Overall, the Florida citrus industry was delighted to hear the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s forecast of 79 million boxes of oranges for the state. After battling citrus greening for over a decade and then devastation from Hurricane Irma in 2017, 79 million boxes gave the industry a glimmer of hope. One industry member, Allen Morris, owner of Morris Agribusiness Services, …
PIECES OF THE PAST: Juice Trains Roll On
By Brenda Eubanks Burnette Anthony T. Rossi, founder of Tropicana, immigrated to New York with the dream of making movies, but ended up in the grocery business for 13 years before heading to Florida in search of warmer weather. Using the skills he’d developed in the grocery business, he began packing gift fruit boxes for Macy’s and Gimbel’s, and jars …
Shepp ‘Thrilled’ by Orange Forecast
“I’m absolutely thrilled to see that number,” Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) Executive Director Shannon Shepp said after the 2018-19 Florida orange crop was forecast at 79 million boxes on Oct. 11. The strong forecast was issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service. “I have been looking for positive news for quite some time in this …
Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company Purchases New Facility
Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company recently announced the purchase of a new facility. The Fort Pierce, Florida-native company is expanding, but is not traveling too far from home. Actually, it is not traveling away from home at all. The juice company announced the beginnings of a new 55,000 square-foot building on 11 acres. The building will be located in Fort …
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 …
More Juice to Come from Brazil
By Marcos Fava Neves The first forecast of the 2017–18 Brazilian orange crop was published in May. Brazil expects a total of 364.47 million boxes, including the following: 68.49 million boxes of Hamlin, Westin and Rubi varieties 17.42 million boxes of Valencia Americana, Valencia Argentina, Seleta and Pineapple varieties 114.52 million boxes of the Pera Rio variety 123.04 million boxes …
June Citrus Forecast: Oranges Up; Tangerines Down
ORANGES The 2016-2017 Florida all-orange forecast released by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service is up 500,000 boxes to 68.5 million boxes. The increase is in Valencia oranges. The total includes 33 million boxes of non-Valencias (early, midseason, and Navel varieties) and 35.5 million boxes of Valencias. For the previous 10 seasons used in …
Captain, We Have a Problem: the Juice Stocks!
By Marcos Fava Neves The new figures from the U.S. Department of Agriculture released in March showed a small drop in the Florida orange estimate from 70 million to 67 million boxes. In February, the Brazilian orange estimate announced by Fundecitrus stayed the same, at approximately 244 million boxes. Oranges in Brazil currently contain a lot of water, with almost …
Orange Forecast Drops for Florida and California
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 …
Pruning to Rehabilitate HLB-Affected Sweet Orange Trees
By Tripti Vashisth and Troy Gainey In the last 11 years, Florida orange production has declined more than 60 percent. This dramatic reduction in yield is attributable to multiple causes, including loss of citrus acreage in the state, citrus canker and other diseases, but huanglongbing (HLB) is now recognized as the primary reason for declining citrus yields. HLB-affected trees are …
IndexBox Marketing: Orange Market in Crisis
According to a report by IndexBox Marketing, the orange market is in crisis. One of the main reasons is the citrus greening disease, widespread in the key centers of orange cultivation. This is why a reduction of the global orange market volume is expected once again in 2016. Orange yield reduction affects consumption worldwide. In this case, a distinction should …
Nurseries Excited About New Early Valencia Orange Varieties
By: Brad Buck GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Nurseries are very interested in two new early Valencia orange varieties from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). Growers need help because citrus greening has infected more than 80 percent of Florida’s citrus trees, according to a recent UF/IFAS survey of growers. Although these two new early Valencias are …
Australian Citrus Continues to Climb
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) has forecast year-over-year production increases for Australian oranges, orange juice and mandarins in 2025–26. ORANGES Orange production in Australia is projected to reach 590,000 metric tons (MT) in 2025–26, up from 580,000 MT the prior year. Of the total forecast, 365,000 MT is expected to come from navel varieties and …
Global Grapefruit and Lemon/Lime Projections
A recent U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) report — Citrus: World Markets and Trade — included global fresh grapefruit and fresh lemon/lime projections for 2025–26. GRAPEFRUIT UP Global fresh grapefruit production is forecast up 2% to 7 million tons on larger crops in China, the United States and the European Union (EU). China production is forecast …
Influence of Rootstock on Growth, Productivity and Fruit Quality of Eureka Lemon
By Kim D. Bowman, Matt Mattia, Ranjeet Shinde and Flavia Zambon Profitability of the historic kings of citrus in Florida, sweet orange juice and fresh market grapefruit, has been severely reduced by the impact of huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Previous studies have demonstrated that lemon cultivars are generally more tolerant to HLB than sweet orange and grapefruit. Lemon trees continue cropping …
Florida’s Replanting Era: What it Means for OJ Demand
By Marisa Zansler Over the past year, there has been a discreet change occurring in the orange juice (OJ) aisle amid supply shortages. Some of the familiar OJ cartons have changed, not in name but in composition. With Florida’s smaller crop and limited global OJ supplies, Florida’s processors have stretched that limited supply by offering more products that blend OJ …
Consumer Trends, Dietary Guidelines and Florida Citrus Marketing
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) global marketing team recently provided an update on consumer trends, dietary guidelines and FDOC marketing programs. CAUTIOUS CONSUMERS The team reported that consumer sentiment is stuck at historic lows, producing a cautious and concerned U.S. consumer. That has resulted in what the team called the “uncommitted shopper.” Essentially, shopping began to shift in 2025 …
Moroccan Citrus Production to Increase
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service (USDA FAS) recently projected that production of all citrus varieties in Morocco will increase in 2025–26 compared to the prior year. TANGERINES/MANDARINS Morocco’s tangerine and mandarin production is forecast to reach 1.15 million metric tons, up 4% from the previous season. The area planted in tangerines and mandarins is 59,115 hectares. Tangerine/mandarin …
Sneak Peek: February 2026 Citrus Industry
The February issue of Specialty Crop Grower magazine features Part 2 of results from the Citrus State of the Industry Survey. Florida growers reveal details on their planting intentions. Find out what varieties and rootstocks they’re selecting, what percent are growing citrus under protective screen, and other insights. In the digital edition of the magazine, readers can find bonus coverage …
Growers Can Stay Productive in the Face of HLB
Despite declaring there will be no silver bullet for HLB, Ozgur Batuman in a Jan. 21 virtual seminar said growers using integrated pest management (IPM) tools “can stay productive.” However, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor also warned that producing citrus juice in Florida “will not be easy or cheap.” Oranges are by far …





























