field day

CITRUS NURSERY SOURCE: A Valuable Field Day

Daniel CooperCitrus Nursery Source, Events

By Peter Chaires Commercial and nursery growers, processors, packers, suppliers, caretakers, associations and research scientists came together on Dec. 5 to participate in the A.H. Whitmore Foundation Farm Open House and Field Day. This great event is co-hosted annually by the Florida Citrus Research Foundation (FCRF) and U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service (USDA-ARS). TOUR The event provided a broad …

See the Seminar Program for the Florida Citrus Show

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Events, FCS24, Florida Citrus Show

The Florida Citrus Show is just a month away, scheduled for March 12. The event will be held at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Indian River Research and Education Center and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service U.S. Horticultural Research Laboratory in Fort Pierce. The seminar program offers a wealth of educational opportunities, and …

updates

Florida Citrus Disease Updates

Daniel CooperDiseases

Plant pathologist Megan Dewdney on Nov. 20 presented updates on greasy spot, greasy-green, citrus black spot (CBS) and phytophthora brown rot. Dewdney is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor and Extension specialist at the Citrus Research and Education Center. GREASY SPOT AND GREASY-GREEN Dewdney reported that control measures for greasy spot, caused by the …

barriers

Foreign Barriers to Florida Citrus

Daniel CooperDiseases, International, Trade

The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association (FFVA) recently provided comments to the Office of the United States Trade Representative as part of the annual review of foreign barriers to U.S. exports and investment. The FFVA letter noted injury to Florida citrus caused by low-priced imports from Mexico and the European Union’s use of scientifically unjustified, non-tariff trade barriers. Letter excerpts …

Probable Requirements for Shipping Georgia Citrus to Florida

Tacy CalliesShipping

The Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) recently announced probable State of Florida requirements for shipping fresh citrus from Georgia to Florida in the upcoming season. Georgia hopes to again be able to ship fresh fruit to Florida in 2025 to be packed. As in previous years, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services will almost certainly require groves to …

Sneak Peek: June 2025 Citrus Industry

Daniel CooperSneak Peek

The June issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine honors the winner of the 2025 Citrus Achievement Award. Ben Albritton, this year’s recipient, is a fourth-generation citrus grower and Florida politician. Learn all about his career and accomplishments in the cover story. Don’t miss the digital edition of the magazine to see an exclusive video interview. Albritton and Specialty Crop Grower …

weather

Foliar Disease Watch in Florida

Daniel CooperDiseases, Tip of the Week

By Megan Dewdney Spring is the time to start thinking about foliar disease management in Florida. Depending on the type of citrus being produced and the market destination, different diseases will be important. POSTBLOOM FRUIT DROP The disease that affects all citrus, particularly oranges, is postbloom fruit drop (PFD). This disease is highly dependent on the weather during bloom. Currently, …

disease

Post-Hurricane Disease Concerns

Daniel CooperDiseases, hurricane

Phytophthora, citrus black spot and HLB are among diseases that could be spread in Florida groves as a direct or indirect result of Hurricane Milton, researcher Megan Dewdney cautioned. Dewdney, a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of plant pathology, offered suggestions for dealing with those diseases during a recent hurricane recovery webinar. PHYTOPHTHORA Phytophthora …

CRDF

CRDF Funds OTC and Other Research Projects

Daniel CooperCRDF, Diseases, Research

The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) board of directors had a busy meeting in September. The board approved several research proposals for funding. And one researcher was asked to revise and resubmit a proposal. “A complicating factor was several of the proposals were put together before the ‘off-year’ of oxytetracycline (OTC) usage was repealed, but we concluded that it …

foliar disease

EU Intercepts Pests From South African and Brazilian Citrus

Daniel CooperExport/Import, International, Pests

The European Union (EU) in July intercepted 11 shipments infested with the quarantine pests citrus black spot (CBS) and false moth in citrus imports from South Africa. Eight CBS cases were intercepted in lemons, one in oranges and one in grapefruit. There was one false moth detection in oranges. The Valencian Farmers Association (AVA-ASAJA) called on Ursula von der Leyen, …

