PIECES OF THE PAST: Remembering the Florida Orange Festival

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette In 1924, a group of citrus growers in Winter Haven decided to showcase Florida’s burgeoning citrus industry with a celebration they originally called the Winter Haven Orange Festival. The event included business booths, beautiful displays of citrus fruit and a search for a young woman to represent the industry during the three-day festival. The festival was …

Australian

Australian Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The 2024–25 Australian orange crop will increase from the prior year while orange juice (OJ) production will dip, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) forecast recently. ORANGES UP USDA FAS projects fresh Australian orange production at 545,000 metric tons (MT) in marketing year 2024–25 (April 2025 to March 2026). That would be the highest production level …

mandarin/tangerine

Mandarin/Tangerine Production in Peru

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, Mandarins

Peru’s mandarin/tangerine production in marketing year 2024–25 is forecast at 570,000 metric tons (MT), an increase of 2% from the previous year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) issued the forecast. The marketing year runs from April 2025 to March 2026. Cooler climatic conditions have extended into December 2024 due to the La Niña phenomenon, promoting …

oxytetracycline

Oxytetracycline Efficacy Impacted by Exposure to Field Conditions

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Lauren Fessler Mathews, Sanju Kunwar, Ana Redondo and Ozgur Batuman Based on numerous research studies conducted by scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), it has been proven that injections of oxytetracycline (OTC) can help to alleviate symptoms caused by huanglongbing (HLB) disease. This treatment is now widely practiced and crucial for preventing …

Farmworker Protection Rule

Temporary Guidance on Farmworker Protection Rule

Daniel CooperLabor, Regulation

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) on Dec. 20 issued additional guidance following court orders from the Eastern District of Kentucky and the Southern District of Mississippi regarding the 2024 Farmworker Protection Rule. This rule, intended to enhance protections for workers in temporary agricultural employment, is currently under legal scrutiny, causing delays in its full implementation. A preliminary injunction from …

European Union

European Union Orange Crop and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

European Union (EU) orange and orange juice (OJ) production in 2024–25 is both projected to decline from the prior season. The forecast was issued by the U.S Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). ORANGES The orange crop is projected at just above 5.6 million metric tons (MMT), down from the 5.7 million MMT orange crop in 2023–24. Orange …

record

Brazilian Orange Prices Set Record Highs

Daniel CooperBrazil, Economics

Orange prices in Brazil set record highs in 2024, the Center for Advanced Studies in Applied Economics (CEPEA) in Brazil reported. According to CEPEA, the value of a 90-pound box was above BRL 100 ($16.63 U.S.) in the fresh market. The record price is explained by firm demand from the industry, which faced low orange juice (OJ) stocks and limited …

medications

Medications and Grapefruit Could Be Compatible

Daniel CooperGrapefruit, Research

In an advance that could change how millions of patients take their medications, researchers have identified the genetic mechanism behind grapefruit’s notorious interaction with prescription drugs. The discovery opens the door to developing new varieties of grapefruit that won’t interfere with medications, potentially allowing patients to safely enjoy the fruit again. For decades, healthcare providers have advised patients to avoid …

priorities

Top Priorities: HLB Resistance and Hurricane Recovery

Daniel CooperHLB Management, hurricane

With 2024 in the rear view mirror, we asked leaders of key citrus organizations what their priorities are for this year. Here’s what they had to say. TREE OF THE FUTURE “For the last 2.5 years, our research strategy at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation has been to kill the bacteria that causes HLB — Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas) …

Sugar Belles

Sugar Belles Show Good Production in Georgia Trial

Daniel CooperGeorgia, Rootstocks, Varieties

University of Georgia (UGA) County Extension Coordinator Jake Price recently provided an update on a row of Sugar Belles planted at a Georgia research plot in 2018. The Sugar Belle planting originally had 20 trees on four different rootstocks. Each rootstock was replicated five times. The rootstocks used were US-852, US-942, US-897 and Rubidoux. “After the December 2022 freeze, the …

