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Florida’s citrus industry got some bitter news Thursday as it enters the final months of the 2023-2024 growing season.The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a report that reduced estimates of orange and grapefruit production. Overall, the new numbers indicated the industry will slightly outpace the 2022-2023 season, which was devastated by Hurricane Ian and had the lowest output in 93 years.
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As it hopes for a warm winter, Florida’s struggling citrus industry could be showing signs of recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Ian and progress in the decades-long fight against citrus greening disease.
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Numbers released Wednesday confirmed that Florida’s 2022-2023 citrus season was the worst in nearly a century, as growers tried to recover from an early-season hurricane that exacerbated industry struggles.The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Wednesday issued a final report that showed a huge dropoff in production from the 2021-2022 season. The industry would have to go back to the 1929-1930 season to find comparable numbers.
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Production numbers for Florida’s orange crop continue to decline as the citrus industry’s storm-battered season nears an end.The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Friday issued a forecast that said Florida growers this season are on pace to fill 15.65 million boxes of oranges, which would be the lowest total since the 1934-1935 season. The new forecast also was down from an April projection of 16.1 million boxes.
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There is a significant agricultural industry here in Southwest Florida. Growers in our region produce crops like citrus, tomatoes, watermelons, and other fruits and vegetables. This region also has a thriving livestock industry, with cattle and dairy farms contributing to the economy. But, times are changing for all of us and this definitely includes those working to grow food.
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Southwest Florida citrus growers are seeing conditions potentially worse than after Hurricane Irma, which played a key role in citrus production falling by more than one-third in 2017.
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The U.S. Department of Justice says fewer acres were used during the last citrus season, which was the worst for orange production in the last eight decades.
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New technology being tested by researchers at UF/IFAS to help Florida farmers reduce their costs as much as possible in order to try and stay profitable in the face of what’s called ‘citrus greening.'
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The citrus industry in Florida has been under assault by a psyllid that has spread the greening disease through orange groves since the ’90s, decimating yields and killing businesses. Researchers are now looking at older varieties for resilience in the face of this disease.
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The D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals has set aside the EPA's registration of aldicarb for use on Florida citrus groves. The systemic pesticide and known neurotoxin, manufactured by AgLogic, will not be allowed for use on Florida citrus.