Headlines

Florida Citrus Growers Closer to Appealing ITC Decision – 5/14/2012
The country’s largest citrus grower organization has filed a summons with the U.S. Court of International Trade initiating an appeal of the International Trade Commission (ITC) decision to revoke the anti-dumping order against Brazilian orange juice processors. [Read More]

USDA’s 2011-12 Florida Orange Crop Estimate Adjusted Slightly – 5/10/2012
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) increased its orange crop forecast for the 2011-2012 season by 200,000 boxes Tuesday, estimating Florida will now produce 145.2 million boxes. [Read More]

US (CA): Residents concerned over greening treatments – 5/7/2012
Residents of California concerned over the possibility of continuing mass pesticide spraying for Asian psyllids have been reassured that it is unlikely. [Read More]

Growers Fertilizer Committed to Supporting Community Events – 5/6/2012
Growers Fertilizer Corp. has been a jewel on the east side of the crown of Polk County for more than 78 years. [Read More]

Into the Grove: The Silent Killer, Citrus Greening in the Valley – 5/4/2012
With over 60 trees now found to be infected in the Valley, the Citrus Center is working harder than every to find a cure to the deadly disease. [Read More]

Hunt Bros. Cooperative — Change is a vital part of their business DNA – 5/3/2012
Sometimes things just needa good renovation. These days, Frank Hunt III enjoys pointing out the intricacies of the packinghouse at Hunt Bros. Cooperative headquarters outside Lake Wales. [Read More]

Mike Sparks: Critical funding issues at top of priorities list – 5/3/2012
Like most leadersof ag organizations, just about every minute of Mike Sparks’ time stays booked these days. This is one of those years of confluence, when a lot of things call for the attention of Florida Citrus Mutual’s chief executive officer and executive vice president. [Read More]

New Research Suggests Grapefruit Consumption Associated With Lower Body Weight and Higher... – 4/25/2012
New research presented this week at Experimental Biology (EB) 2012 suggests grapefruit may be a healthful choice for women striving to meet recommended intakes of fruit and key nutrients, and, when included as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, may help reduce some risk factors associated with chronic diseases.( [Read More]

OJ Imports to U.S. Fall 37% in February – 4/25/2012
Orange juice imports to the United States fell 37 percent in February, the first sign a federal testing program barring OJ shipments tainted with an illegal fungicide, carbendazim, is having an impact on domestic supplies. [Read More]

Unretired by request – 4/25/2012
The Highlands County Extension Service office building went up in 1970 and multicounty commercial citrus agent Tim Hurner was there to witness it. He likes to remind his younger colleagues of that. Some of them weren't even born yet. [Read More]

Threat to California Citrus May Finish Backyard Trees – 4/17/2012
Like so many residents here, Martin Koning-Bastiaan grows citrus in his yard: lemons and limes, almost a dozen varieties of oranges, and grapefruit trees that are about 100 years old. [Read More]

Citrus Industry Will Get $2 Million for Research – 4/17/2012
Florida Citrus Mutual CEO Mike Sparks issued the following report: “Governor Rick Scott signed the $70 billion state budget today and did not veto the $2 million appropriation for citrus research. [Read More]

Two insecticides used to protect citrus against citrus-killing disease – 4/11/2012
There are two insecticides that are being used to fight the Asian psyllid after the discovery of a citrus-killing disease in a Los Angeles County suburb last week had agriculture officials ramping up efforts to curb its spread and promote awareness with local residents. [Read More]

Citrus disease raises alarm – 4/11/2012
For La Cañada homeowners used to enjoying backyard-grown oranges and lemons, news of a citrus disease’s recent appearance in Hacienda Heights is raising an alarm. [Read More]

First discovery of citrus disease tests state's plans – 4/5/2012
Saying they have plans in place, government and private officials began response this week to the first discovery in California of the world's most devastating citrus disease. [Read More]

