dorian

Millions in Agricultural Crops at Risk as Dorian Approaches Florida

Daniel CooperCitrus, Grapefruit, hurricane, Industry News Release, Weather

GIf Hurricane Dorian makes landfall mid-way up Florida’s Atlantic Coast – as many models predicted Thursday afternoon – the storm could devastate not only Central Florida tourist destinations, but also the region’s agricultural areas, which include significant acreage devoted to citrus, vegetable, ornamental plant and cattle production. Economists and Extension faculty with the University of Florida Institute of Food and …

florida citrus

Citrus Crop Value Up as Farmland Shrinks

Daniel CooperCitrus, Industry News Release

Florida citrus production and crop value is up from a year ago, when the industry was trying to recover after being hit hard by Hurricane Irma. But the industry continues to bleed acreage in the state, according to numbers released Aug. 28 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The federal agency’s commercial citrus inventory recorded 430,601 acres spread across …

citrus expo

PIECES OF THE PAST: A Look Back at the First Citrus Expo

Tacy CalliesCitrus Expo, Pieces of the Past

Industry members attended the 28th annual Citrus Expo this month. Let’s take a look back to the event’s beginnings. Known as the Southwest Florida Citrus Expo at the time, the event took place Aug. 26–27, 1992, shortly after Hurricane Andrew hit South Florida. The first Citrus Expo was held at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers, the same …

‘Florida Farmers Are Going to Be the Best Hemp Growers in the Country’

Ernie NeffAlternative Crops

“Florida farmers will eventually overtake the rest of the country” in hemp production, predicts Holly Bell, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) director of cannabis. In an interview with Citrus Industry Editor Tacy Callies, Bell summarizes her talk at the general session of Citrus Expo. Bell says “Florida farmers are going to be the best hemp growers in …

Steven Callaham: Integrity, Intelligence and Innovation

Tacy CalliesCitrus

By Ernie Neff It didn’t take long for senior managers at Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) to recognize they had acquired a special talent when Steven Callaham was hired in 1999. Callaham came from Lake Wales Citrus Growers Association, where he had worked for four years after college. He made the move because the Lake Wales cooperative closed its packinghouse …

benefits

Dundee Growers Have Hope Despite HLB

Tacy CalliesHLB Management

By Ernie Neff Like all Florida citrus packers, “our citrus volume is down substantially because of HLB,” says Dundee Citrus Growers Association (CGA) Chairman and President Lindsay Raley. But unlike many packinghouses that have closed since HLB was discovered in Florida, Dundee CGA’s packinghouse is still thriving. Diversifying beyond citrus and helping its members cope with HLB have been keys …

Growers Should Have a Hurricane Plan

Ernie Neffhurricane

The 2019 hurricane season is well underway. Florida’s citrus industry hasn’t been threatened yet, but several months of the season remain. Multi-county citrus Extension agent Chris Oswalt suggests that growers be prepared for the possibility of a hurricane. “Have a plan; work that plan,” he says. Oswalt offers several ways growers can be prepared for a severe storm. “If you …

pruning

Optimize Fresh Fruit Results With Selective Pruning

Tacy CalliesProduction, Pruning

By Christopher Vincent and Mark Ritenour Planting fresh citrus varieties has increased in popularity. With these potentially high-value crops come questions about management practices, including pruning. This article discusses pruning practices that can improve the health and productivity of citrus trees. The principles of pruning are the same for any citrus plant. However, quality affects value of fresh fruit even …

Supporting Citrus Growers of Today and Tomorrow

Tacy CalliesCitrus, Scholarship

By Tacy Callies Citrus Expo is well known for being a gathering place for industry leaders of all types — growers, researchers and other professionals. They come together at this popular annual event to get educated, network with peers and conduct business. CITRUS SCHOLARSHIPSupporting young people who are interested in agriculture — and in citrus, particularly — is becoming increasingly …

Citrus Expo Seminar Program Preview

Ernie NeffCitrus Expo

University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulturist Tripti Vashisth discusses the citrus seminars to be presented Aug. 14-15 at Citrus Expo. She also reports on a presentation she’ll make at Expo regarding fruit drop. Vashisth is organizing the Citrus Expo educational sessions for growers. She says the goal is to present “something useful for the growers …

