North Carolina State Extension will host two produce safety field days in April. One will be held at the Horticultural Crops Research Station in Faison on April 6. The other will be held at the Mountain Horticultural Crops Research and Extension Center in Mills River on April 13. Both programs are free and will be held from 10 a.m. to …
Building a Brand for Cold-Hardy Citrus
A new brand name for citrus grown in Georgia, North Florida and Alabama should ensure consumers they are purchasing a quality product. Much like Georgia Grown and Fresh From Florida, Sweet Valley Citrus assures consumers and industry members that citrus grown and marketed under this label is high-quality produce. Kyli Lamar, who serves on the board of directors for the Cold Hardy …
Learn the 3 New Cs of Citrus Variety Evaluation
The HLB era in Florida citrus has certainly altered the way routine tasks are performed. Nutrition, rootstock selection, grove architecture, and many other functions, once routine and invariable, are now approached from an entirely new perspective. For some growers, every step in their production system is in a fluid state, making the learning process more complex than ever. Nurseries and …
Sanitation, Documentation Key Management Strategies for Food Safety
By Clint Thompson Sometimes one bad apple can spoil a bunch. For a specialty crop producer, it can mean their livelihood. Proper sanitation and documentation are essential management practices to the long-term sustainability of a farming operation. Growers need to regularly clean their packinghouse equipment while maintaining adequate records. This can prevent the recall of a large amount of produce, …
Learn the 3 New Cs of Citrus Variety Evaluation
See how growers and researchers are applying curiosity, conservation, and creativity in the lab and in the field.
More Satsumas? What Georgia Producers Need to Consider Before Planting
By Clint Thompson Georgia’s citrus production could flood the market in less than three years. By 2024, there is projected to be more than 59 million pounds of citrus ready for harvest, says Jake Price, University of Georgia Lowndes County Extension coordinator. That is compared to 8.4 million pounds that is ready for harvest this year. “You can average three …
Citrus Imports: USDA Revises Conditions of Fruit Coming from Australia
Washington, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) recently expanded the production areas in Australia authorized to import fresh citrus fruit into the United States and revised the conditions under which citrus from Australia may be imported. APHIS authorized three additional areas of Australia to export citrus to the continental United States: the …
Artificial Intelligence: UF Scientists Use AI to Predict Citrus Yield More Accurately
IMMOKALEE, Fla. – The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI) helps citrus growers better forecast their production. So far, they’ve found in a University of Florida preliminary study, its technology predicts yields with 98% accuracy. That’s a substantial increase from the 75% to 85% accuracy growers get when they count their trees manually, said Yiannis Ampatzidis, a UF/IFAS associate professor of …
Say Hello to the Newest Citrus Achievement Award Winner
See why Larry Black says grower expertise and scientific advancement will eventually win the day over HLB.
How Citrus Growers are Watching and Trialing New Orange Varieties
Take a look at what the numbers tell us for each of Florida’s key maturity windows.