Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) President Larry Black discusses the organization’s recent selection of Winter Haven attorney and former state legislator Rick Dantzler as chief operations officer. “Rick wasn’t part of the original candidate pool, but his name emerged in recent weeks as a strong candidate, a good leader,” Black says. “He had a great track record as the …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Remembering O.C. Minton
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I was in Fort Pierce recently doing interviews for an oral history project and ran across some interesting photos and information on O.C. Minton, who was inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame in 1982. A hard worker who was totally dedicated to the Florida citrus industry, Minton’s defining moments came when fighting for identification …
System Stops Psyllid Travel
By Len Wilcox Researchers with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) believe that an effective measure has been found that will reduce the risk of spreading huanglongbing (HLB) disease between orchards. The control measure is a fogging system with a carrier and a pesticide that effectively destroys disease-bearing insects before they can leave the orchard and do further harm. NO …
Lawmakers Sign Off on Money for Citrus Farmers
Gov. Rick Scott said the state will “soon” begin accepting applications from citrus farmers whose crops and groves were damaged by Hurricane Irma, after the Joint Legislative Budget Commission accepted $357 million in federal funding for the industry on July 19. “It’s great that the LBC approved this funding today,” Scott tweeted. “We look forward to continuing to work with …
Florida Department of Citrus Responds to New York Times Anti-Juice Article
From the Florida Department of Citrus Over the weekend, the New York Times published an opinion piece, in print and online, critical of juice, including 100 percent orange juice. The article, written by three pediatricians, makes overreaching statements on consumption levels and the health impacts of juice, focusing solely on negative impressions without regard for the positive nutrient benefits 100 percent orange juice …
Set Up WHIP Appointment Now
By Mike Sparks We wrapped up the fourth Wildfire and Hurricane Indemnity Program (WHIP) meeting in Fort Pierce yesterday with a large crowd at the Agricultural Research Service facility. All told, Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) hosted almost 800 attendees during the week. If you didn’t attend one of the events, we have some …
Artificial Intelligence for Detecting Citrus Pests, Diseases and Disorders
By Arnold Schumann, Laura Waldo, William Holmes, Gary Test and Tim Ebert Artificial intelligence (AI) is increasingly common in electronic devices at home or work, in social media, video streaming services, electronic commerce, and in internet search engines. Now, AI is rapidly entering the farming scene. Growers using modern precision agriculture tools and techniques often face a barrage of high …
Bayer on HLB: No Single Solution Likely
Denise Manker with Bayer CropScience provides an update on Bayer’s collaborative effort with the Citrus Research and Development Foundation to seek solutions for HLB. Her presentation came during the recent Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference in Bonita Springs. Manker told the audience there will not likely be a “silver bullet” that will provide a solution to the disease. “I think …
The Complex Path for New Citrus in California
By Len Wilcox Continuous research and development of new varieties is an important function of the University of California, Riverside (UCR). Efforts have led to hundreds of profitable varieties now being grown in California. According to a report in California Agriculture, University of California’s (UC) research journal, one of those varieties has been a source of more than $14 million …
California Industry Updates Presented at Spring Citrus Meeting
By Brian German The Spring Citrus Meeting held last week in Tulare County touched on several major issues growers are concerned with, and included presentations on best practices for managing citrus trees. The day began with important information related to Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the disease it causes, huanglongbing (HLB), which has been growing at an alarming rate in …
Field Testing of New HLB-Tolerant Scions and Rootstocks
By Rhuanito S. Ferrarezi, Jude W. Grosser, Fred G. Gmitter, Ed Stover and Kim Bowman Citrus is Florida’s most important agricultural commodity. The state produces citrus for different markets: round oranges for juice; navels, mandarins, grapefruit and lemons for the fresh-fruit industry; and lemons for extracting peel oil for processing. Huanglongbing (HLB) disease affects all citrus varieties. Since the discovery …
Certis for Citrus Program Helps Fund Fight Against HLB
The biopesticide company, Certis USA, presented the non-profit Citrus Research and Development Foundation, Inc. (CRDF) with a check for $20,000 to help fund research projects in an effort to find a cure for huanglongbing (HLB; citrus greening). The presentation was made during the Florida Citrus Industry Annual Conference that took place at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa. …
June Florida Citrus Forecast: Grapefruit Down Slightly
The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) on June 12 is 45 million boxes, unchanged from the May forecast. The total includes 19 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties) and 26 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The forecast for non-Valencia production is finalized and harvest …
Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program Introduced
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy has a new citrus cost-share program to assist with irrigation improvements on groves that are being replanted. FDACS announced it has set aside roughly $3 million for the Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program (CRISP). The program is designed to be a 75 percent cost share for the …
CRDF 2018 Funding Cycle Is in Full Swing
Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) On April 24, the CRDF board of directors approved research priorities for two separate research funding programs. One is for projects that will lead directly to the development of commercial products, tools or recommendations (Commercial Product Development Committee, CPDC-18). The other is for projects with broader, fundamental researchable questions (Research …
CRDF Finalizes Grower Communication Plan
At its recent May meeting, the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) finalized a communication plan that will attempt to make the organization’s information more easily available to growers and others. Ned Hancock, chairman of the CRDF communications subcommittee, reports. “One of the key elements is we’re going to revamp our website. We’re going to try to make it extremely …
New HLB Research Facility in Riverside
By Len Wilcox There’s a new research facility funded by California citrus growers to help combat huanglongbing (HLB), also known as citrus greening disease. The facility, located in Riverside, California, is the result of a 3-year cooperative effort of the University of California, Riverside (UC Riverside) and California citrus growers. Using funds provided by members of California Citrus Mutual (CCM), …
What Is CRISPR and What Does it Mean for Citrus?
By Fred Gmitter, Yi Zhang and Jude Grosser It is very likely that you have heard about the use of CRISPR technology and its great potential for addressing human health issues, as well as the promise it holds for providing solutions for major agricultural challenges, particularly for huanglongbing (HLB) in citrus. Granting agencies are supporting many citrus research projects aimed …
Five Questions for Republicans Running for Florida Agriculture Commissioner
By Gary Cooper, Founder and President of AgNet Media, Inc. The three Republican candidates for Florida Agriculture Commissioner presented their views to approximately 200 attendees at a recent Candidate Summit Luncheon near Orlando. Coldwell Banker Commercial Saunders Real Estate organized and hosted the event in conjunction with its 10th annual Lay of the Land Conference, which draws a strong agricultural following. …
Committed to Clientele-Focused Leadership
By John Arthington Column sponsored by the Citrus Research and Development Foundation Hello. I want to take this opportunity to introduce myself and my new role at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF). As many of you are aware, Harold Browning retired as chief operations officer (COO) to pursue other opportunities in private industry. At that time, Larry Black …





























