Headlines

USDA Orange Crop Forecast Holds Steady – 5/10/2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Friday maintained its estimate of the 2012-2013 Florida orange crop at 138 million boxes. [Read More]

Policy Note: Agriculture Budget – 4/24/2013
The House and Senate appear to be heeding a call from Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam and the citrus industry to combat citrus greening disease. [Read More]

Congressional immigration debate signals big shift – 4/24/2013
The national mood on immigration has changed dramatically since Arizona approved a first-of-its-kind immigration law, igniting a furor over border security and the country's treatment of immigrants. [Read More]

New research funding to fight citrus greening – 4/24/2013
A major research initiative designed to fight the virulent disease huanglongbing, also known as HLB or “greening,” that has devastated Florida's citrus industry, is expected to receive major funding from the state legislature during its current session. [Read More]

USDA Orange Crop Forecast Continues to Decrease – 4/10/2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Wednesday lowered its estimate of the 2012-2013 Florida orange crop by one million boxes to 138 million boxes. [Read More]

Rough Season: Reasons for Premature Citrus Drop Explored – 4/3/2013
Florida citrus growers got some good news Tuesday, if their idea of good news is holding pre-harvest fruit losses in greening-infected groves to 30 percent. [Read More]

Immigration Bill Envisions New Farm Worker Program – 4/3/2013
Sweeping immigration legislation taking shape in the Senate will aim to overhaul the nation's agriculture worker program to create a steady supply of labor for farmers and growers, who rely more than any other industry on workers who have come to the country illegally. [Read More]

Agricultural water bill wins support from former environmental opponents – 4/2/2013
A bill that was shaping up to be the most controversial fight over water in the legislative session now has support from environmental groups that were opposing it. [Read More]

2013 Palm Harbor Citrus Festival: Schedule of Events – 4/2/2013
Whoo hoo! It's time for Palm Harbor's annual Citrus Festival! The festival will be held on Florida and Georgia avenues from Thursday, April 4 through Sunday, April 7. [Read More]

Brazil orange juice makers fined for labor violations – 3/27/2013
A Brazilian judge has ordered four major orange juice producers to pay $227 million in compensation for a decade of illegal labor practices and ordered them to end outsourcing of orange picking. [Read More]

UA aiding citrus-disease research – 3/26/2013
The UA will receive part of a $9 million federal contract to research the citrus greening disease that is harming the nation's citrus industry and keeping Arizona's industry on guard. [Read More]

Top Citrus Official Resigns Amid Dispute – 3/20/2013
Bob Norberg, second in command at the Florida Department of Citrus, resigned Monday in an apparent dispute with Executive Director Doug Ackerman over his management authority. [Read More]

Citrus Department Report: Production to Decline Further Before Recovery – 3/20/2013
A new Florida Department of Citrus report on the future of Florida citrus presents a pessimistic outlook for the industry over the next 10 years. [Read More]

Liability Limits Considered To Agritourism Operations – 3/13/2013
If injured on privately-owned agricultural land while hunting or hiking, or simply hurt while picking berries, horseback riding or otherwise hurt on a farm, you’d most likely be considered at fault under a bill advancing past its first Senate stop this week. [Read More]

Department of Agriculture Now Accepting Specialty Crop Grant Applications – 3/13/2013
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services is now accepting applications for $4.2 million in federal funding for specialty crops, Agriculture Commissioner Adam H. Putnam has announced. [Read More]

Crisis in the Citrus Grove – 3/13/2013
This post is part of the Science Tuesday feature series on the USDA blog. Check back each week as we showcase stories and news from USDA’s rich science and research portfolio. [Read More]

Door opens a tad wider if Putnam wants to run – 3/12/2013
Monday's decision by a Florida Senate committee to reject Medicaid expansion doesn't mean Charlie Crist or any other potential challenger should start measuring windows at the governor's mansion for new drapes. [Read More]