Harvest+

More Predictable Market Ahead

Tacy CalliesGlobal Perspectives

By Marcos Fava Neves With the announcement of the 2019–20 crop in Brazil and Florida’s season over, more information is now available to see where the global orange juice market is headed. HIGHER FLORIDA INVENTORIESAs of July, Florida had 71.6 million boxes of oranges, 200,000 boxes more than the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s June estimate. Inventories in Florida are high. …

The Real Cost of HLB in Florida

Tacy CalliesEconomics, Production, Research

By Ariel Singerman This article summarizes the major changes in the cost of production for processed oranges in Florida since the outbreak of huanglongbing (HLB). To deal with the disease, growers have significantly changed their cultural practices. Those changes have had a considerable impact on the cost of production per acre. NOMINAL COSTS VS. REAL COSTSHowever, given that inflation also …

hlb

Zinkicide Has Potential for HLB

Ernie NeffHLB Management

Research and trials into zinkicide “look very promising” for use against HLB, University of Central Florida researcher Swadeshmukul Santra says. He summarizes a presentation he made at the Florida Citrus Mutual annual conference in Bonita Springs this summer. “It (zinkicide) can improve yield, fruit and juice quality on HLB-affected trees,” stated a slide that Santra presented at the conference. The …

Sneak Peek: August 2019 Citrus Industry Magazine

Tacy CalliesSneak Peek

The August issue of Citrus Industry magazine has everything you need to make the most of your time at Citrus Expo. The complete guide to the event includes a seminar schedule, exhibitor directory, details about the new hands-on citrus session and more. The Vegetable and Specialty Crop Expo is once again being held jointly with Citrus Expo. The general session …

Putting IPM Back in Citrus

Tacy CalliesIPM

By Lukasz L. Stelinski, Jawwad A. Qureshi and L. Gene Albrigo Florida citrus production has a long and trailblazing history of implementing integrated pest management (IPM). In 1950, the director of the Florida Citrus Experiment Station, A.F. Camp, proposed an “Ecological Survey of Citrus Pests and Disorders” to provide a comprehensive survey of the ecology of citrus groves throughout Florida …

CAPS

FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships AboutFMC is collaborating with AgNet Media, publisher of Citrus Industry magazine, the number one publication in the industry, to create the FMC Citrus Ag Production Scholarships (FMC CAPS) program to support Florida citrus production and to encourage interested youth to pursue careers in citrus. Crop pests and diseases have done serious damage to Florida’s citrus …

Citrus Expo Offers Interactions

Ernie NeffAll In For Citrus Podcast, Citrus Expo

Growers will have opportunities to learn in interactions with University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers at Citrus Expo on Thursday afternoon, Aug. 15. “We wanted to do something a little bit different to keep folks involved and keep folks coming back for that second afternoon” of Citrus Expo, says Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS …

PIECES OF THE PAST: The Founding of Florida Citrus Mutual

Tacy CalliesPieces of the Past

By Brenda Eubanks Burnette On the cover of the April 1949 issue of Citrus Industry magazine, there is a paragraph that references the beginning of Florida Citrus Mutual. It simply states: “Now that Florida Citrus Mutual is definitely and permanently organized, it behooves every citrus grower in Florida to give this super-cooperative organization his loyal and whole-hearted support. With prices …

planting

CUPS Research in Indian River Area

Ernie NeffCUPS

Research into citrus under protective screen (CUPS) in the Indian River area was discussed by students of Rhuanito (Johnny) Ferrarezi at the Florida State Horticultural Society meeting in June. The project at the Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC) grows grapefruit, the citrus of most economic importance in the Indian River region. Ferrarezi, a University of Florida Institute of …

Controlling Difficult Weeds in Citrus Groves

Tacy Calliesweeds

By Ramdas Kanissery, Camille McAvoy and Mongi Zekri Some weeds are more difficult to manage in the production system than others due to their ability to grow in an available niche. If given a chance to establish, Guinea grass and goatweed can be the two most difficult weeds to manage. This is not just because they both are prolific seed …