Most growers and professionals in the citrus industry are aware that Florida’s orange crop has declined due to diseases like citrus greening and natural disasters like Hurricane Irma. However, Florida’s grapefruit crop has been suffering tremendously as well, even more severely than Florida oranges. The Florida orange crop has dropped by 35 percent this year, while Florida grapefruit has dropped …
Grower Partnerships Are Key to UF/IFAS Plant-Breeding Success
University of Florida (UF) citrus breeder Fred Gmitter recalls meeting Vero Beach grower Tom Hammond about 20 years ago, when Gmitter needed a place to grow hybrid citrus. Gmitter knew most growers wouldn’t experiment with “raw materials” – plant offspring used to identify that possible one in 5,000 winner. Growers rarely make a profit from such experiments. Hammond took a …
Single Breakthrough Discovery for HLB in Florida Unlikely
A single breakthrough discovery for managing citrus greening in Florida in the future is unlikely, says a new report by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. The committee that wrote the report called for a systems approach to prioritize research on the disease and strategically distribute resources for research to effectively manage the disease, which is the most …
Irma Agriculture Aid Slated to Start in Summer
A program to distribute federal disaster aid to Florida farmers hit by Hurricane Irma will be set up within the next 100 days, U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue announced Friday. “USDA (the U.S. Department of Agriculture) is working as quickly as possible to develop procedures and a system by which affected producers can access disaster assistance,” Perdue said in a …
Funding to Help Ag Producers Recover After Hurricanes
2017 Wildfires and Hurricanes Indemnity Program to Aid Recovery in Rural Communities U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue announced the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) will make disaster payments of up to $2.36 billion, as provided by Congress, to help America’s farmers and ranchers recover from hurricanes and wildfires. The funds are available as part of the new 2017 Wildfires …
International OJ Market Sees Some Positives
By Marcos Fava Neves The third Fundecitrus estimate of the season for the Brazilian orange crop on Feb. 11 was just shy of 400 million boxes. It is 3.13 percent larger than the last estimate in December, and 9 percent larger than the initial estimate published in May. Fruits are bigger and heavier, reaching 247 fruits per box. This is …
Calls Increase for Irma Aid to Flow to Farmers
Pressure is growing from Florida and other states as the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) continues to determine how to move forward with a disaster-relief package President Donald Trump signed in early February. U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., and U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., joined colleagues from Texas, Louisiana and California this week in prodding U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue …
USDA Researcher: Bactericides Increase Yields
Several trials indicate that after one year of application, bactericides increase citrus yields in HLB-infected trees compared to non-treated controls, a U.S. Department of Agriculture researcher reported Tuesday at the Florida Citrus Growers’ Institute. But the researcher, Robert Shatters, says the results are variable. “We’ve seen three studies now, done totally separately in different ways, and they all show about …
Rubio Offers Hope for Farmers Hit by Irma
Federal disaster relief for farmers impacted by Hurricane Irma may be available “as early as next week,” according to U.S. Sen. Marco Rubio. Monday’s update from Rubio’s office came after the Miami Republican spoke with U.S. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, who had a similar conversation with Gov. Rick Scott Friday. Florida citrus farmers have expressed increasing frustration as they await …
‘Flip’ Psyllid Control for Better HLB Management
Mike Irey of Southern Gardens Citrus explains why he thinks “flipping” the standard focus of psyllid control from young trees to mature trees can actually help young trees grow stronger in the face of HLB. Irey, director of research and business development, spoke at the recent International Citrus Business Conference in Daytona Beach. Irey explains that HLB is spread two …
Kelly Morgan Named New SWFREC Director
By Jack Payne I am pleased to announce that Kelly Morgan will be the next director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC). He will assume leadership of the center on August 1. Under the current leadership of Calvin Arnold, who is retiring, SWFREC has enjoyed a fresh …
Research Reveals a New Direction for Halting HLB
New clues to how the bacteria associated with citrus greening infects the only insect that carries it could lead to a way to block the microbes’ spread from tree to tree, according to a study in Infection and Immunity by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) and Boyce Thompson Institute (BTI) scientists. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), is a serious disease dramatically …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Welcome to Waverly
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I was driving from Winter Haven to Palm Beach Gardens recently, taking the “back” way on Waverly Road. Once called Kissimmee Road, it was originally used to get from Florida’s west coast to the Kissimmee River. As I drove by the old office, packinghouse and welcome house of Waverly Growers Cooperative, I remembered what a beautiful …
Growers Lose Lawsuit to Continue Ban on Argentinian Lemons
By Brian German The ban on Argentinian lemons will not be reinstated after growers lost a lawsuit filed in May 2017, trying to keep the imports out of the United States. The lawsuit filed by the U.S. Citrus Science Council, along with five growers, claimed that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) ignored science and based its reasons to lift …
CRDF President Discusses Leadership Transition
Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) President Larry Black discusses the hiring of John Arthington as interim chief operations officer (COO) and the search for a permanent COO. Harold Browning will leave the COO post at the end of March to work for a private firm. “Dr. Arthington was highly recommended by several (CRDF) board members (and) past board members,” …
Beck Brothers Win 4R Advocate Award
Beck Brothers Citrus of Winter Garden, Florida, is one of five winners of the Fertilizer Institute’s 4R Advocate Award for 2018. The company is the third winner from Florida and the first citrus grower to receive this national award. Beck Brothers was recognized for implementing 4R fertilizer management practices on the farm to increase production and reduce environmental impact. 4R …
ACP Pheromone to Improve Trapping
By Len Wilcox University of California Davis (UC Davis) researchers have identified the sex pheromone of the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), a discovery which will lead to better methods of controlling the pest. The ACP is a major threat to citrus around the world. The psyllid is a tiny insect with the potential to wreak havoc as it spreads the …
CRDF Hires Interim Chief Operations Officer
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), tasked primarily with researching and implementing management techniques for HLB, hired a cattle expert as interim chief operations officer on March 20. John Arthington will temporarily succeed Harold Browning, who resigns at the end of March to pursue HLB control strategies with Vero Beach-based Premier Citrus ApZ. Arthington is a University of Florida …
Grower Participation Needed for BMP Survey
The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences researchers at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center would like to better understand best management practices (BMPs) used by area growers. BMPs are individual practices or combinations of practices that are effective at improving the quality of surface water and ground water. Growers provide a public service by performing …
Homeowners to Receive Compensation After 17-Year Canker Battle
A legal fight over citrus canker has finally come to a close after 17 years. Citrus canker, which reappeared in Florida in 1986, is a bacterial disease that can cause blemishes on the fruit, and in some cases, can cause fruit to drop prematurely. Canker is usually spread by the wind, making it difficult to control. In 2000, Florida was …




