Trust Fund Sought to Fight Citrus Greening – 2/28/2013
The majority of Florida's congressional delegation is backing a federal bill that would set aside $150 million over five years to combat a bacterial disease that for nearly a decade has threatened to cripple Florida's $9 billion-a-year citrus industry. [Read More]

Smaller Orange Crop? It's a Mixed Bag – 2/28/2013
The Florida Department of Citrus began the 2012-13 citrus season in October on an optimistic note, forecasting an end to more than a decade of U.S. orange juice sales declines. [Read More]

Citrus Commission Researchers Focus on OJ Quality, Flavor – 2/27/2013
The Scientific Research Department at the Florida Department of Citrus has rebranded itself to reflect a new mission focusing on monitoring orange juice quality and flavor that might be affected by citrus greening. [Read More]

Five Join Florida Citrus Hall of Fame – 2/27/2013
Homer Hooks, one of the five new members inducted Wednesday into the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, gave credit to the 170 giants of the industry on whose shoulders he stood. [Read More]

USDA Predicts Decrease to 2012-2013 Orange Crop – 2/8/2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Friday said its estimate of the 2012-2013 Florida orange crop decreased less than one percent to 141 million boxes. [Read More]

Should Orange County citrus growers get free water? – 2/4/2013
Some central Florida citrus growers find themselves in a war being waged over reclaimed water. [Read More]

Scientists Converge For International Citrus Conference in Orlando – 2/2/2013
More than 500 scientists from 22 countries will attend the five-day 2013 International Conference on HLB beginning Monday in Orlando. [Read More]

Decade-old Lee citrus canker case now in judge's hands to decide if it ends – 2/1/2013
It isn't known yet if the state will have to pay more money to Lee County homeowners who lost their citrus trees during the state's failed canker-fighting campaign nearly a decade ago. [Read More]

House lawmakers mull path to citizenship for illegal immigrants – 1/31/2013
A bipartisan group in the U.S. House of Representatives is attempting to craft a bill that would give millions of illegal immigrants a way to become citizens, House aides said on Thursday, mirroring an effort in the Senate. [Read More]

Cool weather a sweet surprise for farmers – 1/31/2013
The winter weather has been pretty wacky. It has confused crops and oranges have blossomed six weeks ahead of time. And now with cooler weather moving in, it's becoming a sweet surprise for farmers. [Read More]

Who Wants a Nice Tall Glass of Coca-Cola's Algorithmic Orange Juice? – 1/31/2013
Coca-Cola won't say how it makes its best-selling Simply Orange orange juice, but one thing is for sure: It's not so simple. [Read More]

Scott Proposes $74.2 Bil. Budget – 1/31/2013
From teachers to state universities to state workers, there's something for just about everybody in Gov. Rick Scott's record $74.2 billion spending plan for next year. [Read More]

Citrus Greening Will Ruin Morning OJ, No Matter How You Slice It – 1/30/2013
If you had orange juice this morning for breakfast, savor it, since it might not be around much longer. The United States citrus industry is engaged in a long battle with a disease called citrus greening, and the citrus growers are losing. [Read More]

Taxes, labor top farmers' priorities this year – 1/28/2013
Consistent water-use permitting, more funding for agricultural research and preserving low property tax rates on farmland are among local farmers’ priorities in the next legislative session. [Read More]

Separate path for farm labor in Senate immigration plan – 1/28/2013
Agricultural laborers would be on a separate path to U.S. citizenship than other undocumented workers in the immigration reforms proposed by eight senators on Monday that cited the importance of feeding America. [Read More]

Green disease squeezes Florida’s citrus industry – 1/20/2013
When the citrus tree-killing disease known as greening was detected for the first time in the United States in Homestead in August 2005, some feared the end was near for Florida’s signature industry. [Read More]

Rubio works to 'modernize' immigration – 1/13/2013
Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, is laying out elements of his proposal to reform the immigration system, which he pitches as much-needed modernization for the outdated system. [Read More]

