Home > News & Media > Growers give to research

Growers give to research

Daily Commercial – July 28, 2011

Florida’s Natural Growers, which operates an orange juice processing plant in Lake Wales and a packaging plant in Umatilla, plans to donate $250,000 to fight a disease plaguing the state’s citrus industry.

The money will go to The Citrus Research and Development Foundation, the leader in citrus research against HLB, or citrus greening.

“As a Florida grower cooperative, it is important to combat this disease with every resource available,” Florida’s Natural Growers CEO Steve Caruso said. “This support of The Citrus Research and Development Foundation and their efforts to battle citrus greening is vital to the long-term future of the Florida citrus industry.’’

Despite devestating freezes in the mid-1980s, Lake County — with 17,486 acres of planted citrus — still ranks near the top 10 among citrus producing counties in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Citrus greening is a bacterium that was confirmed in Florida six years ago and is evident in every citrus growing region in the state. The disease attacks the nutrient absorption of citrus trees and leads to a rapid decline and eventual death.

“For the Florida citrus industry, (citrus greening) is the most important issue,” Caruso said.

The research foundation works in partnership with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to ensure the survival and competitiveness of the state’s citrus growers.

Florida’s Natural Growers is comprised of 13 grower organizations, including the Umatilla Citrus Growers Association, representing almost 1,000 individual growers who own nearly 50,000 acres of citrus in Florida. Brands produced include Florida’s Natural, Florida’s Natural Growers Pride, Donald Duck, Bluebird and Florida’s Natural Earth’s Own.

Click here to view this article online