Citrus has a brighter future in Florida and surrounding areas, according to one industry expert. Hopefully, there will be enough farmers left standing to profit from it.
Rick Dantzler, Citrus Research and Development Foundation chief operating officer, was a featured speaker at this year’s Citrus & Specialty Crop Expo. He spoke about the industry’s future as it continues to navigate the murky waters of citrus greening disease.
He described the future as “very exciting but also sad in a way, because a lot of my friends that are growers are not in the business anymore.”
“This disease has taken a terrible toll,” said Dantzler. “We’ll never be what we once were, but I’m convinced that we’re going to be many times bigger than we are now. I don’t know where that tops out, but I believe the limiting factor is going to end up being available land for citrus more than the ability to grow the crop in the face of disease. It’s just going to be a new normal.”
According to the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing or HLB, affects citrus production across the globe. It was first detected in Florida in 2005 and has pummeled the state’s production over the past two decades.
The disease is a growing concern for cold-hardy citrus producers. HLB was observed in a Georgia commercial grove for the first time in 2023, a key development for an industry still growing in the region that includes North Florida, South Georgia and South Alabama.
Dantzler continues to tout a “tree of the future” that will help put citrus greening in the rearview mirror sooner rather than later.
“It’s going to be big enough where it’s going to be a fantastic signature industry for Florida and some of these other citrus-producing areas that are coming online. I think the future is bright for them, too,” Dantzler said.
By Clint Thompson