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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “growers”
Steve Smith became executive director of the Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association (PRVCGA) in early March. He discusses some of the issues the association will address. “Obviously the research is a major focus right now with greening. That’s at the top of everybody’s list, trying to find some solutions.” Water issues historically have been a major focus for the …
Greening disease, known as HLB, is a top concern for citrus growers worldwide. The April issue of Citrus Industry magazine is all about boosting the health of HLB-infected trees. Articles on this theme cover the use of controlled-release fertilizer, bicarbonate management, foliar nutrition and irrigation strategies. This month, for the first time Citrus Industry’s CEU Central article offers a continuing …
Harold Browning, chief operations officer at the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF), provides an overview of activities at the recent International Research Conference on HLB held in Orlando. The conference was hosted by Florida Citrus Mutual, with much assistance from CRDF. “There were nearly 500 participants from 24 countries” including for the first time scientists from Cuba, Browning reports. …
By Ernie Neff Gulf citrus growers had a CHMA (citrus health management area) before CHMAs were popular — even before they were called CHMAs! Phil Stansly, University of Florida (UF) entomology professor, is among those credited with organizing Florida’s first psyllid- and HLB-fighting CHMA. Others recognized for the achievement include Gulf Citrus Growers Association (GCGA), Florida Cooperative Extension Service and …
Oscar Ruiz with Waypoint Analytical discusses the importance of leaf tissue and water analysis. “Leaf tissue analysis is important because we can actually gauge in-season what the plant is capable of uptaking,” he says. That information, along with information garnered from soil sampling, allows the grower to “fine tune the fertility program and adjust it accordingly,” he says. “I recommend …
John da Graca, director of the Texas A&M University Kingsville Citrus Center in Weslaco, was among hundreds attending the International Research Conference on HLB March 15-17 in Orlando. He summarizes the Texas industry’s experience with HLB and the Asian citrus psyllids that spread the disease. “Psyllids arrived (in Texas) about 2001,” da Graca says. “At the time it wasn’t seen …
By Georgios Vidalakis On March 30, 2007, I received a memorable phone call in my office at the University of California (UC), Riverside. “Georgios,” said the caller, “The 2008 Farm Bill will establish the National Clean Plant Network (NCPN) for specialty crops. This program will be like no other because it will be driven from the ground up. The system …
Florida Citrus Mutual President John Barben summarized Mutual’s efforts at the state and federal levels during the recent Highlands County Citrus Growers Association annual meeting in Sebring. “We talked a little bit about going after our (state legislative) funding for this year – for CRDF (Citrus Research and Development Foundation), for New Varieties (Development and Management Corp.) – trying to …
Florida Citrus Mutual Chief Executive Officer Mike Sparks, inducted into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame on March 10, lists a group of teams that contributed to his success. “You’ve got to look at the big groups, no one individual – the citrus commissioners, past executive directors at the Department of Citrus, professional staff, growers, Mutual’s board of directors, Mutual’s …
The Florida Department of Citrus is hoping for a better second half of the growing season after the latest decline in projections for the state’s orange and grapefruit harvest. Meanwhile, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said a 4 percent drop from February to March in the forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is another sign of the effects of deadly …
Several growers participating in a forum in Sebring on March 9 said trees are looking better this year than last year. They also agreed that postbloom fruit drop (PFD), a major problem last season, has not yet been a big issue this season. Grower Aaron Himrod of Himrod Citrus Nursery, a forum participant, says good tree condition and high fruit …
The citrus crop forecast, delivered by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Agricultural Statistics Service in Washington, D.C., showed a 4 percent drop in Florida oranges and a 2 percent drop in California oranges. In total, the U.S. all-orange forecast for the 2016-2017 season dropped 3 percent from last month and is down 13 percent from …
Billy Barben, new president for the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA), says he is optimistic that new fertilizer programs and future genetic trees “will give us hope in the future.” Barben, whose brothers, Bobby and John, have also served the association as president, says, “I’m more of the dirt guy in my family.” As a grower, he has opinions …
Ned Hancock, who recently stepped down as president of Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA), discusses key issues the association faced in the past year and some coming in the future. Hancock says a major accomplishment last year came in concert with new Highlands County Sheriff Paul Blackman. Blackman “has made a significant commitment to patrol the agricultural community and …
“I’m in the process of information gathering now,” says Ramdas Kanissery, a new weed scientist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center (SWFREC) in Immokalee. “I’m traveling to several groves and looking at the weed problems.” A trained agricultural chemist, Kanissery began working at the SWFREC at the end of October 2016. His expertise is in understanding the fate, …
University of Florida researcher Jude Grosser recently discussed a broad range of research aimed at mitigating the effects of HLB during an OJ Break in Sebring. Among topics he covered are the possibility of windbreaks that kill HLB-spreading Asian citrus psyllids, and progress on trees that are HLB resistant or tolerant. Regarding psyllid-killing windbreaks, he says, “We do have a …
By Megan M. Dewdney Again in 2016, postbloom fruit drop (PFD) caused widespread problems in Florida groves. There were multiple factors that contributed to the outbreak in 2016. The primary factor was likely the extended bloom that many saw because of a combination of tree stress caused by huanglongbing (HLB) and the very warm winter. Bloom in some groves was …
Ozgur Batuman, a new citrus plant pathologist at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center, discusses the diseases he’ll work on. “I am planning to of course tackle some of the more pressing issues that citrus growers are facing these days, one of them being huanglongbing (HLB), and confronting its vector, Asian citrus psyllid,” he says. He will also research …
On February 21, leaders of three key Florida citrus organizations acquainted the Florida Senate’s Agriculture Committee with the issues facing the citrus industry. They summarize their presentations: “It’s not a pretty picture,” says Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks. He describes the huge production losses and increased costs that HLB disease has created. “Right now our whole future revolves around …
The March issue of Citrus Industry magazine will help growers find funding sources for improvements to best management practices (BMPs). It also describes the impact the water bill is having on implementation of BMPs. Growers will want to read University of Florida professor Kelly Morgan’s article that details future changes to BMPs that are coming. Ground cover management can improve …