2026 Seminar Program

HomeAttendSeminarsHotelExhibitSponsorThank You Seminar Sponsor!Seminar schedule times are subject to change.Wednesday, April 3, 20248:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. – Registration at Trade Show EntranceDon’t wait in line, pre-register today!8:00 a.m. – 9:30 a.m. – Breakfast in Trade Show Hall8:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Trade Show OpenVisit exhibitor booths!11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. – Tailgate PartyTry exhibitor’s tailgate food and vote …

crdf

Three Key Meetings for CRDF

Daniel CooperCRDF

The February board meeting of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) covered a lot of ground according to Rick Dantzler, the foundation’s chief operating officer. “We had a big day on the day of the board meeting. There were three meetings: 1) our monthly board meeting; 2) a research summit with citrus organization leaders, the CRDF board and CRDF …

requirements

Shipping Georgia Citrus to Florida

Josh McGillGeorgia, Regulation, Shipping

The Georgia Citrus Association recently provided information for Georgia growers interested in shipping their citrus to Florida.  CHECK REGISTRATIONFlorida citrus packers should be registered with the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) if they send fruit out of Florida. The packer should have already reached out to the Florida Citrus Health …

Fundecitrus Participates in Argentine Citriculture Congress

Josh McGillInternational, Research

Specialists from Brazil’s Fundecitrus recently participated in the Argentine Citriculture Congress in Concordia, Argentina. They were among more than 400 at the event. Participants included producers, researchers and students. Fundecitrus researcher Renato Bassanezi gave the opening lecture on epidemiology and management of greening in Brazil. He also participated in a round table discussion on the current status of advances in …

Fundecitrus Researchers Attend Citrus Congress

Josh McGillEvents, International

Researchers from Brazil’s Fundecitrus participated in the 14th International Citrus Congress held in Mersin, Turkey, Nov. 6–11. The event brought together participants from public and private research institutions, as well as the production and commercial sectors of citrus. Representatives from 28 countries participated in the congress, including the United States, South Africa, Australia, Israel and several countries in Europe. Fundecitrus …

lime production

Tahiti Limes From Brazil to Be Imported Into United States

Josh McGillBrazil, Export/Import, Limes

The federal government has drafted a pest risk assessment for the importation of fresh Tahiti limes (Citrus latifolia) for consumption from Brazil into the continental United States, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (USDA APHIS) assessment describes potential pests associated with the commodity. APHIS shares draft pest …

Trying to Reason With Hurricane-Season Forecasts

Josh McGillWeather

By Matt Smith It’s September in Florida, which means two things: the start to the latest “rebuilding year” for Florida football and the traditional peak of hurricane season. It was in September of 2017 that Hurricane Irma cut just about the worst path imaginable for Florida’s citrus growers. Along with causing physical damage to groves, Irma also contributed to disease …

Reminders on Requirements for Fruit Movement

Josh McGillDiseases, Fresh, Regulation

Florida’s fresh citrus industry was recently reminded of federal requirements for movement of fruit from some disease quarantine areas to contiguous states and to the European Union (EU). The reminders came from Paul Mears with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) during Citrus Packinghouse Day. Mears is the Florida Citrus Health Response Program (CHRP) …

Focused on Finding Solutions

Josh McGillResearch

By Michael Rogers As we approach a new citrus-growing season, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers and Extension agents working throughout the state renew their focus on finding solutions that growers can use in the short term to sustain their operations. While we value our longer-term research projects, efforts that provide tangible applications that …

South African Grapefruit Growth Continues

Josh McGillGrapefruit, International

The growth in South African grapefruit plantings is expected to continue in 2021–22, increasing by 3% to 9,200 hectares, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) stated in a recent report. The area planted to grapefruit grew by 25% over the past seven years. Limpopo province is the leading growing region for grapefruit in the country, accounting for …