Agriculture Freedom Zones

Agriculture Freedom Zones Proposed to Protect Farmland

Daniel CooperAgriculture, Land

Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller recently proposed a plan to protect farm and ranchland from the rapid spread of data centers. His proposal focuses on creating federal or state-designated Agriculture Freedom Zones (AFZs) that would use targeted tax incentives to guide data center development into appropriate areas. The goal is to safeguard food production while still supporting growth in technology …

Chinese

Chinese Mandarin and Grapefruit Forecast

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected 2025–26 production and trade volumes for Chinese tangerines/mandarins and pomelos/grapefruit. TANGERINES AND MANDARINS For 2025–26, China’s production of tangerines and mandarins is forecast at 27.1 million metric tons (MMT), a slight increase from 2024–25 largely due to favorable weather conditions. According to USDA FAS, China has 890,100 hectares …

ReMedium TI

Growers Can Stay Productive in the Face of HLB

Daniel CooperHLB Management

Despite declaring there will be no silver bullet for HLB, Ozgur Batuman in a Jan. 21 virtual seminar said growers using integrated pest management (IPM) tools “can stay productive.” However, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor also warned that producing citrus juice in Florida “will not be easy or cheap.” Oranges are by far …

Nutritional Needs of HLB-Affected Trees

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Nutrition, Tip of the Week

By Davie Kadyampakeni, Alisheikh Atta and Edilaine Traspadini Citrus trees require optimal nutrition to be able to maintain high fruit yields, canopy size and good root health. Adequate nutrition supports not only yield and growth, but also tree resilience to disease and environmental stress, which is particularly important in HLB-affected groves. A balanced mix of macronutrients and micronutrients is needed …

Argentina

Argentina Orange and Tangerine Forecasts Issued

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Fresh orange production in Argentina is forecast at 680,000 metric tons (MT) for 2025–26 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS). That’s an 80,000 MT increase from the previous year. Argentine tangerine production is expected to reach 240,000 MT in 2025–26, based on favorable weather. That’s up from 180,000 MT the previous year. PLANTED AREA The …

Dundee

PIECES OF THE PAST: A Legacy and a Launchpad

Daniel CooperPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette As I look back through my past columns, I realize I’ve unintentionally overlooked an organization that played a pivotal role in shaping both my career and my passion for Florida’s citrus industry — the Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA). Dundee CGA generously sponsored me — not once, but twice — in the Florida Citrus Queen Pageant, …

Alico

Alico Sells Large Grove in Hendry County

Daniel CooperLand

Alico, Inc. on Jan. 15 announced the sale of approximately 2,950 acres of citrus grove in Hendry County for $26.8 million. The company also announced that it has made significant progress in its plans to generate cashflow from its agricultural assets. Those actions have advanced its strategic transformation from traditional citrus operations to a diversified land company.  According to Alico, …

purity level

Grower Results With ReMedium TI® Mirror Researcher Results

Daniel CooperHLB Management, OTC Expert, Sponsored Content

Sponsored Content Question: Are there any updates on the performance of ReMedium TI® and citrus yield improvements? Answer: We are hearing from growers about groves in central and southern Florida where they are observing HLB recovery. I am getting reports from growers that have been steadfast users of ReMedium TI® that seem to be in agreement with much of the …

grove

Grove Conditions, Infrastructure and Funding Addressed

Daniel CooperProduction

In the recent Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) newsletter, Riley McKenna discussed conditions in groves, shrinking infrastructure and the importance of block grant funding. GROVE OBSERVATIONS McKenna, HCCGA president, stated that “faint hints of March bloom are already beginning to fill the air.” He added that the weather shows little indication of stabilizing or slowing tree growth, “which could …

