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Jim RosicaMay 10, 2016

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam isn’t yet sanguine about the future of Florida citrus. He reacted Tuesday to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s latest crop forecast for 2015-16. The feds now expect 81.1 million boxes of oranges, up from 76 million boxes last month, according to Putnam. A so-far incurable disease called citrus greening is attacking fruit, causing it to turn green and […]

Jim RosicaApril 8, 2016

Faced with a call from Florida’s leading growers for the state’s Department of Citrus to “be scaled back considerably,” Gov. Rick Scott has put restrictions on the nearly $7.7 million in general revenue given to the agency in the 2016-17 state budget. One condition, The Lakeland Ledger reported Friday, is that the Governor’s Office will look […]

Jim RosicaFebruary 16, 2016

With the state’s citrus industry in free-fall, Florida’s leading growers are calling for the Department of Citrus to “be scaled back considerably,” saying they “do not believe current marketing programs are generating an economic return.” A dozen growers, including Florida Citrus Hall of Famer Ben Hill Griffin III, signed and sent a letter Monday to Florida Citrus Commission […]

Scott PowersJanuary 26, 2016

Continuing research at the University of Central Florida has brought another federal grant of $1.9 million to develop a method for protecting the troubled citrus industry from the disease HLB, also known as citrus greening. In awarding the funding to UCF nanoparticle researcher Swadeshmukul Santra, the U.S. Department of Agriculture also recognized the University of Central Florida […]

Peter SchorschNovember 11, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has released a dire forecast for Florida’s orange crop. The estimate released Tuesday predicts that the 2015-2016 orange crop will be down 8 percent from the previous year. Officials predict the state’s orange production will be 74 million boxes. By comparison, in the 2012-2013 year, 133 million boxes were harvested. […]

Associated PressMay 12, 2015

The U.S. Department of Agriculture released a bleak estimate for the state’s citrus industry, saying that the 2014-2015 Florida orange crop will yield 96.4 million boxes of fruit, down from the 104 million boxes produced last year. The estimate released Tuesday represents a decline of 60 percent since the peak of citrus production at 244 […]

Bruce RitchieApril 9, 2015

Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam says Florida’s citrus industry still is threatened by disease despite a federal forecast that shows the industry holding almost steady. Florida agriculture faces a threat from citrus greening, a bacterial disease that is spread primarily by Asian insects called citrus psyllids. Acreage planted with citrus declined from 845,250 acres in 1998 […]

Associated PressApril 1, 2015

Federal authorities are sending more money to help fight the citrus greening disease that is threatening Florida’s citrus industry. U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack on Wednesday said his agency was offering $23 million for further research on greening. He made the announcement during a visit to an Orlando market that sells a wide range of […]

Tag: citrus greening

Adam Putnam still cautious on citrus outlook

Rick Scott clamping down on finances at state citrus agency

State’s growers call for dramatic overhaul of Florida Department of Citrus

UCF, UF research efforts to stop citrus greening draw U.S. agriculture grants

Feds predict 8 percent drop in Florida’s orange crop

Florida’s orange crop to be smaller than anticipated

Adam Putnam says citrus still threatened despite improved forecast

USDA sending more money to fight citrus greening