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The year 2021 will be another marked by the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the summer, even as Floridians took measures like getting vaccinated, cases spiked again to new heights. As the year ends and case numbers fall again, the state and country will continue sorting out other fallout from the pandemic like rising costs and supply chain issues. …
The past year was tough for Florida citrus growers, I know. Production was down, and many growers had to dip further into savings or go more into debt to sustain their operations. Still, I’m optimistic. Here’s why: Many of the research building blocks necessary for a sustainable Florida citrus industry are in place. Research successes tend to be sequential in …
The HLB era in Florida citrus has certainly altered the way routine tasks are performed. Nutrition, rootstock selection, grove architecture, and many other functions, once routine and invariable, are now approached from an entirely new perspective. For some growers, every step in their production system is in a fluid state, making the learning process more complex than ever. Nurseries and …
As a Floridian, it can be easy to forget that winter isn’t all sunshine and mild temps. A quick glance at the national weather map shows frigid air and gray skies for much of the country this time of year. Add in cold and flu season on top of that – expected to be especially severe this year – and …
It’s that time of year again when we seek nominations for the next Florida Grower Citrus Achievement Award winner. Since 2000, the honor has grown into the gold standard of industry recognition for those who have made and continue to make a significant impact within and even beyond the Florida citrus community. Last year’s winner, Larry Black of Peace River …
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 …
This the second installment of four special Q&A features honoring Larry Black, the 2021 Florida Grower Citrus Achievement Award winner. He is VP and General Manager of Ft. Meade, FL-based Peace River Packing Co. How has your fertilizer and plant nutrition program changed since HLB come on the scene? BLACK: Maintaining optimum tree nutrition is critical with endemic HLB. Infected …
As blue-green algae makes headlines again this summer, fertilizer from farms and urban sources are again under scrutiny. Last year, the state legislature passed the Clean Waterways Act to address continuing challenges with water quality. The 111-page bill addresses agriculture, using biosolids as fertilizer, regulation of septic tanks, wastewater treatment systems, enhanced penalties, and other rules. It is part of …
As a fourth-generation grower, citrus runs in Brad Turner’s blood. From an early age, he worked his family’s groves near Litha, FL, and continued to grow and work as a caretaker for citrus operations until 2016. For Turner, like many others, HLB took its toll on his groves, robbing valuable yields and quality from once productive trees. That set him …
No industry is more synonymous with the great state of Florida than the citrus industry. Florida’s citrus growers, packers, and processors contribute more than $6.762 billion to our state’s economy, and we support more than 33,000 jobs. We have endured countless hurricanes, droughts, pests, and diseases, and we continue in the fight of our lives against citrus greening. But there …