China

China Has Changes in Orange and OJ Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

China, the world’s largest citrus producer, is forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) to produce 7.62 million metric tons (MMT) of oranges in marketing year 2024–25. That’s a slight reduction from prior year production of 7.63 MMT. A range of weather-related issues is threatening orange production, including persistent rain in April and May that …

IPCs

Combine IPCs and Brassinosteroids to Prolong Young Tree Health

Daniel CooperIPCs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez and Saoussen Ben Abdallah The risk of citrus plantings to become infected with HLB is especially high for young trees, which flush frequently and attract more psyllids than mature trees. Individual protective covers (IPCs) are now being increasingly adopted to protect newly planted citrus trees from psyllid colonization. However, even though IPCs effectively protect young trees from …

hlb

Weathering the HLB Storm

Daniel CooperHLB Management

Specialty crop growers might be aware of the disease sweeping through Florida’s citrus industry. Its impact has been tremendous and has tested the survival of the state’s signature crop. This year will mark the 20th anniversary of the official confirmation of citrus greening disease (also known as huanglongbing or HLB) in Florida. In the past two decades, the state’s output …

hlb

Study Shows Impact of HLB Bacterium on Roots

Daniel CooperResearch, Root health

A recent study sheds light on the significant effects of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus (CLas), the bacterium responsible for HLB, on the root systems of grafted Valencia orange trees. The findings reveal that root system reductions caused by the infection are more extensive than the corresponding aboveground declines. That finding underscores the hidden yet critical impact of the disease below the …

orange and tangerine

Orange and Tangerine Production in Argentina

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Argentine orange and tangerine production are both forecast to decline in 2024–25 according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS). Orange production is projected at 620,000 metric tons (MT), down from 760,000 MT the prior year. Tangerine production is projected at 200,000 MT, down from 280,000 MT. REGIONS AND VARIETIES Sweet citrus is grown in both the …

Chilean

A Look at Chilean Lemon Production

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International, lemons

Chilean lemon production is projected to grow by 2.6% in 2024–25, reaching 197,000 metric tons (MT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported. Chile’s lemon acreage is expected to reach 10,400 hectares, a 4.8% increase from 2023–24. The increase in area planted is a major reason for the expected production increase. The area planted with lemons …

MASC program

USDA Increases MASC Program Payment Limit and Extends Deadline

Daniel Cooperfinancial, Marketing

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Farm Service Agency (FSA) is providing an additional $650 million in funding for the new Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops (MASC) program and is extending the application deadline to Friday, Jan. 10, 2025. With a total of $2.65 billion available, MASC helps specialty crop producers expand markets and manage higher costs. FSA is also increasing …

Medfly

Medfly Quarantine Expanded Again

Daniel CooperCalifornia Corner, Pests, Regulation

Twice in December, agriculture officials expanded the Mediterranean fruit fly (Medfly) quarantine area in California’s Alameda and Santa Clara counties, designated the Fremont quarantine. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) and the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) made the expansions Dec. 5 and Dec. 12. The quarantine was expanded in response to …

pest management

Plan Your 2025 Pest Management

Daniel CooperPest Management, Pests, Tip of the Week

By Lauren Diepenbrock Pest management is a year-round challenge in Florida citrus. With the warm climate, pests are at the ready as soon as plant resources are available to them. With knowledge of invertebrate biology in relation to tree phenology, growers can develop plans to protect fruit and maintain productive citrus trees. HIGHLY PROBLEMATIC PESTS Populations of some highly problematic …

milton

Survey Tracks Hurricane Milton Impacts and OTC Usage

Daniel Cooperhurricane, planting, Survey

The Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey seeks input from growers on key issues affecting their groves. While not a scientific survey, it has reflected general trends over the years. This year’s survey asked growers to weigh in on major events like the impact of Hurricane Milton and the performance of trunk-injection therapies. HURRICANE MILTON Hurricane Milton made landfall …