Lemons are the only U.S. citrus commodity forecast this season to exceed last season’s production levels, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service reported recently. At a projected 976,000 tons, lemon production is expected to be 10% higher than last season. Ninety-four percent of lemons commercially grown in the United States are from California. Despite the higher domestic production, …
OJ Marketing Success Highlighted at Peace River Meeting
Members of Peace River Valley Citrus Growers Association gathered in Arcadia last week for their annual meeting and dinner. Updates were provided on association business, the state legislative session and citrus Extension activities. In addition, Samantha Lane, global marketing director for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), gave an insightful presentation on consumer purchasing habits and how orange juice (OJ) …
Nutritional Lessons Learned From the Field and in the Wild
By Brad Turner In the 1970s, the majority of my family’s groves in Hillsborough, Polk and Hardee counties remained on a 25-foot by 25-foot setting or wider. Most of these “old school” blocks received several light cultivations in both directions, two fertilizations and two foliar sprays per season. These groves contained some of the most grand and bountiful trees in …
Florida OJ Tariffs Lifted in United Kingdom
The United States and the United Kingdom announced a trade accord on March 22. The United States will remove tariffs on British steel and aluminum, while the United Kingdom will remove retaliatory tariffs on a number of American exports, including Florida orange juice. “We appreciate the work of the U.S. Department of Commerce and the U.S. Department of Agriculture in …
IPCs Improve Fruit Yield and Quality
By Fernando Alferez, Ute Albrecht, Susmita Gaire, Ozgur Batuman, Jawwad Qureshi and Mongi Zekri University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers established a field trial in February 2018 to evaluate the efficacy of individual protective covers (IPCs) to prevent Asian citrus psyllids from spreading HLB and to study the effects on tree growth and physiology. The …
Picking Favorites at Florida Citrus Variety Display Day
The horticultural characteristics of new citrus varieties are important, especially in the era of HLB when disease tolerance is critical. But how the fruit tastes and other consumer attributes are equally important. That’s why citrus variety display days are vital in citrus breeding. The University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center in …
All In for Citrus Podcast, February 2022
The Florida legislative session is well underway in Tallahassee. The University of Florida hosted its annual Gator Day at the Capitol in February to remind lawmakers of all that the school does for its students and stakeholders. Michael Rogers, director of the Citrus Research and Education Center, and fellow citrus team members from the University of Florida Institute of Food …
A Methodical and Safe Approach to Help Florida Citrus
By Ben Albritton Florida’s farmers depend on healthy soil and clean water to produce crops. It’s how my family has grown citrus, strawberries and cattle for more than four generations. The quality of our natural resources has a direct impact on our crops and livelihood. I am a fifth-generation Floridian who was raised by a line of farmers, ranchers and …
Florida OJ Demand and Rising Food Prices
By Marisa L. Zansler It’s been nearly two years since the COVID-19 pandemic first swept across the country. American households are still adapting to a new way of life that includes a shifting of work-life balance and a return to familiar routines such as family gatherings, travel and venturing outside of the home. INFLATION AND OJ AVAILABILITYAs this transition into …
Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Severely Lacking in U.S. Adults
A new study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that only a small percentage of U.S. adults consume the recommended amount of fruits and vegetables. On average only 12% of U.S. adults meet fruit-intake and only 10% meet vegetable-intake recommendations outlined in the 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA). Low intakes may put Americans at increased risk …
Florida OJ Videos Play in Airports
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) showed its “The Original Wellness Drink” videos about Florida orange juice (OJ) within major airports during the holiday season. These 15- and 30-second videos played throughout multiple markets via airports in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, New York, Orlando, Tampa/Sarasota and Washington, D.C. The ads ran from Thanksgiving week through New Year’s Eve, targeting at …
Alico Reports Higher Prices, Lower Yield
Alico, Inc. has seen an increase in the price per pound solids for oranges from $2.25 to $2.58 so far this season. A significant reason for the price improvement is the continued strength of consumption of not-from-concentrate orange juice by retail consumers, the company stated. Average pound solids per box were down for the fiscal quarter that ended Dec. 31, 2021. The pounds …
Outlook for Global Citrus Production
The U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service recently released global 2021–22 production estimates for citrus categories and orange juice. Here are highlights from the report, titled Citrus: World Markets and Trade. ORANGESGlobal orange production for 2021–22 is estimated up 1.4 million tons from the previous year to 48.8 million tons. Favorable weather is leading to larger crops in Brazil, …
OJ Sales Still Strong
Orange juice (OJ) sales remain strong, with the 2021 holiday period closing near 2016 levels, Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) economist Marisa Zansler told the Florida Citrus Commission on Jan. 19. Total OJ volume movement for the holiday period ending Jan 1, 2022, was 37.9 million gallons, an increase of 2 million equivalent gallons compared to 2019. The gains are …
Consumers Prefer Florida OJ
Consumers are more likely to buy orange juice (OJ) if they think the fruit comes from Florida, new University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) research shows. In fact, top reasons consumers purchase OJ include taste, health benefits and origin of the fruit. According to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), while 80% of OJ consumers who …
OJ Production in Turkey to Rise
For 2021-22, orange juice (OJ) production in Turkey is forecast at 10,000 metric tons (MT) by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). That is higher than the 2020-21 OJ production total of 9,500 MT total, and is in correlation with high production and increasing domestic demands. DEVELOPING MARKETThe amount of oranges sent to processing plants increased to …
Targeting E-commerce to Drive Florida OJ Sales Higher
As HLB has reduced Florida’s citrus crop, so too has the budget shrunk for the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). The agency charged with promoting the state’s signature crop is largely funded by fees based on citrus production. FDOC has been forced to look for creative ways to do more with less with its promotional budget. One tactic has been …
The State of the Citrus Industry in Japan
In a short summary about citrus in Japan, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reports that the country’s mandarin production continues to decline amid labor shortages and reduced consumption. Shipping challenges and rising prices are projected to reduce the consumption of largely imported oranges and grapefruit. MANDARINSTangerine/mandarin production for 2021-22 is forecast at 924,000 metric tons (MT), …
Morocco: Big Jump in Citrus Production Expected
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) expects total citrus production in Morocco to reach an estimated 2.55 million metric tons (MMT) in 2021-22. That’s an increase of 12% over 2020-21. Tangerine/mandarin production should increase by 13% over the previous year to 1.36 MMT. Domestic consumption is expected to be 860,000 metric tons (MT), an increase of 16%. …
Australia Citrus Crop to Climb
Citrus production in Australia is experiencing favorable conditions after above-average rainfall in all of the major growing areas in 2020 and 2021, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) recently reported. As a result, production in the country is projected to increase in 2021-22. Orange production is forecast at 535,000 metric tons (MT) in 2021-22, a 2% increase …