Pesticide, EPA faulted in bee die-off – 4/5/2012
In a spring ritual as old as life itself, Steve Ellis' bees return to their hives day after day loaded with pollen from the dandelions and flowering trees that are in full bloom across central Minnesota. [Read More]

U.S. agriculture secretary makes green case – 4/5/2012
The U.S. agriculture secretary jabbed Congress on Wednesday for siphoning off financial support for some farm-based, energy-generation programs. [Read More]

Putnam says tea party lacks good information in opposing energy bill – 4/4/2012
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam said Wednesday farmers are paying plenty for Everglades cleanup and that tea party opposition to his energy bill "is rooted in a lack of good information [Read More]

Polk Pair's Challenge: Selling Food Products – 4/3/2012
Since releasing the first product containing Emulin, Polk County inventors and entrepreneurs Joe Ahrens and Daryl Thompson have gotten an education in the global marketplace. [Read More]

Bug hunters fan across LA to stop citrus disease – 4/3/2012
The ubiquitous backyard citrus tree, symbolic of California's agricultural abundance, is front and center in the battle now under way to save the state's nearly $2 billion citrus industry. [Read More]

Feud between grandsons of Fla. citrus baron ends – 4/3/2012
A legal battle that pitted two grandsons of a Florida citrus baron against one another is coming to an end for now. [Read More]

Facing labor shortages, businesses urge aid for undocumented workers – 3/27/2012
In Garden City, a sprawling blue-collar town on the western plains of Kansas, local businesses struggle to find enough workers. At the end of last year, the unemployment rate in the county stood at just 3.9 percent. Western Kansas, known for its meatpacking plants, is also seeing growth in other agricultural areas, not to mention wind power and the oil and gas industries. [Read More]

Citrus Black Spot Continuing to Spread in Florida – 3/26/2012
Many other plant diseases, notably citrus greening and canker, rank among the top concerns Florida citrus growers, but black spot is moving up the list. [Read More]

Citrus greening-infected trees emit psyllid-attracting scent – 3/26/2012
Citrus trees under attack from Asian citrus psyllid emit a chemical that attracts more psyllids. Greening-infected citrus trees emit a fragrance that invites Asian citrus psyllids, the insect that spreads the disease, to the banquet. [Read More]

Spinach genes beef up citrus trees' resistance to greening – 3/26/2012
Courtesy Texas AgriLife ResearchTexas AgriLife researcher Erik Mirkov inspects a citrus tree that contains two spinach genes to ward off citrus greening. Spinach, that same green leafy vegetable used by Popeye to pump up also may help citrus trees resist greening disease, or huanglongbing. [Read More]

ITC Votes to Revoke OJ Anti-Dumping Order – 3/14/2012
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Wednesday struck a blow to Florida citrus growers by voting to revoke the anti-dumping order on certain Brazilian orange juice processors. [Read More]

Road to Alexander Goes in Circles – 3/4/2012
An article the about funding for the dormant Heartland Parkway proposal, the University of South Florida Polytechnic and state Sen. J.D. Alexander, R-Lake Wales, who has pushed both projects, has raised eyebrows in Polk County and through Central Florida. [Read More]

Anita Bryant Performs at Citrus Hall of Fame Gala – 3/4/2012
Entertainer Anita Bryant appeared and sang for an audience of about 100 people Saturday night at the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Gala at Nora Mayo Hall in Winter Haven. [Read More]

Consumers, Experts Weigh in on Fungicide Concerns, Juice Sales – 2/19/2012
Attention, shoppers: Your orange juice is safe. [Read More]

Brazilians Say No International Trade Dispute Over Orange Juice – 2/18/2012
The Brazilian processors' organization said Friday it will not cause an international trade fight over its dispute with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration about the testing of orange juice for carbendazim, a banned fungicide. [Read More]

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency agrees to delay federal pollution rules – 2/17/2012
The U. S. Environmental Protection Agency on Friday agreed to delay the implementing federal pollution limits in Florida, a day after Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation backing proposed state water quality rules. [Read More]

