IMG

IMG Citrus Moving Forward With More CUPS

Daniel CooperCUPS

A Nov. 22 Lake County farm tour, hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, included a visit to the 13-acre citrus under protective screen (CUPS) site owned by IMG Citrus. Located in Groveland, the facility consists of Ruby Red grapefruit on Swingle rootstock planted in May 2022. Clint Updike, IMG citrus production manager, told farm …

cups

IMG Citrus Acquires Facility and Farmland

Josh McGillIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, based in Vero Beach, Florida, has acquired J&J Fresh Produce assets. These assets, also located in Vero Beach, include a new 185,000-square-foot cold storage and packaging facility and 1,000 acres of farmland in the Delta Farms Water Control District. “This is an exciting acquisition and a key component of our growth strategy,” said Melanie Ressler, co-chief executive officer …

IMG Citrus Launches YELLOS Grapefruit

Ernie NeffGrapefruit

IMG Citrus announced the launch of the YELLOS Florida grapefruit brand and specialty product. “Although considered a new product on the U.S. market, the YELLOS grapefruit variety is in fact Florida’s original, heirloom grapefruit and the white-fleshed counterpart of the well-known Florida Ruby Red grapefruit,” the company stated. According to a press release, YELLOS are harvested from mature groves more …

IMG Citrus Buys 2,500-Acre Grove

Ernie NeffIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, a citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, recently bought a 2,500-acre grove in Charlotte County. The grove increases the company’s control of citrus land management in Florida by 27%; it now has 11,387 acres. The property was acquired from the Packers of Indian River. The grove was originally planted in the 1990s and known as …

IMG Citrus Celebrates 40 Years in Business

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, is celebrating 40 years in business. The business began in 1979 when Michel Sallin, IMG Citrus president, traveled to Florida seeking investment opportunities in agriculture. Sallin and his wife Veronique’s first investment, 72 acres of Hamlin orange groves in Manatee County, would become the beginning …

Sales Leadership Changes at IMG Citrus

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer, importer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, announced the upcoming retirement of Vice President, Veronique Sallin, after 40 years with the company. Sallin’s retirement will officially begin at the end of the 2019-2020 Florida citrus season. The company further announces the promotion of Sydney Allison to the role of director of sales. …

img

IMG Citrus Invests in Packinghouse

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release, Technology

IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, has invested $1.5 million into its packinghouse processing line. The company added a state-of-the-art electronic fruit grader, the Global Scan 7, manufactured in France. The new sorter has the ability to precisely capture 120 images per fruit and up to 120 fruit per second in …

haffield

Haffield Reprises Role at IMG Citrus

Daniel CooperIndustry News Release

IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, renamed Todd Haffield as director of packinghouse operations. He previously held this role with the company from 2010 to 2017. Haffield has been with IMG Citrus since 1999 in various logistics and sales roles in addition to his director position. He contributed to many operational improvements, …

IMG Citrus Adds 4,000-Acre Grove to Portfolio

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

The future of Florida citrus is bright. IMG Citrus, a family-owned, vertically-integrated citrus grower, packer and shipper in Vero Beach, Florida, announced the acquisition of one of the largest grapefruit groves in St. Lucie County. The 4,000-acre grove increases IMG’s control of citrus land management in Florida by over 75 percent, securing the company’s position as an established citrus leader …

family

PIECES OF THE PAST: Blessed by a Citrus Family

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubank Burnette Thanksgiving, for me, has always been a time to pause and reflect — to look back with gratitude at the blessings that have shaped my life. Inevitably, that reflection leads to a few chuckles and a lot of “What if I hadn’t done this… met them… or listened to my mother?” You may laugh, but I …

NVDMC

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: NVDMC’s Research Initiatives for 2025–26

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Research

By Peter Chaires Last month’s Citrus Nursery Source article promised additional details on New Varieties Development & Management Corp.’s (NVDMC) 2025–26 sponsored projects. While there is only space for general summaries, it is important to highlight the areas of focus for each research team, and the emphasis on short-term benefits while continuing to build a foundation for the future. NVDMC …

Florida Citrus Show

Mark Your Calendar: Florida Citrus Show Returns March 12

Daniel CooperCitrus, Events, FCS24, Florida Citrus Show

The Florida Citrus Show is gearing up for an exciting return on March 12, 2026, bringing back the popular tailgate-style format that exhibitors and growers have come to love. The event will once again take place at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research …

technology

See Citrus Technology in Action

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Events, Technology

Citrus agricultural technology will be showcased on Dec. 5 in California. Six companies will demonstrate their technology during a VINE Connect Field Day at the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources (UC ANR) Lindcove Research and Extension Center (REC) in Exeter. VINE Connect is a statewide commercialization program that helps proven ag tech companies bring their technologies to market …

California citrus

Packer Upbeat About California Citrus Season

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Packing

Jesse Silva, vice president of Kings River Packing, recently gave an upbeat outlook on the California citrus season. Silva termed it “a high-quality, high-demand year.”  Kings River and its affiliated companies, including Cobblestone Fruit and Jireh Packing, are operating at full capacity across their four facilities in Sanger, Reedley and Orosi, Silva said. “We’re running 24/7 right now,” he said. …

temperatures

Cold-Hardy Citrus Spared From Sub-Freezing Temperatures

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, freeze

The short timeframe when temperatures dipped below freezing this week in the cold-hardy citrus region appears to have not been problematic for trees. That’s the preliminary assessment shared by Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist. Sutton emphasized that the few hours that temperatures dropped into the 20s early Tuesday morning was a lot better …

cold-hardy

Cold-Hardy Citrus Harvest Begins Early

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, Harvesting

The anticipated disappointment has become a reality for cold-hardy citrus growers; satsuma mandarins are in short supply. The predominant citrus variety grown in the region will not have much of a crop this season as harvests have already begun across the cold-hardy region of North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama. As expected, citrus volume will be short, mostly due …

hail

Georgia Citrus Grower Sustains Hail Damage

Daniel Cooperfreeze, Georgia, Weather

Sub-freezing temperatures this week across the cold-hardy citrus region had minimal impact on the region’s fruit crop. A hailstorm in a couple of South Georgia counties, however, was another story. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association and owner of JoNina Farm in Ochlocknee, said her operation was battered by hail for about 15 to 20 minutes late …

citrus rootstock

Agromillora Introduces New Citrus Rootstock

Daniel CooperResearch

Agromillora, in collaboration with the Valencian Institute of Agricultural Research (IVIA), has introduced CIVAC-19, a new citrus rootstock. CIVAC-19 is the result of more than a decade of research between IVIA and Agromillora. It is a hybrid rootstock of Citrus reshni (Cleopatra mandarin) and Poncirus trifoliata (trifoliate orange). Its semi-dwarfing nature provides medium vigor, key for maintaining compact canopies and …

CRISPR

Taking a Closer Look at CRISPR in Citrus Breeding

Daniel CooperBreeding, Research

By Manjul Dutt Editor’s Note: This is the second article in a series outlining how genetic technology can be using in citrus breeding. Traditional methods for improving citrus, such as crossbreeding different varieties, can be time-consuming due to the creation of a random mix of genes from both parents through a process called genetic introgression. In the article last month, …

hybrid citrus

New Chinese Citrus Hybrid Sells Out in Seven Days

Daniel CooperInternational, Varieties

A team of graduate students from the Citrus Research Institute of Southwest University sold out 5,000 boxes of a newly developed hybrid citrus variety in just seven days. The Citrus Research Institute in Chongqing, China, is affiliated with the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences. It all started when Li Shunxin, a graduate student under researcher Cao Li, and four classmates …