weed management

Optimizing Weed Management in Citrus

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, weeds

Weeds can be a menace in Florida citrus. The state is home to diverse weed species and is the perfect environment for weeds to grow. Ramdas Kanissery, a weed scientist at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, discusses weed management challenges in the March All In For Citrus podcast. …

consumer

Consumer Perceptions of Citrus Biotechnology Are Critical

Daniel CooperTechnology

Scientists see genetic editing — and in particular CRISPR technology — as a potential way to rescue Florida citrus from HLB disease, but consumer perceptions of the technology are key. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ (UF/IFAS) Bachir Kassas is working to assess consumer acceptance of biotechnology. Kassas is an assistant professor in the UF/IFAS Department …

fdoc

Juice Market Brings Questions for Georgia Citrus Growers

Tacy CalliesCold Hardy, Georgia, Orange Juice

Expansion into the juice market may unlock a profitable marketing opportunity for Georgia citrus growers. But questions remain before growers can start planning this new course of action, says Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association. “Hamlins and perhaps some early-season Valencias would work here in Georgia,” Savelle said. One question Georgia growers have about entering the juice …

CRAFT

Funding Available for More CRAFT Plantings

Daniel CooperCRAFT

The Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) Foundation board of directors has approved the opening of a supplemental Program for Expedited Propagation (PEP) Solid Set Planting application window. The application link is live here. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on April 30. PEP projects must be solid-set plantings of scions released as part of the Florida Department of Citrus- …

trade imbalance

Trade Imbalance Impacting Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperTrade

The citrus industry is not immune to the trade imbalance that is impacting the ag industry across the United States. From 2000 to 2013, the United States exported more citrus than it imported. However, the imbalance began in 2014 and worsened every year through 2023, equating to a deficit of 26 million boxes. The staggering statistics are reflective of the …

citrus trees

Options for Dooryard Citrus Trees

Daniel Coopernurseries, Varieties

Citrus trees used to be a common site around Florida homes, but diseases like canker and greening have diminished residents’ ability to enjoy these iconic trees. Despite the challenges, people from Florida and across the country contact citrus nurseries this time of year, seeking to purchase trees for their yards and/or homes. It’s a passion, say nursery owners and University …

proven

Combine Proven Horticultural Practices to Combat HLB

Daniel CooperIrrigation, Nutrition, PGRs, Tip of the Week

By Tripti Vashisth and Prudhvi Vulchi To mitigate the effects of huanglongbing (HLB) on tree health and productivity, growers are encouraged to adopt proven horticultural practices. Based on recent field trials at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), one effective approach combines frequent irrigation (FI), plant growth regulators (PGRs) …

BMP

Citrus BMP Manual Updates Completed

Daniel CooperBMPs

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson on March 31 announced the completion of major updates to several existing agricultural best management practices (BMP) manuals, including the one for citrus. The manuals provide specific research-based practices to agricultural producers to improve water quality. The updates mark the first comprehensive revisions in nearly 20 years for some manuals, reflecting advancements in agricultural …

april

Sneak Peek: April 2025 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperSneak Peek

The Florida Citrus Show brought together growers and industry for a fun day of camaraderie and education. The event took place March 13 at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce. The April issue …

sales

OJ and Grapefruit Juice Sales Decline

Daniel CooperFlorida Department of Citrus, Orange Juice

Retail sales of orange juice (OJ) and grapefruit juice (GJ) declined for the current season through Feb. 22, according to Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Director of Economic and Market Research Marisa Zansler. She reported the following data to the Florida Citrus Commission on March 26: The Florida Citrus Commission serves as the governing board for the FDOC. The FDOC …

Schaal

Jennifer Schaal: From Accountant to Ag Leader

Daniel CooperAgriculture, Florida

Early in her career, Jennifer Schaal worked in public accounting and found herself wanting to make a deeper impact. “For a long time, I felt the desire to help my clients by diving deeper into their organizations’ financials and procedures, but public accounting standards don’t allow for that,” Schaal said. That desire ultimately led her to transition to the citrus …

healthy fruit

Separating HLB-Affected and Healthy Fruit

Daniel CooperResearch

Scientists with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service (USDA/ARS) recently wrote about efforts to identify HLB-affected versus healthy citrus fruit. UF/IFAS scientists are Mark Ritenour, Ketan Shende and Thomas Burks. Michelle Heck is with the USDA/ARS. A slightly edited version of their article follows: Most citrus …

pest populations

Scout to Stay Ahead of Pest Populations

Daniel CooperPests

It is much better for Florida citrus growers to be proactive than reactive when managing pest populations. Scouting and monitoring citrus groves is crucial for growers who hope to thwart off impacts from insects like the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP). If growers are not successful, they will be behind the eight ball in minimizing the impact of these annual pests. …

soil health

Digging Into Methods to Boost Citrus Soil Health

Daniel CooperSoil Health

By Sarah Strauss, Emma Dawson, Gabriel Pugina, Ute Albrecht, Jonas Pereira de Souza Junior and Davie Kadyampakeni While soil health has always been considered critical for Florida citrus production, it has increased in importance with the endemic presence of citrus greening (HLB). Soil health is similar to the concepts of soil quality or soil fertility but with an additional focus …

Optimism

OTC Injections Spark Optimism

Daniel CooperHLB Management

It can be hard to have hope if you are a farmer in today’s agricultural climate. It can be even harder to have optimism if you are a Florida citrus grower. Yet, Matt Joyner, Florida Citrus Mutual executive vice president and chief executive officer, has hope that the industry is trending upward even amid HLB and multiple hurricanes in previous …

Citrus Health Forum

Citrus Health Forum Brings Together Growers and Researchers

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, Events

By Maegan Beatty Earlier this month, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) North Florida Research and Education Center (NFREC) hosted the 2025 Citrus Health Forum. Growers gathered to learn about citrus production and hear regional citrus updates. Muhammad Shahid, UF/IFAS assistant professor, presented information on optimizing nitrogen fertilization to enhance the quality of satsuma mandarins. …

young trees

Recovering Unprotected HLB-Infected Young Trees

Daniel CooperIPCs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Saoussen Ben Abdallah Individual protective covers (IPCs) are now being increasingly adopted in Florida to protect newly planted citrus trees from psyllid colonization. The risk of new citrus plantings becoming infected with HLB is especially high, as young trees flush more frequently and attract more psyllids. However, the adoption of IPCs does not occur in all …

Polk County

PIECES OF THE PAST: Polk County Roots Run Deep

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I was honored this year to be part of the Vero Heritage Center and Indian River Citrus Museum’s “Deeply Rooted” event, which was the kick-off for Indian River County’s Centennial Celebration. It made me think of this year’s Florida Citrus Hall of Fame inductees. They all have something in common with deep roots — Polk County! …

bill

Bill to Improve Access to Disaster Assistance Reintroduced

Daniel CooperLegislative

U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack from Florida and colleagues recently reintroduced the bipartisan Fair Access to Agriculture Disaster Programs Act. The act is aimed at removing barriers to agriculture disaster assistance for producers. The bill would provide farmers, ranchers and other agriculture producers with improved access to federal disaster assistance following natural disasters.  Reps. Jimmy Panetta and Zoe Lofgren, both of California, …

june

All In For Citrus Podcast, March 2025

Daniel CooperAll In For Citrus Podcast, Events

With spring comes a number of citrus events. One of those was the Florida Citrus Show held on March 13 in Fort Pierce. Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center, joins the March All In For Citrus podcast to discuss highlights of Florida Citrus Show. He also …