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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “citrus groves”
Florida citrus land fell from 748,555 acres in 2004 — the year before HLB was found in the state — to 274,705 acres in 2024, according to a recent summary of the 2023–24 citrus season. The summary, Florida Citrus Statistics 2023–2024, was published by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Division of Fruits and Vegetables. The statistics …
Growers in the cold-hardy citrus region enjoyed a bountiful crop in 2024. Unfortunately, that is not expected to be the case in 2025. Lindy Savelle, executive director of the Georgia Citrus Association, said the expected drop in volume is due to multiple factors, including the winter storm last month that brought historic snowfall and sub-freezing temperatures over multiple days. But …
When a new tool to manage HLB is discovered, it must be tested in the grove in new varieties or in treatments like trunk injection. During the afternoon of the Florida Citrus Show on March 13, attendees will have the opportunity to tour two experimental groves to see this type of research in action. Attendees will see trunk-injection therapies being …
By Maegan Beatty Across the United States, farmers have faced freezing temperatures, snowstorms and unpredictable conditions this winter. Texas citrus growers are among those evaluating the effects of the most recent temperature drop. “In regard to growers experiencing damage, we are still assessing,” said Dale Murden, president of Texas Citrus Mutual. “It’s too early to tell overall, but we will …
Soil microbiologist Sarah Strauss on Jan. 28 discussed the benefits, challenges and unknowns of cover crops, compost and humic acid for citrus soil health. Strauss is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. She pointed out that Florida’s citrus soils are problematic because they are 98% …
The citrus section in the February issue of Specialty Crop Grower is coming soon. It’s full of features for growers to dive into. First up is part two of results from the Florida Citrus State of the Industry Survey. (See part one here.) Learn out what percent of growers say they are replanting and how many are participating in the …
Foodshed.io and The Kroger Company have worked together to launch Georgia Sunnies – Extra Friendly, a new citrus brand. The brand is helping local, small growers to bring citrus to market at select Kroger stores throughout Georgia. Foodshed.io is an agricultural technology company that specializes in local food supply chains. “Family citrus growers take a lot of risk in planting …
Citrus in the cold-hardy region of South Georgia, South Alabama and North Florida encountered below-freezing temperatures and historic snowfall all week. Growers are now taking stock of their groves, surveying damage and preparing for what to do next, which includes managing phytophthora. “Most all of the crop was in, so there was very little exposure there. There’s a little bit …
Florida Citrus Commission (FCC) Chairman Steve Johnson recently discussed HLB and several actions and reports from the commission’s December 2024 meeting. The FCC is the governing board of the Florida Department of Citrus. “For almost two decades, we’ve been in a season of fighting HLB, and that fight (while the war is far from over) is changing,” Johnson said. “The tools …
The recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) annual report on Brazilian citrus included updates on citrus greening disease, production and planted area. CITRUS GREENING The report noted that new chemicals and practices have been developed to fight citrus greening, a major cause of recent production declines. Those chemicals and practices include a natural repellent called caryophyllene, …
A December U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) report on Israeli citrus discusses the impacts of the Israel-Hamas war on the country’s citrus industry. Since Oct. 7, 2023, the effects from the war on the citrus industry have become clearer. As such, USDA FAS has revised much of its marketing year (MY) 2023–24 (October–September) data to represent updates …
A December Florida TaxWatch report, The Continuing Decline of Florida’s Citrus Industry, highlights the causes of the industry’s demise in recent decades. Edited excerpts follow: In the last 20 years, Florida’s total citrus production has decreased by more than 90%, from around 300 million boxes in 2003–04 to just 20 million boxes in 2023–24. The 2022–23 season was the worst …
A Nov. 22 Lake County farm tour, hosted by University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Extension, included a visit to the 13-acre citrus under protective screen (CUPS) site owned by IMG Citrus. Located in Groveland, the facility consists of Ruby Red grapefruit on Swingle rootstock planted in May 2022. Clint Updike, IMG citrus production manager, told farm …
In November, academia from around the world gathered in Jeju, Korea, for the 2024 International Citrus Congress. A contingent of researchers from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) attended the event. Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, was among the attendees. He discusses the trip in the November episode of …
Biological control can have a significant impact on Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and citrus leafminer (CLM) populations in Florida, a researcher reported in a Nov. 19 virtual meeting. Jawwad Qureshi, associate professor of entomology with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), also discussed some cultural and chemical controls that work on the pests. ACP Qureshi, …
Citrus canker could spread in Florida groves as a result of Hurricane Milton, researcher Megan Dewdney warned. A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) associate professor of plant pathology, Dewdney offered suggestions for dealing with canker at a recent UF/IFAS hurricane recovery webinar. WIND WOUNDS High winds and rain, which were abundant during the hurricane, move …
The November issue of Citrus Industry magazine features some of the faces of Georgia’s citrus industry. The cover story is a profile of citrus grower Lindy Savelle. She didn’t grow up in the citrus industry, and farming was not her first career. But her unconventional path has led her to become a leader in Georgia’s emerging citrus industry. Savelle serves …
On Oct. 9, Hurricane Milton made landfall near Siesta Key, Florida, leaving a path of destruction in its wake. Some key citrus-growing regions felt impacts from the storm. While damage was spotty, fruit loss was significant for some. Now, the waiting game is on to see how much more fruit drops from the stress to trees caused by the storm. …
By Ariel Singerman Orange yield in Florida has decreased by more than 80% since HLB was first found in the state in 2005. It is hard to find another example in recent history of an industry as iconic as Florida citrus that has declined so significantly as a consequence of a plant disease. As a comparison, at the global level, …
A few themes are unfolding as Florida’s citrus industry begins to assess Hurricane Milton’s damage. First, it could have been worse. The overall citrus losses do not appear to be as bad as those incurred from Hurricane Ian in 2022. Second, the hurricane affected nearly the entire Florida Citrus Belt, but damage varies greatly depending on the specific area. Reports …