PepsiCo Adds Water to Tropicana Products to Juice Margin: Retail – 2/15/2012
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US (CA): Carrier of citrus greening turns up in San Gorgonio Pass – 2/2/2012
The Citrus Psyllid has been detected in various places around the state since 2008, but the disease it spreads, huanglongbing, or citrus greening disease, has yet to be found anywhere in the state. [Read More]

Citrus Leadership: Three Honored for a Combined 143 Years of Service – 1/28/2012
The three men in the 2012 Florida Citrus Hall of Fame class have a combined 143 years of service to their industry, virtually their entire adult lives. [Read More]

Cooperative Movement Guided Hunt's Philosophy – 1/28/2012
Frank Hunt II is a cooperative guy. [Read More]

Lester Helped Steer Industry Through Many Challenges – 1/28/2012
Battling disease and citrus freezes, competing with imported orange juice, fights over the effectiveness of orange juice advertising and the growers' taxes that support it — such issues that pass for Florida citrus news these days look like the same old story to Bernie Lester. [Read More]

Family Taught Barben Much About the Citrus Business – 1/28/2012
When Pennsylvania native Robert Barben married the former Jane Hartt in July 1945, he could barely distinguish an orange from a tangerine. [Read More]

Norman's 'ag-gag'EditorialBy TBO.COM | Tbo.com – 1/23/2012
State Sen. Jim Norman doesn't learn. A year after failing to make felons out of people who take video or still photos of farms without owners' permission, the Tampa Republican once again is seeking to make criminals out of farm visitors with cameras. [Read More]

Illegal immigration: More at stake than you think – 1/22/2012
Ask most Americans about "illegal immigration" and they are likely to conjure an image of someone of Hispanic origin swimming across the Rio Grande or evading border patrolmen in the desert. The reality is that just who is "illegal," how they got here and their impact on our society is much more complex than the visual impression we get from television news. [Read More]

Citrus market turning up sweet – 1/22/2012
Cold weather scares aside, it's good to be in the Florida citrus business these days. [Read More]

Small OJ makers promote Made in USA labels – 1/16/2012
In the wake of a scare affecting imports of orange juice, growers and juice companies in Florida are reminding customers their product isn't from abroad. [Read More]

Henry Swanson: Persistent prophet warned of state's water woes – 1/14/2012
Henry Swanson began a lonely crusade more than a half-century ago, warning that epic fights over scarce water would come to Florida. [Read More]

FDA releases Canada OJ results, more due next week – 1/13/2012
U.S. health regulators on Friday cleared the way for the first shipments of imported orange juice to enter the country since January 4, when authorities began testing for an illegal fungicide discovered in juice products from Brazil. [Read More]

California woman takes on Tropicana over purity claims – 1/11/2012
A freshly-squeezed lawsuit is calling into question just how fresh Tropicana orange juice really is. [Read More]

Could Florida's next big cash crop be pomegranates? – 1/11/2012
Move over citrus, there's a new fruit in town. [Read More]

The U.S. government could ban Brazilian oranges after low levels of fungicide carbendazim detected – 1/10/2012
Orange juice futures surged Tuesday amid fears the U.S. government could ban Brazilian oranges after low levels of fungicide were detected by a juice company. [Read More]

New OJ Campaign Targeting 'Non-Loyalists' – 1/7/2012
Marketing executives at the Florida Department of Citrus today face the agency's greatest challenge: reversing a 10-year decline in U.S. orange juice sales in an increasingly competitive and fragmented beverage market. [Read More]

Pierson citrus grower embraces shrinking regional industry – 1/7/2012
When Tony Lombardy talks about citrus, it has an air of professorial authority to it. [Read More]

Bill would undo Senate's new role in picking Department of Citrus chief – 1/6/2012
A state representative who is a former chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission filed a bill this week that would restore the panel's authority to appoint the head of the Florida Department of Citrus. [Read More]

