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 …
IMG Citrus Acquires Facility and Farmland
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
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
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
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
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 Citrus Invests in Packinghouse
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 Reprises Role at IMG Citrus
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
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Announces 2026 Inductees
The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Selection Committee has announced the inductees for the Class of 2026: Brenda Eubanks Burnette, Kristen Carlson, the late James “Doc” Redd and L.W. “Pete” Timmer. They will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 27, 2026, at the George W. Jenkins Fieldhouse at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. Burnette is being honored …
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 …
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 …
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 …
Improving Citrus Using Genetic Tools
By Manjul Dutt Editor’s Note: This is the first in a series of two articles on plant improvement. Next month will feature the timeline for CRISPR-developed trees. 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, leading …
Spain’s Citrus Production to Hit 16-Year Low
Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food has forecast national citrus production of 5.44 million tons for the 2025–26 season, which began Sept. 1. That’s 10.7% lower than last season’s production and the lowest production level in the last 16 years. The decline is mainly due to: Oranges, small citrus fruit and lemons are expected to see significant declines, while …
Sneak Peek: October 2025 Citrus Industry
Breeding efforts to develop citrus trees resistant to HLB are well underway. But how long does the process take before trees are available to growers? Manjul Dutt, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) assistant professor, addresses this question and more in the Citrus Industry section of the October issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine. His article …
Plant Diagnostic Facilities for Georgia Citrus Growers
The University of Georgia (UGA) has disease labs and clinics to help citrus producers determine what diseases are impacting their trees. Jonathan Oliver, UGA assistant professor and small fruits pathologist, highlights the diagnostic facilities that growers can take advantage of. “We have a lab in Tifton, the Plant Disease Clinic, that can accept samples from commercial citrus,” Oliver said. “We …