New Florida's Natural VP Talks About Fresh Juice, Millennials and More – 1/12/2013
What does orange juice have in common with teaching, coaching, banking, cigarettes, candy and cheese? [Read More]

USDA Predicts Decrease to 2012-2013 Citrus Crop – 1/11/2013
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Friday said its estimate of the 2012-2013 Florida citrus crop has decreased almost 3 percent to 142 million boxes. [Read More]

Coca-Cola China demands police investige fungicide rumor – 1/9/2013
A senior Coca-Cola China executive said on Tuesday that the company has filed a police report about recent rumors that its orange juice contains illegal fungicide, and will hold the perpetrators legally responsible. [Read More]

Immigration leads federal law enforcement spending, study says – 1/8/2013
The United States spends more on immigration enforcement than on all other major federal criminal law enforcement agencies combined, and it has increased that spending dramatically over the past quarter-century, according to a report released Monday by the Migration Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research group in Washington. [Read More]

Warnings About Drug Interactions Don't Stall Grapefruit Sales – 1/8/2013
As some Florida citrus officials predicted at the time, another spate of national news stories in late November about potentially harmful interactions between widely prescribed drugs and grapefruit juice appeared to have little negative impact on juice sales. [Read More]

OJ Comes Under Fire as Sugary – 12/20/2012
The Florida Department of Citrus is reinforcing the barricades and calling in the recruits for the counteroffensive against detractors who equate orange juice with sodas and other sugary beverages as a health risk. [Read More]

Citrus Takes Budget Hits Including Lost Sales in Sandy's Aftermath – 12/19/2012
Florida may have escaped direct damage from October's Hurricane Sandy, but the state's citrus industry took a $3.5 million hit. [Read More]

Heavy Dose of Citrus Coming to Schools – 12/13/2012
Heavy dose of citrus coming to schools [Read More]

Thousands of Florida fruit baskets being shopped all over the country – 12/13/2012
Crews at Mixons Fruit Farms in Bradenton are working non-stop to fill holiday orders this week. [Read More]

USDA Predicts Decrease to 2012-2013 Citrus Crop – 12/11/2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Tuesday said its estimate of the 2012-2013 Florida citrus crop has decreased more than 5 percent to 146 million boxes. [Read More]

Mechanical Harvesting Declines by 74 Percent – 11/25/2012
Once touted as the ultimate solution to frequent labor shortages during the citrus harvesting season, mechanical harvesting has declined by 74 percent during the past two seasons, yet another victim in the Florida citrus industry's war against the bacterial disease citrus greening. [Read More]

Crisafulli called a 'servant-leader' in replacing Dorworth – 11/23/2012
TALLAHASSEE – He hails from a farming family well known on the Space Coast and has long been a rumored future candidate for state Agriculture commissioner. [Read More]

Give thanks to Florida's farmers, ranchers for bountiful tables – 11/22/2012
Next year, Florida will celebrate 500 years since it was discovered by Juan Ponce de Leon. He named this land "La Florida" because it was the season known in Spain as "Pascua Florida," the Festival of Flowers, and because much of the land's vegetation was in bloom. [Read More]

Florida's oranges under attack – 11/22/2012
Some growers in Florida are beginning to imagine breakfast without orange juice. [Read More]

US (CA): Parasitic wasp could be answer to greening – 11/6/2012
There's a new hope in the fight against citrus greening, in the shape of a parasitic wasp that feeds on the disease carrying Asian citrus psyllid. [Read More]

Nutrient-rich orange juice plays a vital role in diet – 11/5/2012
On behalf of the Florida Department of Citrus, I am writing in response to an article that appeared in the Herald: "Fruit juice has benefits, but calories outweigh them, experts say" (Oct. 30). The article featured several mischaracterizations and inaccuracies regarding orange juice that may unnecessarily alarm readers. [Read More]

