Florida’s $2.5 billion request for federal disaster relief for its agriculture industry after Hurricane Irma might not be enough. Members of the House Select Committee on Hurricane Response and Preparedness said on Nov. 16 that month-old damage estimates made by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services are too low. “I actually think your numbers are conservative,” said Rep. …
‘Herbicide Synergy’ Looks Promising
A University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researcher is trying to give growers more weed control options. The researcher, Ramdas Kanissery, says he wants the options to be more effective and economically viable as well as environmentally friendly. “We are introducing a concept: herbicide synergy,” says Kanissery, a horticulturist at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and …
70th Anniversary for Indian River Research and Education Center
A big event will take place Nov. 16 as the 70th anniversary of the Indian River Research and Education Center in Fort Pierce takes place. Jack Payne, University of Florida senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources, invites folks to attend. From Indian River Research and Education Center: Seventy years of service to growers in the world’s renowned grapefruit production region …
International Citrus Business Conference Offers Rare Opportunity
The citrus industry has never been under such major threats to its survival as it is now. Citrus greening has drastically reduced Florida’s citrus crops. Orange juice and grapefruit juice consumption are dramatically down, and it’s not just due to higher prices. Consumers are switching to other beverages. Now more than ever, the citrus industry must gather its experts and …
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Specialty Crop Grower Sees Success with Finger Limes
By Len Wilcox When Jim Shanley retired from his highly successful career in commodity trading, he knew what he wanted to do and where he wanted to do it: farm specialty crops in the hills overlooking Morro Bay, California. His choice of crops, however, was not so clear. He started with avocados, but it was a curious little fruit from …
Mutual on November Crop Forecast and Hurricane Aid
“In the wake of Hurricane Irma, it is extremely difficult to estimate the size of this year’s crop,” Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks said soon after the latest citrus crop forecast was issued on Nov. 9. “In reality, we probably won’t have an accurate number until the middle of 2018 once all fruit is picked. Long term, the effects …
Solar Energy from Abandoned Groves
Some growers have found their abandoned citrus groves “make the perfect property” for solar energy developments, says Michael Minton of Dean Mead law firm. Minton summarizes a presentation he made about solar energy opportunities for agriculturists at the recent Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference, held in the Orlando area. “We have found the various utilities we’ve worked with … are …
Florida Orange Crop Continues Downward Spiral
Florida’s struggling and storm-battered citrus industry took another hit Thursday as the orange crop forecast for the current growing season was reduced by 7.4 percent. And industry officials anticipate the forecasts will continue to decline as the season progresses. “Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the last decrease we see,” said Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department …
Some Rootstocks Succumbed to Irma
Researchers inspecting their groves at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center after Hurricane Irma found that trees on certain rootstocks were very likely to be uprooted. Fernando Alferez, a horticulturist at the Immokalee center, discusses the uprooted trees and hopes he has for fresh citrus growing. “This is anecdotal evidence from our experience here,” Alferez says. “What we saw …
California Ag Chief Prepared to Battle HLB
In an interview at the Citrus Research Board’s (CRB) annual conference last month, Karen Ross, secretary of the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), said the present status of huanglongbing (HLB) disease is similar to another disease that challenged the California citrus industry years ago. Pierce’s disease was a potentially devastating threat long before HLB. “One of the things …
Financial Management Conference Benefits Florida Ag
Regina Thomas, co-organizer of the Florida Agriculture Financial Management Conference held Nov. 2-3 near Orlando, provides an overview of the event and discusses its origins. Thomas is senior vice president/director of financially related services for Farm Credit of Central Florida. Thomas says the conference began eight years ago during the recession that rocked the entire U.S. economy. “We had a …
Progress on Engineering HLB-Tolerant/Resistant Citrus
By Manjul Dutt and Jude W. Grosser Huanglongbing (HLB) threatens the survival of the Florida citrus industry. Both conventional cultivars and genetically engineered cultivars that can grow in the presence of HLB have been developed at the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) in Lake Alfred. Among the two citrus improvement techniques, engineering citrus remains the fastest …
For HLB: ‘We’ve Done Everything That Could Be Done’
The long-time project manager for the Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) says the group formed to find solutions to HLB has done the best it can. Tom Turpen with Technology Innovation Group was recently honored for his service, which is being curtailed. Turpen actually began work with CRDF’s predecessor, the Florida Citrus Production Research Advisory Council, soon after HLB …
Replanting Trees in the Face of HLB
At Citrus Expo, Aaron Himrod of Himrod Citrus Nursery made the case for replanting citrus trees lost to HLB and other causes. “I think growers need to replant because we are having some success with young trees that we’re not having with older trees,” Himrod said. “The young trees are responding a lot better to our treatments. And we …
Citrus Imports Playing Bigger Role in Florida
Oranges imported to Florida — primarily from Brazil and Mexico — are projected to surpass what is grown in the hurricane-damaged Sunshine State this season. The Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday approved an adjusted $17.8 million budget that takes into account an increase in imports that will help cover crops lost in September to Hurricane Irma. “With Hurricane Irma’s impact …
Sneak Peek: November 2017 Citrus Industry Magazine
The November 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine features an in-depth article on the first citrus crop forecast of the season. The figure of 54 million boxes of Florida oranges that the USDA predicted was met with mixed reactions and caused some controversy. In the article, industry leaders and growers share their perspectives on the forecast. U.S. Department of Agriculture’s …
What Lies Ahead for Florida Citrus?
Editor’s note: This article is part of the special coverage on the 100th Anniversary of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, found in the October 2017 issue of Citrus Industry magazine. By Tom Nordlie Although it’s difficult to predict future events, directors of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC) …
Citrus Commission Chairman Testifies on Hurricane Damage
The Florida Senate Agriculture Committee held a meeting to discuss Hurricane Irma damage on Oct. 12 in Tallahassee. The meeting featured two panels of growers and ranchers who gave testimony about damage they have witnessed from the hurricane. Ellis Hunt, third-generation citrus grower and chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, gave testimony about his family farm as well as the …
Snively: Forecast as Good as We Can Ask for
Jim Snively of Southern Gardens Citrus reacts to the Oct. 12 USDA forecast of 54 million orange boxes for the 2017-18 season. He also addresses his company’s damage from Hurricane Irma and the storm’s long-term impact on the citrus industry. “I think the number is as good as what we can ask for right now, with so much uncertainty, not …




























