Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam announced on Oct. 4 that the preliminary agricultural damages caused by Hurricane Irma in Florida total more than $2.5 billion. In an initial report, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services estimated losses for each segment of agriculture. The preliminary economic assessments account for current crop losses and ancillary losses, such as …
Officials Survey Hurricane Damage in Florida
On September 18, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, Congressman Tom Rooney ad Senator Marco Rubio flew in a helicopter to get an aerial view of farm damage from Hurricane Irma. Described by Rubio as an “agriculture catastrophe,” the storm ravished many Florida crops. Since many Florida vegetables were not in the ground yet, they …
Florida Citrus Commission Passes Emergency Rule
The Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) held an emergency meeting on September 14 in response to a request for emergency rulemaking from the Florida Citrus Packers Association to approve rule 20ER17-2, addressing the Soluble Solids to Anhydrous Citrus Acid Maturity Standards for grapefruit and oranges for the 2017-18 season. The following emergency rule passed unanimously by the FCC: 20ER17-2 Grapefruit and Orange …
Florida Citrus Faces Major Crop Loss After Hurricane Irma
Unfortunately, Florida citrus did not fare well in Hurricane Irma. Lisa Lochridge, public affairs director for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, says from the reports that she has received, the largest produce impact was on the citrus industry. Hurricane Irma brought strong winds that stripped the fruit from many trees and caused major crop loss. Lochridge says uprooted trees …
Hurricane Irma Damage Is Serious for Florida Citrus
As Hurricane Irma tore through Florida on September 10-11, all of the state’s citrus-growing regions were affected to some degree. “There’s no doubt we’ve had some serious damage,” said Florida Citrus Mutual Executive Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Mike Sparks. “The amount of loss varies substantially from the various citrus-growing regions.” In Florida’s southwest citrus region, Sparks said, “Crop …
Harvesting Charges for Florida Citrus
By Ariel Singerman, Marina Burani-Arouca, Stephen H. Futch and Robert Ranieri This article summarizes the charges for harvesting citrus in Florida during the 2016–17 season. The estimates provided are key for computing on-tree prices and to estimate economic returns to citrus growers. The estimates are based on a survey of harvesters conducted in May 2017. A total of 15 harvesters …
Florida Citrus Acreage Tumbles 5 Percent
Florida lost another 25,148 acres of citrus in the past year, or 5 percent of the crop’s acreage, according to the annual Commercial Citrus Inventory released on August 31. The number of acres dropped to 454,973 from 480,121 in 2016. The inventory was released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. “It turns out that our citrus …
Florida Citrus Packers Honors Hamner
Florida Citrus Packers honored George F. Hamner Jr. with its John T. Lesley Award for Excellence at Packinghouse Day on August 24, 2017. The John T. Lesley Award is the organization’s highest recognition, reserved for individuals making sustained and outstanding contributions to Florida’s fresh citrus industry. The list of recipients reads like a “who’s who” of the Florida citrus industry. …
Citrus Expo Is a Great Connection for Florida FFA
Citrus growers, vendors, and industry professionals are all looking forward to gathering this Wednesday, August 16 at 8:00 a.m. at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. That’s when the doors officially open to the 2017 Citrus Expo trade show, the biggest and best annual gathering of citrus industry members in the U.S. Citrus Expo is proud to announce …
Governor Rick Scott Appoints Three to the Florida Citrus Commission
Governor Rick Scott announced two appointments and one reappointment to the Florida Citrus Commission. Lee Bouldin, 62, of Vero Beach, is a citrus shipper at DNE World Fruit. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Wake Forest University. Bouldin succeeds Michael Garavaglia and is appointed for a term beginning August 9, 2017, and ending May 31, 2019. Carlos Martinez, …
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Seeks Nominations
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
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 …
Florida Citrus Harvest Lowest in Decades
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 Industry Annual Conference Underway
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 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 …
Troutman Joins Lineup of Florida Ag Commissioner Hopefuls
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
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 …
Tree Assistance Program Aids Florida Citrus Growers
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
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
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
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 …