Florida's Natural Growers Foundation awards record amount in 2012 – 11/4/2012
In four years, the Florida's Natural Growers Foundation awarded grants totaling nearly $500,000. For 2012, 48 organizations will benefit from grants awarded by the Foundation. Florida's Natural Growers Foundation is pleased to announce the 2012 organizations receiving grant awards. The awards were presented at the Florida's Natural Grove House Visitor Center on Nov. 1. [Read More]

Vanguard gets citrus donation – 11/4/2012
Thanks to a generous donation by local citrus grower Royce Godwin and help from Ben Hill Griffin (BHG), Inc., students at the Vanguard School began a new agricultural endeavor recently. [Read More]

Florida citrus season is shipping season – 11/3/2012
On Thursday morning at the start of citrus season, Jim Oleson, owner of the Boyett's Grove orange processing plant, and employee Alonzo Rodriguez headed out to pick ripened Fall-Glo tangerines at Jerry Rice's groves in Spring Lake. [Read More]

Florida citrus fruit sales slowed due to storm damage – 11/2/2012
Florida fresh citrus fruit shipments and sales to the industry’s biggest U.S. market will be slowed for a couple of weeks as the storm-punched Northeast recovers from the devastation brought by Superstorm Sandy. [Read More]

The Insider: Florida Citrus Mutual Changes Address Listing For Aesthetics – 11/2/2012
Florida Citrus Mutual has moved. Not! Actually the Lakeland-based growers' trade group, the largest in Florida, recently changed its address at the suggestion of a staff member, who thought the old address, 302 S. Massachusetts Ave., wasn't poetic enough. [Read More]

Two vie for Florida Senate District 21 – 10/21/2012
Florida state Senate District 21 stretches from Lake Okeechobee all the way to west-central Florida. It includes all or part of six different counties, including parts of Martin and St. Lucie and spans three major media markets. [Read More]

Governor Scott Reappoints Three To Citrus Commission – 10/19/2012
Lakeland's James Horrisberger is among three people reappointed to serve on the Florida Citrus Commission, Gov. Rick Scott's office announced Friday. [Read More]

New effort to stop citrus greening pest – 10/17/2012
A new aggressive effort is underway in California to stop the spread of a disease targeting citrus trees. [Read More]

Citrus Research and Development Foundation Receives Money for Greening Disease – 10/16/2012
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation has received government funding for projects dealing with citrus greening disease. [Read More]

USDA Predicts Slightly Larger Citrus Crop in 2012-2013 – 10/11/2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Thursday estimated the Florida citrus crop will increase about 5 percent to 154 million boxes during the 2012-2013 season. [Read More]

Citrus Research Center Director Accused of Stealing Data for Journal Article – 10/11/2012
One of the most powerful officials in Florida citrus research faces a University of Florida investigation on allegations she used a colleague's data in a professional journal article without proper attribution. [Read More]

Mexico: Citrus Greening affecting citrus crops in Michoacan – 10/11/2012
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Florida Citrus Growers Thank USDA for $9 Million Research Grant – 10/1/2012
Florida Citrus Mutual thanked the U.S Department of Agriculture today after the agency announced it awarded a $9 million grant to help support citrus research. [Read More]

Citrus Growers Facing Highest Production Costs in History – 9/28/2012
Florida citrus production costs are the highest in history and could continue to climb as growers battle exotic diseases. [Read More]

Warner University's Ag Studies Program Taking Root – 9/26/2012
Warner University's new agricultural studies program will not start classes until next fall, but already it has five students enrolled — and plans are in the works for its first fund-raising event. [Read More]

USDA announces change in release time for key statistical reports – 9/21/2012
New schedule begins in Jan. 2013 [Read More]

Update on Citrus Nutritionals' Success – 9/14/2012
University of Florida researcher Bob Rouse tells how well citrus grower Maury Boyd has maintained production in an HLB-infected grove with the use of a nutritional cocktail. [Read More]

