Sneak Peek: May 2018 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

Emerging biogenetic technologies are explored in two articles in the May issue of Citrus Industry magazine. University of Florida researchers discuss the tools they are using to try to win the battle against HLB. The first article takes a look at how scientists are experimenting with handheld gene guns and the citrus tristeza virus vector in order to improve citrus …

PIECES OF THE PAST: A Sentimental Journey to Winter Park

Tacy CalliesHistory

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette This year’s Winter Park Sidewalk Art Festival poster featured a look reminiscent of the old citrus crate labels. The artist, Florida native Don Dewitt, noted the poster was also a “nod” to the Winter Park Farmers’ Market located by the old train depot on New England Avenue. The depot was built in 1926 when Winter Park …

citrus

Post-Irma Ag Relief Could Come Soon

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Florida farmers awaiting federal disaster relief to help cover losses from Hurricane Irma last September may learn more details this week about the highly anticipated program. The $2.36 billion Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program (WHIP) is expected to offer a direct-payments model that would not hold growers to traditional payment limitations and would establish a state-managed program to handle tree …

HLB

Grower Discusses HLB Management Strategies

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Jim Snively, vice president of grove operations at Southern Gardens Citrus, discusses his company’s management of HLB and the psyllids that spread it. He summarizes a presentation he made at the International Citrus Business Conference in March. “By reducing stress, the trees can deal with disease much better,” Snively says. “We’re doing this through continuous-type feeding or frequent feeding with …

Modern Irrigation Methods Save California’s Resources

Tacy CalliesCalifornia Corner, Irrigation

By Len Wilcox California’s consistent sunshine makes for long growing seasons and allows tremendous varieties of foods to be grown, but it isn’t a perfect environment. Chronic water shortages create challenges for everything except cactus grown for tequila or jelly — but not many growers specialize in that. The rest of them, including citrus growers, have to deal with water …

Perdue to Rooney: Expect Citrus Disaster Relief Plan Next Week

Tacy Callieshurricane

On April 18, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced that the details of the $2.3 billion disaster relief program for Florida citrus growers impacted by Hurricane Irma will be finalized by next week. Congressman Thomas J. Rooney (R-FL), who spearheaded the relief effort, issued the following statement in response: “Today, Secretary Perdue reassured Florida citrus producers that he is working to make sure that disaster relief is made …

HLB

Imidacloprid Alternatives for Psyllid Control

Ernie NeffHLB Management, Psyllids

Phil Stansly, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist, discusses alternatives to imidacloprid for helping to control HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids (ACP). “Imidacloprid of course is typical of the neonicotinoids that we’ve been using as soil applications to protect young trees,” Stansly says. “We’ve seen and the growers have seen, too, that soil applications of systemic insecticides …

hurricane

Rucks Discusses Hurricane Damage and Delays

Ernie Neffhurricane

The damage that Hurricane Irma inflicted on citrus nurseries and citrus groves in September caused long delays in tree deliveries to growers, says Phil Rucks, owner of Phillip Rucks Citrus Nursery in Frostproof. Rucks says 59 of the state’s 77 citrus nurseries sustained some degree of damage in the hurricane. Much of the nursery damage wasn’t repaired for half-a-year as …

scott

Scott Urges Quick Action on Agriculture Aid

Daniel CooperCitrus, financial, hurricane, Industry News Release

Gov. Rick Scott is asking U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue to move quickly to get disaster-relief funding into the hands of Florida citrus growers, as it may be another three months before farmers can start to apply for the money. In a letter Tuesday, Scott also asked Perdue to “customize federal aid for Florida citrus growers” to meet their needs. …

Steep Florida Grapefruit Production Declines

Abbey TaylorGrapefruit

Most growers and professionals in the citrus industry are aware that Florida’s orange crop has declined due to diseases like citrus greening and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. However, Florida’s grapefruit crop has been suffering tremendously as well, even more severely than Florida oranges. The Florida orange crop has dropped by 35 percent this year, while Florida grapefruit has dropped …

Mexico

Overview of Mexico’s Citrus Industry

Ernie NeffMexico

Ricardo Martinez Zambrano, director of sales for North America with Citrofrut, summarizes a Mexican citrus industry report he delivered at the recent International Citrus Business Conference. Zambrano says oranges account for about 56 percent of Mexico’s total citrus production, but “there is no official source in Mexico that does the estimation.” An area of eastern Mexico has about 80 percent …

Florida orange

Florida Citrus Forecast: Oranges Hold Steady, Grapefruit Tumbles

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast

The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released on April 10 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) is 45 million boxes, unchanged from the March forecast. The total includes 19 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges and 26 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The Row Count survey, conducted March 27-28, showed 99 percent of the early-midseason rows …

HLB

Grower Partnerships Are Key to UF/IFAS Plant-Breeding Success

Daniel CooperBreeding, Citrus, Industry News Release, Research

University of Florida (UF) citrus breeder Fred Gmitter recalls meeting Vero Beach grower Tom Hammond about 20 years ago, when Gmitter needed a place to grow hybrid citrus. Gmitter knew most growers wouldn’t experiment with “raw materials” – plant offspring used to identify that possible one in 5,000 winner. Growers rarely make a profit from such experiments. Hammond took a …

citrus greening

Single Breakthrough Discovery for HLB in Florida Unlikely

Daniel CooperCitrus Greening, Industry News Release

A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.  The committee that wrote the report called for a systems approach to prioritize research on the disease and strategically distribute resources for research to effectively manage the disease, which is the most …

florida

Irma Agriculture Aid Slated to Start in Summer

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

A program to distribute federal disaster aid to Florida farmers hit by Hurricane Irma will be set up within the next 100 days, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Friday. “USDA (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is working as quickly as possible to develop procedures and a system by which affected producers can access disaster assistance,” Perdue said in a …

orange juice

International OJ Market Sees Some Positives

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves The third Fundecitrus estimate of the season for the Brazilian orange crop on Feb. 11 was just shy of 400 million boxes. It is 3.13 percent larger than the last estimate in December, and 9 percent larger than the initial estimate published in May. Fruits are bigger and heavier, reaching 247 fruits per box. This is …

new york times

Calls Increase for Irma Aid to Flow to Farmers

Daniel CooperCitrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Pressure is growing from Florida and other states as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to determine how to move forward with a disaster-relief package President Donald Trump signed in early February. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., joined colleagues from Texas, Louisiana and California this week in prodding U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue …

bactericides

USDA Researcher: Bactericides Increase Yields

Ernie NeffBactericides, HLB Management

Several trials indicate that after one year of application, bactericides increase citrus yields in HLB-infected trees compared to non-treated controls, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher reported Tuesday at the Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. But the researcher, Robert Shatters, says the results are variable. “We’ve seen three studies now, done totally separately in different ways, and they all show about …

Current Considerations for Citrus Irrigation Management

Tacy CalliesIrrigation

Growers can use these tips and tools for trees impacted by HLB and Hurricane Irma. By Davie Kadyampakeni, Kelly Morgan, Mongi Zekri, Rhuanito Ferrarezi, Arnold Schumann and Thomas A. Obreza Water is a limiting factor in Florida citrus production during the majority of the year. This is because of the low water-holding capacity of sandy soils resulting from low clay …

rubio

Rubio Offers Hope for Farmers Hit by Irma

Daniel Cooperhurricane, Industry News Release

Federal disaster relief for farmers impacted by Hurricane Irma may be available “as early as next week,” according to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Monday’s update from Rubio’s office came after the Miami Republican spoke with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who had a similar conversation with Gov. Rick Scott Friday. Florida citrus farmers have expressed increasing frustration as they await …