UGA

UGA Extension Monitoring for Psyllid Movement

Daniel CooperGeorgia, Psyllids

The vector of citrus greening disease remains in low numbers in Georgia. University of Georgia (UGA) researchers are hoping the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) stays that way. Led by UGA entomologist Apurba Barman, UGA Extension is monitoring for the insect in hopes of limiting its migration throughout South Georgia. “The good thing is, so far, we’ve found ACP in only …

ascorbic acid

Amending Oxytetracycline With Ascorbic Acid

Daniel CooperHLB Management, Tip of the Week

By Lauren Fessler Mathews, Ana Redondo and Ozgur Batuman Trunk injections of oxytetracycline (OTC) have been proven to give huanglongbing (HLB)-affected citrus in Florida a boost in productivity and quality. However, previous studies have shown that even just six hours of exposure to heat and humidity in the grove can lead to OTC injections that no longer adequately suppress CLas …

individual protective covers

Benefits and Risks of Individual Protective Covers

Daniel CooperIPCs

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers have long extolled the virtues of individual protective covers (IPCs). Multi-county citrus Extension agent Edwin Gutierrez-Rodriguez does the same but also warns of potential risks. Following is information from a recent UF/IFAS blog article he authored. In the ongoing battle against huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease, …

Angle

A Focus on Flavor

Daniel CooperMarketing, Research, Technology

By J. Scott Angle, jangle@ufl.edu, @IFAS_VP Our job at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to help you make money. Since HLB is the biggest threat to your bottom line, it’s at the top of our research agenda. We continue to seek scientific solutions to anything else that threatens your livelihood — other diseases, …

varieties

Budgeting for Satsumas and Seeking Alternative Varieties

Daniel CooperEconomics, Georgia, Varieties

As citrus acreage expands in Georgia, the Southeast Regional Fruit & Vegetable Conference has added the fruit to its educational seminar lineup in recent years. This year’s conference, held in Savannah in early January, featured various citrus topics, including pest and disease management, new varieties and economics of citrus production in the state. Greg Fonsah and Guy Hancock, ag economists …

Egyptian

Egyptian Orange Crop to Increase

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

Egyptian orange production in 2025–26 is forecast to increase by around 15% from the prior year to 4 million metric tons (MMT), the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) reported.  Oranges account for 80% of all citrus production in Egypt, which ranks among the world’s top 10 orange producers. PLANTED AREA The orange acreage in Egypt is …

remobilization

Seasonal Differences in Bark and Leaf Nitrogen Remobilization

Daniel CooperNutrition, Research

Recent research indicates that citrus bark and mature leaves have significantly different nitrogen remobilization patterns. Study authors are Huaye Xiong, Bin Hu, Jie Wang, Xing-Zheng Fu, Yueqiang Zhang, Xiaojun Shi and Heinz Rennenberg, all with Southwest University in China. Here is the article summary: Seasonal nitrogen (N) storage and remobilization are critical for tree growth. Deciduous trees primarily store N …

administrative

Addressing H-2A Administrative Processing Delays

Daniel CooperLabor

Recent communications from agriculture organizations addressed administrative processing delays with the U.S. H-2A program. The program allows the use of temporary foreign agriculture workers in America. In recent years, the majority of Florida citrus has been harvested by H-2A workers.   AG GROUPS EXPRESS CONCERNS Three U.S. agriculture organizations on Dec. 17 submitted a letter to the U.S. Department of State …

recommendations

Gibberellic Acid May Help Manage Alternate Bearing

Daniel CooperCold Hardy, Production

A common management tool that Florida citrus growers use to improve the health of trees impacted by citrus greening disease could be a valuable resource for cold-hardy producers — but for a different reason. Mary Sutton, University of Georgia assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist, discussed the tool gibberellic acid (GA) at the recent Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference …

brassinosteroids

Unraveling the Mechanisms Leading to Prolonged Tree Health by Combining IPCs and Brassinosteroids

Daniel CooperHLB Management, IPCs, Tip of the Week

By Fernando Alferez, Divya Aryal and Saoussen Ben Abdallah University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research in the last three years has found that the combined use of individual protective covers (IPCs) and brassinosteroids (BRs) enhances protection of citrus trees against HLB and other diseases that limit citrus production in Florida. The research has been conducted …

South African

South African Orange and OJ Production Forecast

Daniel CooperCrop Forecast, International

The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) recently forecast production and trade for South African oranges and orange juice (OJ) in 2025–26. ORANGES South Africa’s 2025–26 orange production is forecast to increase by 1% from 2024–25, to 1,850 million metric tons (MMT). The orange planted area is projected to increase by 2% in 2025–26, reaching 46,000 hectares. Valencias …