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Below you'll see everything we could locate for your search of “growers”
University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) plant breeder Fred Gmitter discussed potential fresh fruit variety options for Florida growers in a July 14 virtual presentation. Gmitter focused on releases made by breeders at UF/IFAS’ Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred. SUGAR BELLEGmitter said the Sugar Belle mandarin hybrid has high tolerance for HLB. This …
Officials with the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program are considering giving future participating growers an incentive to plant more early- and mid-season oranges. The topic was discussed by CRAFT’s board of directors after board member Phillip Rucks pointed out there’s a trend for nurseries to propagate far more late-season oranges than early- and mid-season oranges. Tables that the …
By Megan Dewdney I did not need to visit my field trial to know that algal spot was in bloom on citrus in the last month. I have received many phone calls about it recently as growers notice the bright orange doughnuts on their tree limbs. For those unfamiliar with algal spot, it is a disease that occurs mostly on …
The U.S. Supreme Court in June ruled that a nearly 50-year-old California regulation requiring agricultural businesses to allow union organizers to enter their property for a minimum number of hours and days each year is an unconstitutional taking without compensation. A California nursery and a shipping company had challenged the regulation as essentially creating an easement across their private property …
Brad Turner has worked in Florida citrus more than 40 years as a grower, production manager, caretaker and nursery owner. For most of that time, he focused on using synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, insecticides and herbicides as the necessary inputs for citrus management. But a change in the way he thought citrus should be grown led to him being named a …
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA/FAS) in June reported changes in its 2020-21 estimates for citrus production in Argentina. The fresh lemon production estimate was increased 12% to 1.15 million metric tons. The fresh orange estimate was revised down by 30,000 metric tons, to 670,000 metric tons. The tangerine production estimate was unchanged at 360,000 metric tons. …
Many in the Florida citrus industry have long believed that development of trees that are resistant to or tolerant of HLB is the key to coping with the devastating disease. In Florida, most of the work on developing such trees is conducted by researchers at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the U.S. Department …
There will soon be leadership changes at the Citrus Research and Field Trials (CRAFT) Foundation. Tamara Wood will succeed Kristen Carlson as executive director and program manager; she was previously assistant program manager. Tom Mitchell will succeed Glenn Beck as president. Wood will manage day-to-day operations. There are no plans to hire a new assistant program manager, but the board …
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette We received a request for information several months ago from researcher/historian Jono Miller regarding an old production practice of leaving cabbage palms in citrus groves as “orange guards.” The trees helped protect groves from freezing due to the creation of a canopy to keep the heat from the land rising during cold weather. In his new …
Citrus growers need as many tools in their toolbox as possible. With the Florida citrus industry decimated in recent years, mainly due to citrus greening disease, growers are exploring all options to help them succeed. CYAN 365®, a biostimulant from C Green Ag Biotechnology, is one tool that has proven to help enhance the quality and size of citrus crops, …
Fruit drop “is probably the No. 1 concern” of the citrus growers he knows, says Ray Royce, executive director of Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA). “Fruit drop and profitability are going hand in hand,” he adds. “There’s a tremendous struggle now to be profitable, given the relatively low harvest numbers,” Royce says. “I think growers believe that if they …
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation’s (CRDF) board of directors on June 22 approved a 3-cents-per-box tax on Florida growers’ fruit to help fund operations for the coming year. This was the sixth year in a row the CRDF tax has been at that rate. “We feel like we have to earn it (the tax) every year,” said CRDF Chief …
An overwhelming 98% of Floridians consider farming and ranching important, according to the findings of a survey recently conducted by the Tyson Group among registered voters statewide. “We’re humbled to see the overwhelming support from Florida voters for the hard work and commitment of our farmers,” said Gene Adams, chair of the Florida Ag Coalition. “These survey findings indicate that …
The Citrus Pest & Disease Prevention Program in California recently detected sweet orange scab (SOS) in new areas of the state. Additionally, an unofficial lime swallowtail butterfly (LSB) sample was identified from Los Angeles County, and several LSB sightings have been reported in Los Angeles and San Luis Obispo counties. SWEET ORANGE SCABSOS is a cosmetic fungal disease that impacts …
Growers looking for advice on the subjects of rootstocks and varieties will find several pertinent articles in the July issue of Citrus Industry magazine. According to University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeder Jude Grosser, Orie and Louise Lee (OLL) oranges are giving Valencias a run for their money. He discusses the beneficial characteristics of …
In response to HLB, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) citrus breeding program is focused on developing improved varieties and rootstocks for sustainable and profitable production. Rootstock and scion performance trials have been established throughout the state. UF/IFAS citrus breeder Fred Gmitter touched on some of the experimental trials being done in Florida’s Indian River …
Highlands County Citrus Growers Association (HCCGA) Executive Director Ray Royce recently discussed grower concerns about Florida’s Best Management Practices (BMP) program. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) runs the program. According to Royce, growers are concerned about the BMP implementation, verification audits, some of the information they’ve been asked for by the FDACS staff and what may …
For most months during the 2020-21 Florida citrus season, oranges did not meet the federal minimum standard of 10.5 degrees Brix for not-from-concentrate orange juice (OJ). According to a slide shown during Florida Citrus Mutual’s recent annual meeting, the average Brix level for oranges during the season was 10.45. Brix is a measure of the sugar content of juice. Consequently, …
This month’s All In for Citrus Podcast details the results and benefits growers are getting from the citrus nutrition box program. Before hearing from the coordinators of the program, Citrus Research and Education Center Director Michael Rogers shares updates on key events coming up this summer for the industry. The first is the Citrus, Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo in …
Officers from the Federal Department of Agriculture, Water and the Environment in Australia held a meeting in May to discuss an import risk assessment that proposes to allow lime imports from Mexico. Many growers shared their concerns that allowing imports of Mexican limes would impact profitability of their farms at a time when labor is difficult to obtain and they …
