis in the 1920s by H.S. Fawcett. Although the disease was widespread in Florida at one time, it mysteriously disappeared in the mid-1960s. L.C. Knorr [University of Florida/Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education …

citrus

Florida Citrus Harvest Lowest in Decades

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast, Industry News Release

by Jim Turner, News Service of Florida The final forecast of the 2016-2017 season for Florida’s struggling citrus industry shows the orange crop falling 16 percent from the previous season — which, itself, had been at a five-decades low. And after a season of severe drought, combined with the continued fight against a deadly citrus disease and the expansion of …

florida citrus

Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference Underway

Daniel CooperCitrus

The Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference is taking place this week at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point in Bonita Springs. AgNet Media’s Gary Cooper is there and has this report.   Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENTApril 1, 2024Protect Your Groves From Citrus LeafminerMay …

Troutman Joins Lineup of Florida Ag Commissioner Hopefuls

Daniel CooperAgriculture, Industry News Release, Legislative

by Lloyd Dunkelberger News Service of Florida Former state Rep. Baxter Troutman entered the race for state agriculture commissioner on Monday, priming his Republican bid for a Cabinet seat with $2.5 million of his own money. “For two decades, I’ve been building a business and continuing my work in Florida agriculture,” Troutman, of Winter Haven, said in a statement. “Real …

Florida Agricultural Crime on the Rise

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Abigail Taylor Some Florida citrus growers are struggling to keep their products and possessions safe from thieves. There have been theft reports ranging from large and small equipment, chemicals, fuel, young trees and fruit, as well as accounts of vandalism. Ned Hancock, former Highlands County Citrus Growers Association president, says the issue is “much more significant than most people …

HLB

Tree Assistance Program Aids Florida Citrus Growers

Daniel CooperCitrus, Citrus Greening, Industry News Release

By Lauren Moore, FSA Public Affairs Specialist Adversity isn’t a stranger to Florida citrus growers. Throughout Florida’s history of citrus production, producers have dealt with damages left in the wake of multiple hurricanes and freezes. Larry Black is a fifth-generation citrus grower and general manager of Peace River Packing Company in Polk County, Florida. His family has been a part …

Florida Ag Commissioner Officially Announces Run for Governor

Josh McGillLegislative

Among a large crowd of state agriculture leaders, grassroots producers and others at the courthouse in his hometown of Bartow, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam made official today his expected bid for governor. Some observers in Florida’s agriculture industry note today’s historical perspective, in that Florida is now third in population in the United States and urbanizing. Therefore, it could …

Florida Agriculture Faces Big Hits in Budget Proposals

Josh McGillLegislative

By: Abbey TaylorFlorida agriculture is facing some big budget cuts. The House’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee met on March 28 to discuss its budget proposal for the 2017–2018 fiscal year. The Senate’s Environment and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee met on March 29 to discuss its budget proposal. While some dollar amounts in the competing proposals were different, Florida …

Miss Florida Citrus 2017 Crowned

Abbey TaylorCitrus

A new Miss Florida Citrus has been crowned. Paige Todd was shocked to hear her name called as the 2017 Miss Florida Citrus title winner on March 18. “I took a second because it didn’t quite get to my brain through my ears, but once it did, I was very excited,” Todd explained. Todd is a third-year student at the …

Orange Forecast Drops for Florida and California

Taylor HillmanCitrus, Crop Forecast

The citrus crop forecast, delivered by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in Washington, D.C., showed a 4 percent drop in Florida oranges and a 2 percent drop in California oranges. In total, the U.S. all-orange forecast for the 2016-2017 season dropped 3 percent from last month and is down 13 percent from …

South Korea Could Be a Lucrative Market for Florida Growers

Tacy CalliesGrapefruit

By Brad Buck, 352-294-3303, bradbuck@ufl.edu GAINESVILLE, Fla. — How about grapefruit as a dessert or snack? That is how many South Koreans, especially younger ones, view the fruit. Therefore, Florida grapefruit growers may want to expand their shipments to that Asian nation, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers say. UF/IFAS researchers are doing a series …

Crime

Why Florida Orange Juice Is Best

Ernie NeffFlorida Citrus Commission

In a recent Florida Department of Citrus video, citrus grower and Florida Citrus Commissioner Ned Hancock told why he thinks Florida orange juice is the world’s best orange juice. He summarizes the reasons for that belief: “I think one is the climate that we’re in is greatly different than some other regions. We are more subtropical and citrus is, I …

PFD

Florida on Cusp of Potential PFD Season

Ernie NeffPFD

The timing was perhaps impeccable for a seminar in Arcadia on February 8 that focused on postbloom fruit drop (PFD). Rain had fallen on Central Florida the night before, and some bloom is already on trees. That combination of rain and bloom has led to major PFD outbreaks in recent years. “There’s some bloom out there already,” says University of …

Letter to the Editor: The Future of the Florida Citrus Industry*

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Letter to the Editor, Rootstocks, Scions

By Bill Castle University of Florida professor emeritus Paul Genho, a former manager of the Deseret Ranch in Osceola County, spoke about soils and food at a Florida land conference in 2015.** He noted that 90 percent of the world’s food production occurred on only four soil types: Mollisols, Alfisols, Ultisols and Oxisols. A goodly proportion of those soil types …

aphis

Section 18 Restored for Bactericide Use on Florida Citrus

Tacy CalliesBactericides

Tree Health Section 18 use of bactericide products on Florida citrus has been restored, effective January 10, 2017. The previous section 18 had expired on December 31, 2016, and the use of FireWall, FireLine and Mycoshield products was temporarily prohibited. The new Secion 18 authorization allows bactericide use through December 31, 2017. See the authorization letter for details of use for …

florida citrus

Florida Citrus Areas Showing Effects of Dryness

Daniel CooperCitrus

Florida citrus growers are dealing with yet another problem. Gary Crawford reports this time it’s a prolonged period of dry weather. Sponsored Content5 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENTApril 1, 2024Protect Your Groves From Citrus LeafminerMay 29, 2023

bactericides survey

Florida Citrus Mutual Sells its Building

Josh McGillIndustry News Release

LAKELAND, FL (November 10, 2016) -Florida Citrus Mutual announced today the trade organization has sold its downtown Lakeland headquarters to Publix Super Markets Inc. for an undisclosed amount. FCM has been at the site – located at the southeast corner of Orange Street and Massachusetts Avenue – for 68 years. “Florida Citrus Mutual had a long run here and there …

Fresh Oranges on a tree.

Increase in Florida Non-Valencia Oranges

Daniel CooperCitrus, Crop Forecast

Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture/National Agricultural Statistics Service delivered the November citrus crop forecast. The Florida Non-Valencia oranges are forecast this month at 36 million boxes, up 2 million boxes from the initial forecast last month. Valencia oranges remained at 36 million boxes. Grapefruit for Florida remained at 9.6 million boxes, with white at 2.1 million boxes …

Fresh

Slow Start for Fresh Florida Grapefruit Season

Ernie NeffCitrus Greening, Grapefruit

Fresh Florida grapefruit shipments continue to decline in concert with the downturn in production resulting from HLB and other problems. On October 26, the Florida Department of Citrus projected fresh Florida grapefruit shipments will be about 4.13 million boxes this season. Three seasons ago, in 2013-14, fresh Florida grapefruit shipments totaled 6.1 million boxes and have dropped in each season …