Fair Food Program helps end use of slavery in Florida tomato fields – 9/9/2012
Since 1997, the Justice Department has prosecuted seven cases of slavery in the Florida agricultural industry -- four involving tomato harvesters -- freeing more than 1,000 men and women. The stories are a catalogue of horrors: abductions, pistol whippings, confinement at gunpoint, debt bondage and starvation wages. [Read More]

Ambition, Passion Paved Way to Top of Business – 9/9/2012
Few people upon introduction likely would fail to notice Larry Black's affable personality. [Read More]

Citrus Report Shows First Positive Number of the 2011-12 Season – 8/27/2012
The United States may be in the middle of its quadrennial political turmoil, but at least the domestic orange juice market appears to be settling back to normal. [Read More]

Citrus and other crops fare well as Tropical Storm Isaac passes – 8/27/2012
Tropical Storm Isaac appears to have spared Florida’s citrus crop, according to Chet Townsend, citrus grower and editor of UltimateCitrus.com. [Read More]

Polk's Business People: Mark Wheeler - President of Florida Citrus Mutual – 8/20/2012
Mark Wheeler's election in June as president of Lakeland-based Florida Citrus Mutual represented a bit of a homecoming. [Read More]

California battles Citrus Greening Disease – 8/15/2012
California is losing the battle against a pest threatening the state's 2-billion dollar citrus industry. State ag officials say they're struggling to kill off the bug that carries the fatal citrus disease. [Read More]

Obama Administration Launches New Immigration Program for Young Workers – 8/15/2012
The Obama administration on Tuesday directed young illegal immigrants to fill out new forms and pay $465 if they want to apply under a new program that would let them avoid deportation and obtain a U.S. work permit. [Read More]

Planting gardens for grades – 8/15/2012
It's back to school and time to learn the basics — reading, writing, arithmetic and agriculture. Yes, agriculture. [Read More]

Drought will raise food prices in Florida next year – 8/5/2012
Florida shoppers can expect to pay 3 to 4 percent more for groceries next year because of the historic drought in America's heartland, a pinch that could prompt some consumers to adjust their buying and eating habits. [Read More]

Central Florida citrus pioneer loved to grow family relations, too – 8/5/2012
Austin Caruso Sr. and his family had built one of the largest citrus empires in the state. They once owned nearly 6,000 acres of citrus in Central Florida. [Read More]

Tropicana Unveils the First-of-Its-Kind Pitcher-Style Container – 8/5/2012
Officials at Bradenton-based Tropicana Products Inc., the leading U.S. orange juice seller, say they hope consumers will like their new 89-ounce Pure Premium OJ as much for the bottle as the juice. [Read More]

Legislation left undone as Congress takes off – 8/3/2012
The Senate in June and the House Agriculture Committee in July passed similar bills to set agriculture subsidy and conservation policy and spend almost [Read More]

USDA citrus limb count crews trek Florida to predict orange, juice forecast for 2013 – 8/2/2012
Bruce Rottman is like a Florida citrus psychic. By measuring limbs on orange trees, he and his team will help predict this year's state-wide orange crop. [Read More]

Citrus HLB fight gets boost from math model – 7/31/2012
University of Florida researchers have created a mathematical model that shows how citrus greening is transmitted within an infected tree — an important step toward helping scientists understand the devastating disease. [Read More]

Illegal sales of citrus result in probation sentences – 7/30/2012
Four Palm Beach County residents have been given a year of probation for conspiracy to transport and sell quarantined citrus plants across state lines. [Read More]

Growers: Act now to fight greening, save citrus crop – 7/29/2012
The battle against the bug-borne bacteria known ascitrus greening — the greatest threat to Florida's valuable citrus crop — is taking on a fresh sense of urgency with a bill sponsored by U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson that would pour millions of dollars more into the fight. [Read More]

Citrus Leadership Lacking – 7/29/2012
Missing in action? Or, still on-the-job training? Citrus producers in Florida have been horribly let down by the non-performance of the executive director of the Florida Citrus Commission during his first six months on the job. [Read More]

