Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Guest AuthorApril 16, 2018

Agriculture has continued to be Florida’s second largest industry for many years now. Even so, the industry itself is still a mystery to many who live in Florida’s sprawling suburbia. Our congressional district proudly boasts the top cattle producing county (Osceola) and usual top citrus producing county (Polk). Just take a short drive out of […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 8, 2018

It shouldn’t come as any surprise that the feds this week announced “yet another decrease in the size of the Florida orange crop this season due to Hurricane Irma.” The U.S. Department of Agriculture‘s latest report pegs orange production for 2017-18 at 45 million boxes—”a 35 percent decrease over last season and the lowest crop […]

Jim RosicaNovember 9, 2017

As Florida’s citrus industry “seeks consideration for federal emergency funding,” a U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast Thursday “confirmed a continuing decline in production due to Hurricane Irma’s impact on this season’s crop,” the Florida Department of Citrus said in a press release. “The report predicts Florida orange production for 2017-18 at 50 million boxes of oranges, a 27 percent […]

Danny McAuliffeOctober 11, 2017

Hurricane Irma didn’t just rain on Florida’s agriculture industry – it poured. The Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) painted a bleak picture for Florida crops in a Tuesday presentation to the House Agriculture and Property Rights Subcommittee. Irma caused an estimated $2.5 billion in damage. Grace Lovett, FDACS’ legislative affairs director, said the damage was […]

Associated PressOctober 4, 2017

State officials say Hurricane Irma caused more than $2.5 billion in damage to Florida’s agricultural community. Irma dealt Florida’s iconic orange crop the most devastating blow causing more than $760 million in damage. Beef cattle and dairy were next with $237 million and nearly $12 million respectively. The preliminary assessment was released Wednesday by Florida Commissioner […]

Jim RosicaJuly 12, 2017

Squeeze ’em while you got ’em: Florida’s orange crop “increased slightly while grapefruit production held steady,” the Florida Department of Citrus announced Wednesday. That news is according to the final forecast for the 2016-17 season by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. “The July report projected the state’s orange crop increased by 200,000 […]

Jim RosicaJune 9, 2017

Florida orange production went up a bit and grapefruit production leveled off, according to the latest forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service. The Florida Department of Citrus announced the estimates Friday. “The June report projects the state’s orange crop to increase by 500,000 boxes to 68.5 million for the 2016-17 season,” its press […]

Jim RosicaMay 10, 2017

Another bag of mixed news for Florida’s signature crops: Orange production actually increased while grapefruit production has declined. That’s according to the latest forecast released Wednesday from the the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, or NASS. “The May report projects the state’s orange crop to increase to 68 million boxes for the 2016-17 season,” said a press […]

Jim RosicaApril 11, 2017

The bad news in citrus: “Grapefruit production declined.” The good news: “Florida orange production remained steady.” That’s the upshot of the latest forecast by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, according to the Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC). “The April report projects the state’s orange crop to stay at 67 million boxes […]

Jim RosicaMarch 9, 2017

The forecast for Florida orange production has dropped again, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, down a whopping three million boxes. The March report, released Thursday, projects a reduction in the state’s orange crop to 67 million boxes. “Two million of that comes from the early and mid-season varieties, which are now fully harvested,” […]

Tag: citrus greening
Image via Palatka Main Street.

Darren Soto: The future of agriculture lies in Central Florida

Down and down it goes: Florida’s orange crop plummets

More hits to citrus: Forecast portends further decrease

Bleak outlook for Florida agriculture after Irma

Hurricane Irma causes $2.5B in damage to Florida crops

Orange production up a bit, latest estimate shows

Latest forecast: Oranges up, grapefruit steady

Reversal of fortune: Citrus forecast says oranges up, grapefruit down

Citrus forecast generally holds steady, USDA says

Orange, grapefruit crop forecasts take another hit