Predator Wasps to be Introduced in L.A. to Counter Citrus Pests – 1/6/2012
Mark Hoddle has the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster. That's not something one usually says about an entomologist. The script might start this way: [Read More]

Tales from the grove – 12/18/2011
Despite the fact that over the last decade the number of acres of citrus in Florida has declined every year. [Read More]

My Word: Leave immigration reform to the feds – 12/18/2011
If potential harm to our shaky economy isn't enough to give them pause, Florida lawmakers considering immigration reform need only look at the mess in Alabama to see the negative consequences overzealous, enforcement-focused policies can have. State legislators chose not to rush on this issue last session, and recent events in our neighboring state show they were wise in this decision. [Read More]

Citrus Agency Gives Nod To Publix Official for Post – 12/16/2011
A divided Florida Citrus Commission search committee voted to recommend Publix executive Douglas Ackerman to become the next executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. [Read More]

Citrus looking good – 12/14/2011
It should be a very good Christmas season for local citrus growers, because three weeks into the harvesting season, projections are slightly up from last year, and there appear to be few, if any, problems for the industry. [Read More]

Mexico: Veracruz declared HLB-free – 12/14/2011
The Mexican government has declared the state of Veracruz free of citrus greening disease, following laboratory tests after an outbreak in the municipality of Tempoal, website Hoytamaulipas.net reported. [Read More]

Nelson: Citrus, Space To Thrive – 12/11/2011
Two crucial Florida industries, space and citrus, may have taken recent beatings from Washington politics, but they are on the route to thriving, according to U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson. [Read More]

Ag Deptartment Predicts Increased Orange Crop – 12/9/2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its orange crop forecast for the 2011-2012 season 2 percent this week. [Read More]

Field of Citrus Director Candidates Narrows – 11/29/2011
The field of candidates for the Florida Department of Citrus' executive director position is getting smaller. [Read More]

Palm Beach County citrus tree owners don't need legislative OK for canker payments, judge rules – 11/28/2011
The state should not wait on the legislature to pay the $19.2 million owed Palm Beach County homeowners whose healthy citrus trees were destroyed during the state's canker eradication program, a judge has ruled. [Read More]

Invasive species nibble away at your wallet – 11/27/2011
Invasive species aren't just exotic animals, scary snakes or annoying insects. They can also be bacteria and viruses that kill people. Although it's difficult to say what the most harmful invasive species is, "I'd probably point to West Nile virus," says Christopher Dionigi of the federal National Invasive Species Council (NISC). This year, 36 people have died from the virus, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says. Between 1999 and 2010, there were 1,220 fatal cases. [Read More]

Invasive species affecting growers – 11/16/2011
Invasive species in South Florida eventually become a threat to agriculture. Some of them have already spread to other parts of Florida. [Read More]

Threat of Citrus Greening to Industry Worse Than Feared – 11/15/2011
Florida citrus growers have feared citrus greening would threaten their existence since the state's first discovery of the bacterial disease in 2005. [Read More]

Lawsuit over destroyed citrus trees yet to yield fruit for plaintiffs – 11/15/2011
In the Lee County case, a hearing was held in Fort Myers on Tuesday on a flurry of pretrial motions. [Read More]

Citrus Chairman Doesn't Shy From Tough Decisions – 11/7/2011
Florida citrus commissioners in June took the rare step of electing a new member, Marty McKenna, as their chairman because they recognized the commission and Florida citrus faced challenges requiring a leader with good judgment who doesn't shy from tough decisions, his colleagues said. [Read More]

Obituary: Karick Price, Sr. – 11/6/2011
PRICE, SR., KARICK ASA, 72, after a valiant 30 year battle with Multiple Sclerosis, Karick finished the good fight and entered into his rest, at the request of his Lord and Savior, on Nov. 4, 2011. [Read More]

Critics battle EPA on water – 11/2/2011
New Environmental Protection Agency water quality standards in Florida would cost agricultural industries hundreds of million of dollars and cause sharp increases in food prices, according to state and local agricultural officials. [Read More]

