In a message below, Mike Sparks, executive vice president/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, reports positive news on the current status of the citrus industry’s agenda items in the legislative session. Dear FCM Board and Members: It’s been a whirlwind 2016 in Tallahassee and with a week left in the scheduled legislative session, I have some very positive news to share. …
Results of Florida Citrus Research Order Referendum Announced
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services announced that Florida’s citrus growers reauthorized the Florida citrus research order in a statutorily required referendum conducted by the department. More than 87 percent of ballots received by the department were in favor of reauthorization. Sponsored ContentTake Advantage of Rising Temperatures to Treat for Fire AntsJuly 1, 2025Take the Sting Out of …
Florida Citrus Industry Proposes Dramatic Changes for FDOC
A group of growers, processors and fresh fruit packers who share a deep concern about the grave economic situation facing the Florida citrus industry have submitted a formal request to Florida Citrus Commission Chairman G. Ellis Hunt Jr. The group is asking for very significant modifications to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) programs to adapt to the crisis and …
Seeking Miss Florida Citrus Contestants
The Miss Florida Citrus Pageant will be held on March 19 in Winter Haven at Theatre Winter Haven. This is a Miss America preliminary pageant, so contestants must have a talent. The pageant is open to all women between the ages of 17 and 24 that either reside in Florida or attend school in Florida (for at least the past …
Slight Changes in USDA’s Florida Citrus Crop Forecast
The only changes made in today’s U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus crop forecast were in Florida. Red grapefruit decreased 3 percent, going from 8.5 million boxes to 8.2 million boxes. The projection for honey tangerines increased from 600,000 boxes to 700,000 boxes, bringing the overall Florida tangerine total to 1.5 million boxes. Download Audio February USDA Citrus Crop Forecast …
What You Need to Know for the 2025–26 Trunk-Injection Season
Sponsored Content Q: With the 2025–26 trunk-injection season near, what steps can be taken to make the ReMedium TI® injections the most effective for increased fruit yield and quality? A: The basics of the injection are still the same: There is one factor that is new in the injection realm. Research conducted at the University of Florida shows that injection …
Photoperiod and Citrus Cold Tolerance
Nazneen Qureshi, a University of Florida (UF) graduate research assistant, is investigating how photoperiod — the amount of light a plant receives each day — can help citrus fruit tolerate cold weather. Qureshi’s research is done alongside UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Assistant Professor Muhummad Shahid. The research looks at whether the amount of light a plant …
Lennon Grove Service Awarded for Sustainable Farming
The Florida Farm Bureau Federation presented Lennon Grove Service, Inc. with a This Farm CARES award on Oct. 6 at the Orange County Farm Bureau annual meeting. The grove was recognized for sustainable farming practices. The award is given to farmers and ranchers enrolled in best management practices. Established in 2000, Lennon Grove Service focuses on citrus production as well as …
Freeze Tolerance Is Key to Diversification
Freeze tolerance is a focal point of citrus studies conducted at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy. As citrus production continues to grow in the cold-hardy citrus region, growers need varieties that are able to withstand prolonged periods of sub-freezing temperatures. Leading that research is Muhammad Shahid, …
Irrigation Management for Improved Citrus Production
By Davie M. Kadyampakeni and Alisheikh A. Atta The conventional four Rs for nutrient management are right source, right place, right rate and right time. This approach allows growers to synchronize nutrient supply with crop demand, enhance tree health and fruit yield, and abate economic costs and environmental losses. In contemporary farming systems in Florida citrus production, considering a fifth R …
PIECES OF THE PAST — Field Crates: From Mill to Memory
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette The humble field crate has its roots in the practical demands of grove labor, long before citrus became a branded commodity. Often confused with the crate developed in 1875 by E.B. Bean that was used to ship citrus, and which featured colorful citrus crate labels, the field crate’s origin is less about marketing and more about …
Silicon Benefits Citrus
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher recently highlighted a number of benefits from using silicon as a nutrient for citrus. Muhammad Shahid, assistant professor at the North Florida Research and Education Center, presented silicon research findings at the Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo in August. According to Shahid, silicon is categorized as a plant …
FDOC Announces New Partnership With Tampa Bay Lightning
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) has partnered with the Tampa Bay Lightning and Benchmark International Arena to promote Florida orange juice (OJ). Throughout the 2025-26 season, fans will enjoy Florida OJ in fresh ways, including in-arena mocktails, pregame giveaways and interactive product sampling stations at Ford Thunder Alley and Publix Plaza. Lightning fans will also see and experience Florida …
Video Shows Citrus Planting Method Has Many Benefits
Texas A&M University citrus scientists who developed a successful planting method to combat diaprepes root weevil found that the method also offers numerous other benefits. In 2013, researchers Mamoudou Setamou and Olufemi Alabi were looking for an effective non-chemical method to physically block the circular foliage-to-underground lifecycle of diaprepes. The pest was attacking citrus roots and killing trees. Their solution …
UF/IFAS Is New Host of Plant Breeding Program
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is the new home for Breeding Insight, a federally funded program supporting public plant breeding efforts. Breeding Insight, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service, supports public breeding efforts via more than 61 programs at the USDA as well as university-based programs across the country. …
Financial Conference Covers Tariffs and Economic Outlook
The Florida Agricultural Financial Management Conference returned Sept. 30 to Oct. 2 after several years of hiatus. The event was held at the Margaritaville Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. Speakers covered topics including measuring financial performance, risk management, optimizing business operations and cybersecurity. Ed Seifried, professor emeritus of economics and business at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania, was a featured speaker. …
CRDF Considers RFPs on Citrus Juvenility
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) held its board of directors meeting on Sept. 30 in Lake Placid, Florida. During the meeting, the board reviewed recommendations from the CRDF Research Management Committee. “We had a productive meeting and addressed several key issues,” said CRDF Chief Operating Officer Rick Dantzler. “CRDF issued a Request for Proposals (RFPs) to explore methods …
Psyllid Management Tactics Discussed
Control of HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) can be enhanced with dormant winter sprays and a focus on spraying grove perimeters, according to Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo presenter Jawwad Qureshi. Qureshi is an associate professor of entomology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. DORMANT SPRAYS In making the …
Fall Insect and Mite Management
By Lauren Diepenbrock Unlike northern regions, fall in Florida is not generally a time when insect, mite and other invertebrate pest populations decline rapidly. In Florida citrus, we generally see the opposite of this trend. In the hot, dry end of summer and early fall, mite populations often soar, requiring management to prevent excessive damage to fruit. (See The Florida …
Blood Oranges Could Be Profitable Option for Cold-Hardy Citrus Producers
Blood oranges may be an enticing fruit to grow for cold-hardy citrus producers in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. Muhammad Shahid, assistant professor of horticulture at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), highlighted his blood orange research during the Cold-Hardy Citrus Field Day and Workshop at the North Florida Research and Education Center …