citrus

Citrus Numbers Improve as Struggles Continue

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast, Grapefruit, Industry News Release

Florida’s citrus industry ended its growing season on a slight uptick, regaining the Sunshine State’s dominance in orange production over California. But struggles remain. Growers, who last year posted 75-year lows because of damage caused by Hurricane Irma, still are at diminished production levels that hadn’t been seen in decades as they face deadly citrus-greening disease and factors such as …

florida

Orange Production Up Slightly From June Forecast

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast, Grapefruit

ORANGESThe 2018–2019 Florida all-orange forecast released by Mark Hudson of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is now 71.6 million boxes. The total is comprised of 30.4 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties), unchanged from the June forecast, and 41.2 million boxes of Valencia oranges, up 200,000 boxes from last month. California non-Valencia oranges remained at …

commissioner

Florida Citrus Production Continues Downward Trend

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast, fruit, Grapefruit, lemons, Production

The 2018–19 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) on June 11 is 71.4 million boxes. The total includes 30.4 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, mid-season and Navel varieties) and 41 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The June forecast for non-Valencia production is unchanged from the May forecast. Harvest is complete for the included varieties. …

Citrus Production Cost Surveys Scheduled

Daniel Cooper Economics, Production

In an effort to continue to gather accurate production cost data for Florida citrus growers, University of Florida economist Ariel Singerman will be conducting two regional surveys. This will be the fourth year that Singerman has met with citrus growers to gather current production cost data. This information is important for a multitude of reasons, including citrus grove valuations for …

hlb

Large-Scale Citrus Field Trials Idea Surfaces

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Research

Citrus research continues to be a topic in state and federal funding circles as the industry’s battle with HLB, or citrus greening, continues. One idea in the incubator of industry discussion is the Citrus Research and Field Trial (CRAFT) program. It would involve large-scale grower field trials throughout Florida. Rick Dantzler, chief operating officer of the Citrus Research and Development …

sour

Source of the Sour in Citrus Identified

Daniel Cooper Industry News Release, lemons, Research

The identification of genes responsible for sour taste in citrus fruit may enable the creation of new, sweeter varieties. A team of researchers, including two from the University of California, Riverside (UCR), has identified the genes responsible for the hallmark sour taste of many citrus fruits. Published Feb. 25 in Nature Communications, the research could help plant breeders develop new, …

field hearings

Exploring the Economic Impact of California’s Citrus Industry

Daniel Cooper Citrus

The California citrus industry is valued at nearly $3.5 billion with over 3,000 growers farming 320,000 acres throughout the state. The size and scale of citrus production has both direct and indirect effects on California’s overall economy. “If you think about primary production, which citrus is, it requires that the citrus growers buy what’s called ‘intermediate inputs’ or inputs from …

florida citrus

Citrus Funding Could Remain Steady as Results Sought

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Citrus Greening

Senate Appropriations Chairman Sen. Ron Bradley supports maintaining the current level of funding for the state’s citrus industry, as a decade of research about combating deadly citrus greening disease is applied more in groves. After hearing presentations Wednesday from citrus-industry leaders, Bradley, R-Fleming Island, said there “certainly” won’t be a drop from this year’s $23.2 million in funding. At the …

greening

Developing New Greening-Tolerant Citrus

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

When Nian Wang pieces together sequences of genes, he hopes to make citrus varieties that are more tolerant to the deadly disease known as citrus greening, which has devastated a multibillion-dollar-a-year industry in Florida. Wang, a professor of microbiology and cell science with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), will help an investigation in which …

citrus greening

Study Zeroes in on Organic Ways to Beat Citrus Greening

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Research

Results show promise for organic groves, but more research is needed. Since it was first discovered in the United States in 2005, the bacterial disease known as citrus greening, or Huanglongbing, has devastated millions of acres of citrus crops throughout this country and abroad, ravaging citrus groves in Asia, Africa and South America. Citrus greening has impacted conventional and organic …

citrus rootstock

USDA Releases 3 New Citrus Rootstocks

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Rootstocks

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released three new citrus rootstocks that are available for unrestricted public use. The rootstocks are US SuperSour 1, US SuperSour 2 and US SuperSour 3. A new publication provides summary information about the new releases. Get the new publication here: Sponsored ContentBRAZILIAN RESEARCH RESULTS IN A UNIQUE PRODUCT FOR HLB MANAGEMENTMarch 10, 2024Protect Your …

usda

December Citrus Crop Forecast Unchanged

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast, Grapefruit

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s 2018-2019 Florida all-orange forecast for December is 77 million boxes, unchanged from the November forecast. If realized, this forecast will be 71 percent more than last season’s final production. The forecast consists of 32 million boxes of the non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties) and 45 million boxes of Valencia oranges. Current fruit size …

production

Citrus Nutrition Day to Include Field Tours

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Citrus Health Management Areas, Industry News Release, Nutrition, Research

This year’s Citrus Nutrition Day — at which growers will learn the latest data about growing the fruit, from the soil up through the plants — is expanding to include tours of field trials. After a morning of updates from University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) researchers, participants may tour field sites at the Peace River …

long-horned beetle

New UF/IFAS Entomologist: From a Kid’s ‘Lab’ to Helping Citrus Growers

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, HLB Management, Industry News Release, Psyllids, Research

As a girl in her garage in Palm Bay, Florida, Lauren Diepenbrock, already a budding scientist, peered through the lens of her microscope and marveled at the magnification. “As a kid, I played in the woods and brought back all sorts of ‘finds,’ including a snake skeleton, none of which my mom allowed in the house,” said Diepenbrock, an assistant …

citrus

Citrus Block Grant Application Workshops Scheduled for Growers

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

The Florida Division of Emergency Management (DEM) announced the successful receipt of $343,221,216.73 in federal Florida Citrus Tree Recovery Program funds to help Florida citrus farmers recover from the devastating effects of Hurricane Irma. Four workshops will be held to assist growers in applying for the funds. This outcome was accomplished through a partnership with the Florida Department of Agriculture …

citrus greening

Early Findings Show Plant Hormone May Help in HLB Fight

Daniel Cooper Citrus Greening, Industry News Release, Research

University of Florida scientists think a group of hormones may eventually help growers battle citrus greening, but they still want to study them before recommending growers use the chemical. Fernando Alferez, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), leads a team of UF/IFAS researchers studying the effects of Homobrassinolides …

hurricane

Lawmakers Sign Off on Money for Citrus Farmers

Daniel Cooper Citrus, hurricane, Industry News Release

Gov. Rick Scott said the state will “soon” begin accepting applications from citrus farmers whose crops and groves were damaged by Hurricane Irma, after the Joint Legislative Budget Commission accepted $357 million in federal funding for the industry on July 19. “It’s great that the LBC approved this funding today,” Scott tweeted. “We look forward to continuing to work with …

aphis

June Florida Citrus Forecast: Grapefruit Down Slightly

Daniel Cooper Citrus, Crop Forecast, Grapefruit

The 2017-2018 Florida all-orange forecast released by the U. S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service (USDA/NASS) on June 12 is 45 million boxes, unchanged from the May forecast. The total includes 19 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason and Navel varieties) and 26 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The forecast for non-Valencia production is finalized and harvest …

crisp

Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program Introduced

Daniel Cooper Irrigation

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) Office of Agricultural Water Policy has a new citrus cost-share program to assist with irrigation improvements on groves that are being replanted. FDACS announced it has set aside roughly $3 million for the Citrus Renovation Irrigation Support Program (CRISP). The program is designed to be a 75 percent cost share for the …