The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) recently reported additional information about the state’s 2022–23 Valencia orange forecast of 16.2 million 40-pound cartons. This figure is equal to the 8.1 million 80-pound boxes forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 8. The CDFA forecast, also issued on March 8, is below the prior season production of 17.2 …
How to Squelch Summer Weeds
Summer is “a field day for weeds,” Ramdas Kanissery said in a March 29 presentation about weed control for citrus. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences assistant professor provided a progressive step-by-step approach to suppressing weeds during the summer. CONTROL EXISTING WEEDSGrowers can get off to a good start by controlling existing weeds with post-emergent herbicides. …
Stuart Scholarship Applications Due April 15
Applications for the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association’s (FFVA) Mike and Karen Stuart Scholarship are due April 15. Application forms are available at the FFVA’s Florida Specialty Crop Foundation website. The scholarship, for $2,000 per recipient, was created in 2021 to encourage and support college students who intend to pursue a career in the specialty crop industry. It is open …
U.S. Citrus Production to Decline Over a Decade
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) projects American citrus production will decline from 11.2 billion pounds in 2022 to 9.8 billion pounds in 2032. The 10-year outlook for citrus is part of the lengthy USDA Agricultural Projections to 2032 report. The report was issued in February by the chief economist’s office at the USDA. According to the report, total citrus …
Sneak Peek: April 2023 Citrus Industry
It’s almost April, and that means it’s almost time for the Florida Grower Citrus Show! The soon-to-be-released April issue of Citrus Industry magazine features an event guide to the new and improved Florida Grower Citrus Show. Included is a complete seminar schedule and list of participating exhibitors and sponsors for the April 13 event. Now under AgNet Media management, the …
Update on New Varieties Projects
The Florida Citrus Commission on March 15 heard an update on four sponsored projects under the New Varieties Development and Management Corp. (NVDMC). Peter Chaires, NVDMC executive director, provided the updates: 1. The primary effort of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Research Service’s Citrus Scion Breeding Program is to select varieties throughout the 2022–23 season that have commercial potential. …
Fuller Is New FDOC Marketing Director
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) announced the hiring of John Fuller as global marketing director. He has more than 20 years of experience in sports and entertainment, including athlete representation in marketing, public relations and philanthropic endeavors. “I’m excited to enter the citrus industry to help meet marketing goals and work with my team to create innovative programs, both …
Lessons Learned From HLB as an Immune-Mediated Plant Disease
By Nian Wang How the huanglongbing (HLB) pathogen Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) causes damage to infected citrus trees has been widely debated. A recent study demonstrates that HLB is an immune-mediated plant disease (Ma et al., 2022). It was discovered that CLas infection of citrus stimulates systemic and chronic immune response in phloem tissues, including reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, …
All In For Citrus Podcast, March 2023
Growers have been deploying several new therapies aimed at improving the health of HLB-infected citrus in recent years. Plant growth regulators like gibberellic acid, 2,4-D and brassinosteroids have demonstrated the ability to improve tree health and help in fruit retention. More recently, direct delivery of oxytetracycline hydrochloride (OTC-HCl) via trunk injection has been approved for use in groves. There is …
Texas Citrus Assessment Rate Reduced
The marketing order assessment rate for Texas oranges and grapefruit for 2022–23 and subsequent years will be reduced from 5 cents to 3 cents per 7/10-bushel carton. The reduction is the result of a final rule by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Agricultural Marketing Service (USDA AMS), which implemented a recommendation from the Texas Valley Citrus Committee. The rule’s effective …
Crop Insurance Deadline Nears
The final date to apply for Florida citrus tree and fruit crop insurance coverage for the 2023 crop year is April 15. Current policyholders who wish to make changes to their existing coverage also have until the April 15 to do so. Federal crop insurance is critical to the farm safety net, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Risk …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Once a Farmer, Always a Farmer
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette While passing through St. Augustine one weekend, I came across a sign in the Washington Oaks Historic District that made me stop and take a photo so I would look into it at a later time. In 2009, the National Register of Historic Places designated Washington Oaks as a national historic district. The Friends of Washington …
Legislation to Ease Ag Sales-Tax Exemptions
Recently filed state legislation would create a Florida Farm Tax Exempt Agricultural Materials (TEAM) card to be used for sales-tax-exempt purchases of agricultural materials. The filing was announced by Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson, state Sen. Jay Collins, state Rep. Danny Alvarez and agriculture stakeholders. “The Florida Farm TEAM Card will help to alleviate burdens felt by farmers and …
New Plantings a Focus of Phytophthora Management
Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney put emphasis on new plantings during a mid-March discussion of phytophthora management for citrus trees infected with HLB. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Citrus Research and Education Center, where she spoke. Dewdney’s presentation was part of an OJ break hosted by UF/IFAS Extension multi-county …
Juice Prices Climb; Volume Sales Drop
Orange juice (OJ) and grapefruit juice prices climbed in the four-week period ending Feb. 25 compared to the same period in 2022, but volume sales dipped. Marisa Zansler, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economic and market research director, presented that FDOC Nielsen report information to the Florida Citrus Commission on March 15. The FCC is the governing board of the …
Citrus Institute: One-Stop Learning Opportunity for Growers
By Ruth Borger Keeping up with the latest news and research findings that impact how growers can successfully produce citrus in the HLB era can be an overwhelming task. Tracking down the right information at the right time for the changing conditions that face citrus growers takes time, effort and persistence. University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences …
Assistance for Citrus in Wake of Hurricane Ian
Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack recently visited a citrus grove in Polk County, Florida, to survey the impact of Hurricane Ian and meet affected growers. He highlighted efforts by the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA) to help Florida producers recover from the devastating impact of hurricanes. USDA is working through nearly 2,500 requests for assistance following Hurricane Ian. It has aided …
Showcasing Research Results
By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Overnight success comes after years of hard work. In science, that means the “eureka” moment isn’t a moment at all. It comes after years of research that can cost millions of dollars. That’s a level of resources that the federal government helps deliver. We’re fortunate that the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of …
The Seasonal Satsuma Bottleneck
The short timeframe for satsuma mandarins to be harvested and sold in the fall created a bottleneck of supply around the Thanksgiving holiday in 2022. An excess supply led to a challenge for growers attempting to sell their fruit when demand diminished, according to Kim Jones, who grows and packs citrus in Florida and Georgia. “The week of Thanksgiving when …
Cold Acclimation Helping Trees Rebound From Freeze
Trees in the Sweet Valley Citrus region are more acclimated to cold temperatures than those in Central and South Florida. That is a reason that Bill Barber, Certified Crop Adviser and owner of Barber Ag Services, believes citrus trees in North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama have rebounded well following the Christmas freeze event. “I first thought the worst. …





























