citrus

The Florida citrus industry could have its hardest year since the Great Depression after two back-to-back hurricanes this fall.

Growers in parts of Polk, Highlands, Hardee and DeSoto counties report that Ian claimed from 50 to 90 percent of their citrus crops. Before the storm, the state’s citrus harvest was already expected to be the lowest since 1935.

Florida citrus growers face the possibility of producing the smallest crop since the Great Depression, which might be overly optimistic for an industry ravaged by Hurricane Ian as the new season gets underway.

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.

The owner of a commercial nursery has won a $1.2 million judgment against the Florida Department of Agriculture in the latest verdict against the state agency for destroying citrus trees in the 2000s during an attempt to stop the spread of costly tree diseases.

WFSU News interviews Jeannie Economos, pesticide health and safety project coordinator with the Farmworker Association of Florida, following a recent federal court ruling that rejected the EPA's registration of aldicarb for use on the state's citrus.

The neurotoxin aldicarb is banned in about 100 countries, and is only one of 36 pesticides that the World Health Organization has called "extremely hazardous." It’s now allowed to be used on Florida oranges and grapefruits.

While 2020 was bad for many businesses, it was an exceptionally good year for Florida citrus growers. The industry wants to keep that momentum going.

Hurricane Irma continues to challenge Florida’s citrus industry. Two growing seasons separated from the September 2017 storm that flooded groves and...

Some Florida citrus growers are finally starting to see an increase of orange production. Those who managed to stick around as the greening disease...

When Adam Putnam announced his candidacy for Governor of the state of Florida last year, he stood on the steps of the stately old Polk County courthouse...

Florida’s citrus industry still contributes an estimated $8 billion a year to the state economy. That’s despite its longtime battle against greening - a...