An increase in imported orange juice is anticipated by the Florida Citrus Commission to offset a decline in tax revenue from the state’s hurricane-battered growers, who await congressional action on disaster relief. The commission — during a brief conference call Wednesday — agreed to shift $556,147 from reserves to help cover the Department of Citrus’ budget for the current fiscal …
Florida Citrus Crop Forecast: Oranges Down; Grapefruit Holds Steady
As of Dec. 12, the 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture is 46 million boxes. This figure is down 8 percent from the November forecast. If realized, this forecast will be 33 percent less than last season’s production and the least since the 1944-1945 season of 42.2 million boxes. The forecast consists of 19 million …
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Inductees Chosen for 2018
Two distinguished leaders will be inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame (FCHOF) during the 56th Citrus Celebration Luncheon on Friday, March 9, 2018, at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. L. Gene Albrigo, of Daytona Shores, and Marvin D. Kahn, of Sebring, will be honored at the luncheon, scheduled to take place at 11:30 a.m. Gene Albrigo has led …
Call to Action for Florida Citrus Industry Members
On December 5, Mike Sparks, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president and CEO, sent the following message to the Florida citrus industry: Since Hurricane Irma devastated Florida citrus in September, Commissioner Adam Putnam, Governor Rick Scott, Florida Congressional/Senate leaders, Florida Citrus Mutual, Florida citrus growers and the industry have been working tirelessly in Washington, D.C. to obtain a federal relief/rebuild …
HLB Research Beyond CRDF: Florida’s Goal Achieved
By Harold Browning Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation As 2017 draws to a close, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) is working to redefine the primary directions for its research and delivery programs. Federal funding programs that have emerged over the past four years are covering much of the discovery and knowledge-building research, and is …
Helping the Florida Citrus Industry Recovery After Irma
Rep. Dennis Ross (R-Fla.) and Florida orange grower Ellis Hunt appeared on the FOX Business Network to discuss their efforts to help the Florida citrus industry recover after Hurricane Irma. Sponsored ContentA Simpler, Safer and More Effective Way to Fight HLBOctober 25, 20245 Facts About Fire Ants and How to Control ThemApril 30, 2024BRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT …
Gov. Scott Proposes $22 Million for Florida Citrus Industry
Governor Rick Scott’s Securing Florida’s Future budget proposes $22 million for the Florida citrus industry. This includes $5 million supporting Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) marketing programs aimed at educating and increasing awareness among consumers of the health benefits of Florida citrus and Florida orange juice as well as $650,000 for new variety research ensuring Americans have access to the …
Florida Orange Crop Continues Downward Spiral
Florida’s struggling and storm-battered citrus industry took another hit Thursday as the orange crop forecast for the current growing season was reduced by 7.4 percent. And industry officials anticipate the forecasts will continue to decline as the season progresses. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the last decrease we see,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department …
Citrus Crop Forecast: Numbers Decline for Florida in All Categories
Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture delivered the November citrus crop forecast. For Florida, non-Valencia and Valencia oranges dropped 2 million boxes each, putting the all-orange forecast at 50 million boxes. This represents a 7 percent decline from the initial crop forecast in October. Florida all-grapefruit came in at 4.65 million boxes, down from 4.9 million boxes last …
Financial Management Conference Benefits Florida Ag
Regina Thomas, co-organizer of the Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference held Nov. 2-3 near Orlando, provides an overview of the event and discusses its origins. Thomas is senior vice president/director of financially related services for Farm Credit of Central Florida. Thomas says the conference began eight years ago during the recession that rocked the entire U.S. economy. “We had a …
Citrus Imports Playing Bigger Role in Florida
Oranges imported to Florida — primarily from Brazil and Mexico — are projected to surpass what is grown in the hurricane-damaged Sunshine State this season. The Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday approved an adjusted $17.8 million budget that takes into account an increase in imports that will help cover crops lost in September to Hurricane Irma. “With Hurricane Irma’s impact …
Florida Citrus Commission Sets Budget and Grower Assessments
Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Executive Director Shannon Shepp summarizes the Florida Citrus Commission’s actions regarding the FDOC’s 2017-18 budget and grower assessments that help fund programs. The budget is $17.83 million. “That’s about a $4.5 million reduction from last year’s budget,” Shepp says. The reduction comes primarily because of a low crop forecast of 54 million boxes of oranges, …
Grower Sees Strong Future for Florida Citrus
Justin Sorrells of Sorrells Citrus comments on the first U.S. Department of Agriculture citrus crop forecast of the season and the future of the Florida citrus industry. “I think the numbers (forecast) were interesting — higher than I suspected … Maybe that means our state wasn’t impacted quite as heavily as we thought it was going to be,” Sorrells says. …
What Lies Ahead for Florida Citrus?
Editor’s note: This article is part of the special coverage on the 100th Anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie Although it’s difficult to predict future events, directors of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) …
Current Challenges to Florida Citrus
Editor’s Note: This article was written before Hurricane Irma made landfall in Florida and damaged the state’s citrus industry. This article is part of the special 100th anniversary coverage of the Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie What are the current challenges to Florida’s citrus industry? To a …
Tell Senators to Pursue Disaster Relief Funding for Florida Agriculture
In response to the recent wave of hurricanes pummeling our shores, the U.S. House of Representatives approved a $36.5 billion disaster relief package last week. However, USDA-specific relief funding for Florida agriculture was not included. Hurricane Irma was the largest, most powerful hurricane recorded in the Atlantic Ocean, engulfing the entire state and leaving behind $2.5 billion in agricultural damage. …
Florida Senate Agriculture Committee Hears About Citrus Damage
Citrus was a hot topic Thursday morning during the Florida Senate Agriculture Committee meeting in Tallahassee to discuss hurricane damage to Florida agriculture. Led by Chairperson Denise Grimsley, the committee heard from two sets of panelists as they explained the damage in their respective industries. The Florida Department of Citrus was represented by citrus grower Ellis Hunt in one of …
Hurricane Irma Impact on Florida Orange Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) included forecasts of the United States and Florida 2017-2018 orange production in the Crop Production report released Oct. 12, 2017. The report does not directly forecast the impact of Hurricane Irma on the 2017-2018 production. Although it is difficult to know the exact impact on the potential crop production, the …
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Putnam on First Citrus Crop Forecast of the Season
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam released the following statement after the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its initial citrus crop forecast for the 2017-2018 season: “Hurricane Irma’s path could not have been more lethal to Florida citrus. I am concerned that today’s forecast does not accurately estimate the damages to our industry, given that groves are still underwater …
Citrus Crop Forecast: Florida All Oranges at 54 Million Boxes
The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 54 million boxes, 21 percent less than last season’s final production. Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and Florida Citrus Mutual both issued statements indicating they are concerned that the forecast did not accurately account for the full damage inflicted by Hurricane Irma. Listen to the …