JM Innovations



National & World Ag News Headlines
California May Pass Florida as Nation's Top Orange Producer
USAgNet - 12/15/2017

With the recent hurricane season taking a toll on Florida's orange crop, new numbers from the USDA suggest that California may take the crown as the nation's top citrus producer.

After a decade of the citrus-greening disease devastating Florida oranges, Hurricane Irma smashed into groves this year, inflicting yet another blow to the crop.

According to Bloomberg News, farmers in the state are set to collect 46 million boxes of the fruit this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said Tuesday. That would be the smallest since 1945 and would match California's harvest. A box weighs 90 pounds for Florida, and California changed its weight since 2009-10 to 80 pounds.

Michael Sparks, chief executive officer for Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest grower group, expects the situation for the crop "to get worse before it gets better." If that's the case, and California ends up with the bigger crop, it would be the first time in 73 years the state would best Florida.

Most of the oranges grown in California are used for the fresh fruit market, while Florida's fruit is generally used to make fresh juice.


Other National Headlines
TractorPumps.com
U.S. Custom Harvesters, Inc.
Copyright © 2024 - Farms.com. All Rights Reserved.