Citrus Growers Seeing Record Season for Farm Prices – 7/28/2012
Despite the ongoing battle with major issues, such as citrus greening and declining U.S. orange juice sales, plus many more smaller difficulties, growing citrus in Florida proved very profitable in the recently completed 2011-12 season. [Read More]

Florida's school lunches to feature more fresh fruits and veggies – 7/27/2012
Children's school lunches will be more nutritious and include more of Florida's fresh fruits and vegetables if Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam gets his way. [Read More]

Tropicana tries out a new bottle – 7/25/2012
In the latest move aimed at repackaging its signature product, Tropicana has unveiled a new, 89-ounce bottle for its Pure Premium orange juice. [Read More]

Fresh snack changes opposed – 7/25/2012
A farm bill approved July 12 by the House Committee on Agriculture includes a provision that has prompted strong opposition from both of its Florida members, as well as the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance. [Read More]

Industry plugs into social networks – 7/25/2012
When it comes to the growth of social media, the numbers are staggering. Estimates by both Nielsen and NM Incite suggest that social media sites and blogs reach 80 percent of all active U.S. Internet users. [Read More]

New citrus a happy accident – 7/24/2012
From one Sanibel Lime-elo tree a line of culinary treats has been born. [Read More]

The Insider: UF Researchers Develop Insightful Model of Citrus Greening Bacteria – 7/24/2012
University of Florida researchers have developed a mathematical model showing how citrus greening bacteria get transmitted through a tree after infection. [Read More]

Orange Juice TV Ads Also Target Away-From-Home Consumers – 7/21/2012
Sometimes, spilling orange juice may be the right idea. [Read More]

Citrus industry innovator Bert Roper dies – 7/4/2012
The Florida Citrus industry lost a prominent member with the death of Bert Roper. [Read More]

OJ and Grapefruit Juice Sales Better, But Still in Decline – 7/3/2012
Orange juice sales appear to be doing better than in the recent past now that the Florida Department of Citrus has better, more extensive data on U.S. retail sales. [Read More]

New Citrus Exec Faces Some Tough Challenges – 6/19/2012
Fate did not welcome Douglas Ackerman to his new job as executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus on Jan. 9. [Read More]

St. Johns Water Improvement District in Indian River County charge some of highest irrigation fees – 6/17/2012
People who own land near commercial citrus groves west of Interstate 95 have discovered a downside to this bucolic setting: paying a hefty price for irrigation they don't need. [Read More]

Adam Putnam: We don't need the EPA – 6/17/2012
A ruling from an independent Administrative Law Judge last week in support of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection's (DEP) proposed water quality standards is the latest in a long line of affirmations that Florida is best positioned and most capable of managing the health of its own rivers, streams and coastal waters. [Read More]

Putnam Benefitted From State Land Deal – 6/15/2012
Adam Putnam — former congressman, current commissioner of agriculture and widely viewed as the future of Florida politics — became a very rich man in 2005 when taxpayers spent $25.5 million on 2,042 acres of his family's ranch that had been valued at $5.5 million a year earlier, The Palm Beach Post has learned. [Read More]

Gov. Scott to growers: E-verify for them would be ‘foolish’ – 6/14/2012
Gov. Rick Scott, who said while campaigning for governor that he would require employers to use the federal E-Verify system to check immigration status, now acknowledges that requiring the agriculture industry to use it would put growers at a disadvantage. [Read More]

Citrus media plan could be a million less – 5/20/2012
Faced with lower revenue by $5.8 million for next year’s budget, the Florida Citrus Commission approved a less costly media plan during a recent meeting at the Florida Department of Citrus in Bartow. [Read More]

Decline in OJ Imports Not Necessarily Good News – 5/18/2012
Florida citrus growers usually would embrace a decline in U.S. orange juice imports because it gives them a larger market share. [Read More]