Federal and state agriculture officials expanded the Santa Clara Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine twice in late October in California’s Alameda and Santa Clara counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) enacted the expansion. On Oct. 21, the agencies expanded the quarantine in response to …
Study Focuses on Women in Agriculture
A recently launched national Women in Agriculture Study is a comprehensive effort to capture women’s voices from across all 50 states and Puerto Rico. The study’s survey remains open through March 31 to gather insights from women working in production agriculture, agribusiness, education and advocacy. While focusing on women, the survey is also open to men and others in related …
Planning This Season’s Use of Brassinosteroids for Better Juice Quality
By Fernando Alferez and Divya Aryal Brassinosteroids (BRs) are a class of plant growth regulators with several effects on plant growth and development. They engage in crosstalk with other hormones like auxin, gibberellins, ethylene and abscisic acid, influencing all plant growth and development aspects including fruit maturation, but the timing of this effect appears to be short and tightly regulated. …
Using Pesticides Safely
By Mongi Zekri Editor’s note: This article grants one continuing education unit (CEU) in the Core category toward the renewal of a Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services restricted-use pesticide license when the accompanying test is submitted and approved. A minimum score of 70% is required to receive credit. Pesticides should not be considered the first line of defense against …
Irrigation and Nutrient Management for Improved Tree Productivity
By Davie Kadyampakeni, Alisheikh Atta, Jonas Pereira de Souza Junior, Christopher Vincent and Tripti Vashisth Typically, citrus water requirements are low in the winter and spring due to cooler temperatures but peak in summer and early fall due to rising temperatures. Thus, improved irrigation management is critical in these times of the year for improved production. Because most citrus trees …
Podcast Takes a Deep Dive Into CUPS
Citrus under protective screen (CUPS) continues to grow in popularity with about 1,500 acres now planted in Florida. The October All In For Citrus podcast covers CUPS and some of the challenges growers can face with the system. Jerry Mixon, a CUPS grower, discusses why he wanted to try the system and some of the challenges he has faced with …
Early-Season Export Report for Brazil
The first 90 days of the 2025–26 Brazilian citrus season confirmed adjustments in the export market for orange juice (OJ) and citrus byproducts. LOWER VOLUME AND REVENUE In spite of the tariff exemption on Brazilian OJ in the United States, the performance of exports from July to September was below that verified in the same period last season. According to …
Fussell Succeeds Tighe in Florida Ag Roles
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) has named Bryn Fussell director of membership as well as executive director of the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation. She succeeds Sonia Tighe, who retired in September. Fussell will manage FFVA’s membership recruitment, retention and administration efforts. The Florida Specialty Crop Foundation, which she will direct, oversees several scholarship initiatives and the Emerging Leader …
Millennium Block Field Day Set for Nov. 6
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) will host its annual Millennium Block Field Day Nov. 6 from 9 a.m. to noon. The field day will showcase the center’s emphasis on research to find a solution to citrus greening disease. The IRREC is located at 2199 South Rock Road …
The Road to HLB Recovery
Sponsored Content Question: There has been discussion that HLB recovery will be seen in yield first and quality second. Is that happening? Answer: It is still too early to tell exactly what the numbers will look like for the 2025–26 harvest. However, early harvest reports are coming in, and they seem quite encouraging. There is a report on a grove …
How to Avoid Herbicide Contamination Issues
By Ramdas Kanissery Even a small amount of leftover herbicide in the spray tank can harm citrus trees. Contamination often occurs when the same sprayer is used on trees of different ages without being cleaned properly between applications. It can also happen when the sprayer is used for other pesticide products without a thorough rinse. Herbicide residues from certain herbicide …
Farm Service Agency Resumes Core Operations
Approximately 2,100 U.S. Department of Agriculture Farm Service Agency county offices on Oct. 23 resumed core operations during the government shutdown. The action is expected to help farmers access $3 billion worth of aid from existing programs. The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) reported that Commodity Credit Corp. programs that fully resumed include: GDA reported that intake-only programs that resumed …
Let’s Chat About CUPS
Citrus under protective screen (CUPS) continues to spread across the Florida landscape. The practice is allowing growers to produce high-yielding and high-quality fruit. Roughly 1,500 acres are now planted under screen in Florida. MEET CUPSchat Arnold Schumann, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) professor of soil, water and ecosystems sciences, pioneered CUPS research in Florida. His …
Several Expansions to Santa Clara Medfly Quarantine
Over the past month, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) have expanded the Santa Clara Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine in California three times. Their actions resulted in the inclusion of a portion of Alameda County in the quarantine while also expanding the quarantine area …
FFVA Urges H-2A Processing During Government Shutdown
The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently urged the U.S. Office of Management and Budget to authorize the U.S. Department of Labor (USDOL) to continue processing H-2A labor certifications during the government shutdown. An Oct. 17 letter from FFVA Director of Labor Relations Jamie Fussell stated that delays in H-2A certifications caused by the shutdown imminently threaten agricultural production, …
Keeping the Momentum Going
Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) Chairman Steve Johnson recently cited ways the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) has been helping keep momentum going for Florida citrus. During the Sept. 23–26 International Citrus and Beverage Conference, Marisa Zansler (FDOC director of economic and market research) gave a citrus outlook and marketing update to key stakeholders in the beverage market. The overarching message …
Changes to Mexfly Quarantines in Texas
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA) have made several recent changes to Mexican fruit fly (Mexfly) quarantines in Texas. DONNA REMOVED On Sept. 10, the agencies reduced the Donna Mexfly quarantine in Hidalgo County by 66 square miles, including 945 acres of commercial citrus. The amended quarantine …
Prolong Tree Health by Combining Covers and Brassinosteroids
As every Florida citrus grower knows, it has been difficult to grow trees and fruit profitably since huanglongbing (HLB) disease was discovered in the state in 2005. Soon after the disease was discovered, officials determined it couldn’t be eradicated largely because the Asian citrus psyllids (ACP) that spread it showed up years earlier and were in virtually all citrus-producing regions. …
Water Treaty Inclusion Sought in U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement
U.S. Representative Monica De La Cruz from Texas has called for inclusion of a water treaty with Mexico to be included in the upcoming United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA). De La Cruz advocated for inclusion of the 1944 Water Treaty in a public comment letter to U.S. Trade Ambassador Jamieson Greer to ensure Mexico complies with its obligated water deliveries. Learn …
Officials Urged to Include Specialty Crops in Aid Program
The Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance (SCFBA) and two groups of U.S. representatives recently urged federal officials to include specialty crop producers in any new federal economic assistance program for agriculture. The SCFBA, co-chaired by Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association President Mike Joyner, addressed the issue in a letter to President Donald Trump. “Although our growers are experiencing similar economic …





























