By Brenda Eubanks Burnette I was recently at the Indian River Citrus Museum in Vero Beach for the dedication of its Florida Citrus Crate Label Trail. The visit made me think back to the early 90s when I was selling citrus label calendars for the museum’s gift shop to Millie Bunnell, who was the director there at the time. She …
NOAA Predicts Above-Normal Hurricane Season
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted another above-normal Atlantic hurricane season. Forecasters predict a 60% chance of an above-normal season, a 30% chance of a near-normal season and a 10% chance of a below-normal season. However, experts do not anticipate the historic level of storm activity seen in 2020. For 2021, a likely range of 13 to 20 …
Citrus Crop Forecast Has Small Changes
Reductions in the projected Florida grapefruit and tangerine/tangelo crops were the only changes in the May 12 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) citrus crop forecast. USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) reduced Florida’s grapefruit crop projection by 2%, to 4.2 million boxes, down from 4.3 million boxes in April. The total 100,000-box reduction was in red grapefruit, which dipped to …
Herbicide Adjuvants in Citrus Weed Control
By Ramdas Kanissery Adjuvants (derived from Latin, adiuvare: to aid or help) are materials added into an herbicide spray solution that improve handling, performance and crop safety. To be effective, an herbicide must overcome certain environmental and biological obstacles before entering and acting in the weeds. For example, environmental conditions like hot and dry weather will result in a thicker …
Australia Declared Free of Citrus Canker
On April 12, Australia was officially declared free from citrus canker after the remaining restricted areas in the Northern Territory (NT) were lifted. The disease was not detected in commercial orchards in Australia and was restricted to non-commercial residences in Western Australia (WA) and NT. Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud acknowledged NT and WA for their …
Peru’s Mandarin Exports on the Rise
By Francisco Seva Rivadulla Peru’s mandarin growers are working to build on their export momentum and open new markets. “Negotiations are well advanced with India. The technical part is already finished, such as the phytosanitary registration; only the administrative part is missing,” said Sergio Del Castillo, general manager of the Citrus Producers Association of Peru (ProCitrus). “SENASA (Peru’s National Agrarian …
U.S. Citrus Crop Forecast Takes a Tumble
Florida’s Valencia orange crop projection tumbled 12% in the April 9 U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) crop forecast, to 29 million boxes from 33 million boxes in March. The USDA added 200,000 boxes, or 1%, to Florida’s non-Valencia tally, bringing non-Valencias to 22.7 million boxes. In total, Florida oranges dipped to 51.7 million boxes, down 7% from March’s 55.5 million …
BMPs: Addressing the Costs and Benefits
Agricultural best management practices (BMPs) are essential to protect Florida’s natural resources by mitigating agriculture’s potential negative impact on the environment. Public benefits of BMP implementation include sustained or improved water quality, reduced soil erosion and increased water conservation. Private benefits can include improved crop yield and reduced input costs from less labor, fuel and fertilizer. “Growers provide a public …
Department of Labor Targeting Southeast Agriculture
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Wage and Hour Division is engaged in an education and enforcement initiative to increase compliance with federal labor laws in the Southeast’s agricultural industry. In addition to enforcement activity, the initiative provides compliance assistance to employers and educates workers and other stakeholders. The division is working with industry stakeholders in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, …
Spanish Lemon Growers Optimistic About Tariff Suspension
By Francisco Seva Rivadulla The Agricultural Association of Young Farmers (ASAJA) Murcia expressed “enormous optimism” for the suspension of tariffs agreed to by the United States and the European Union (EU). Tariffs on Spanish lemons exported to the United States that were set at 25% have been temporarily lifted for four months. Similarly, the EU has suspended tariffs on U.S. …
Grapefruit Part of Tariff Suspension
Florida grapefruit grower and packer Dan Richey hopes a recently announced four-month suspension of tariffs on U.S. products shipped to the European Union (EU), including grapefruit, will become permanent. The EU and the United States on March 5 agreed on the mutual four-month suspension of the tariffs related to World Trade Organization (WTO) aircraft disputes. The suspension will cover all …
Changes to U.S. Orange Crop Forecast
Florida’s orange crop forecast was reduced by 500,000 boxes to 55.5 million boxes in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) March 9 citrus crop forecast. This represents a 1% reduction from the February forecast. If the March projection is realized, it will be 18% lower than last season’s final production. Florida’s Valencia orange crop forecast was reduced by 1 million …
Florida Representatives Concerned About EU Grapefruit Tariffs
Twenty-two members of the Florida congressional delegation, led by Reps. Darren Soto and Bill Posey, wrote a letter to Acting U.S. Trade Representative Maria Pagan expressing concerns over retaliatory tariffs placed by the European Union (EU) on U.S. agricultural products. The letter focused on the harm the EU tariffs could do to Florida grapefruit. Here’s the full text of the …
Q&A With FDOC’s Shannon Shepp
Shannon Shepp, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC), answers several questions regarding her agency’s work, including efforts to market orange juice (OJ) and other Florida citrus products. She fields additional questions of interest to the citrus industry, including about demand for citrus products, foreign OJ imports, and industry challenges and opportunities. The FDOC is governed by the …
Grapefruit Production in EU to Stay Stable
European Union (EU) grapefruit production is forecast to remain stable in 2020-21 at 96,000 metric tons, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS) reported. EU area planted to the crop stands at about 3,300 hectares. Spain, the EU’s largest grapefruit producer, expects its production to remain flat at 73,000 metric tons. The leading producing areas in Spain include …
Citrus Greening Solutions: How Long Will It Take?
It may not be the answer Florida citrus growers want to hear, but it is likely to be several years before a citrus greening remedy is put in place to combat the destructive disease. University of Florida professor Fred Gmitter shared his assessment on possible citrus greening solutions during a recent American Seed Trade Association webinar. “We learn a lot …
European Lemon Production Trending Upward
European Union (EU) lemon production in 2020-21 is forecast to increase by almost 11 percent from last season, to 1.64 million metric tons (MMT), according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service (FAS). EU planted area for the citrus variety continues trending upward at around 78,000 hectares. Spain is the union’s largest lemon producer with a forecast of …
Orange Production to See Global Increase
Global orange production for 2020–21 is forecast to rise 3.6 million metric tons from the previous year to 49.4 million metric tons. Favorable weather leading to larger crops in Brazil and Mexico will offset declines in Turkey and the United States, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Foreign Agricultural Service. Consequently, consumption, processing fruit and fresh exports are also …
Florida Citrus Forecast for February Sees Some Changes
The February Florida orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is 56 million boxes, up 2 million boxes from the January forecast. This represents a 4 percent increase from the January forecast. If realized, it will be 17 percent less than last season’s final production. ORANGESThe forecast change was for non-Valencia production, which now stands at 22 …
Uncle Matt’s Launches E-Commerce Site
Uncle Matt’s Organic® has made its juices and functional beverages accessible to more consumers with the launch of a new e-commerce site. Currently, shipping is available to most of the East Coast, with plans to expand nationwide. The online store brings organic orange juice, lemonade and functional beverage bundles directly to consumers’ doors in one to two days via FedEx. Because …