Research Suggests Orange Juice Evokes Positive Emotions – 11/1/2011
Americans have been enjoying the great taste of orange juice for decades, and now research suggests they may turn to this refreshing beverage for how it makes them feel. A new study from the Florida Department of Citrus found drinking orange juice actually made participants feel positive, carefree and rejuvenated [Read More]

Looking for a job? Here’s something for you – 11/1/2011
The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. — Matthew 9:37 Good news. The jobs crisis is over. [Read More]

Florida Grown School Lunch – 10/25/2011
About one in five Florida schools serves fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally. That’s about to change. Starting in January every public school will have to serve Florida produce. Farmers, teachers and students were at the state capitol Monday sharing ideas about how to make school lunches healthier. [Read More]

Alabama’s immigration law has ruinous impact – 10/23/2011
Alabama is seeing the catastrophic results of its anti- immigrant law. [Read More]

Florida May Benefit From Free Trade Agreements – 10/22/2011
Importer Grymes Cannon eagerly awaits the end of paying a tariff on Colombian flowers that adds 4 cents to the cost of each stem he sells at his South Tampa floral arrangement business. [Read More]

Few Americans take immigrants’ jobs in Alabama – 10/21/2011
Potato farmer Keith Smith saw most of his Hispanic workers leave after Alabama’s tough immigration law took effect, so he hired Americans. It hasn’t worked out: They show up late, work slower than seasoned farm hands and are ready to call it a day after lunch or by midafternoon. Some quit after a single day. [Read More]

Senate votes to end millionaire farm subsidies – 10/21/2011
Unable to agree on whether millionaires should be taxed more, Democrats and Republicans are in rare accord on one issue: Growers with million-dollar incomes shouldn't reap farm subsidies. [Read More]

Growers should have profitable season – 10/20/2011
Florida citrus growers should enjoy another profitable season in 2011-12 despite falling U.S. orange juice sales and record high retail prices for consumers. [Read More]

Two From Polk in Agriculture Hall of Fame – 10/19/2011
Two men with Polk County ties — Gerald Mixon Sr., a former Haines City resident, and Sid Sumner of Bartow — will be inducted into the Florida Agriculture Hall of Fame in February. [Read More]

Migrant workers play a far-reaching productive role in Florida economy – 10/19/2011
Think you want tougher immigration laws? [Read More]

New app latest tactic for Immokalee Coalition – 10/19/2011
You've heard of the game Angry Birds.. but how about Angry Tomatoes? Its the latest tactic for the Coalition of Immokalee Workers to spread their message of fair wages for farm workers. [Read More]

What will Florida do? – 10/19/2011
If Florida legislators pass immigration laws like Alabama, Arizona or Georgia, farmers could have a problem. [Read More]

Kahn's love of citrus built over the decades – 10/19/2011
Eighty-nine years ago, Marvin Kahn's father, Mike, set foot in Sebring and decided to stay. [Read More]

Department of Citrus Gets $1.9 Million More for Marketing – 10/19/2011
A larger-than-expected 2011-12 citrus crop and other changes gave the Florida Department of Citrus another $1.9 million for marketing programs. [Read More]

2011-12 Florida Citrus Crop Expected to Increase – 10/12/2011
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)released its initial citrus crop forecast for the 2011-2012 season Wednesday, estimating Florida will produce 147 million boxes of oranges, a five percent increase from last season. [Read More]

Florida Orange Crop May Rise 4.8% as Yields Gain, USDA Says – 10/12/2011
Florida’s orange crop will be 4.8 percent larger than last season, exceeding analysts’ estimates, as favorable weather aided the development of the crop, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. [Read More]

Produce outlook good, bad – 10/12/2011
In 1859, Charles Dickens began his "A Tale of Two Cities" with the conundrum, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times," leaving generations of readers to ponder, "How can it be both?" To understand that paradox, one need only look as close as Florida's agriculture industry, and in particular its produce segment. [Read More]

Number of new farms growing in Florida helping economy – 10/11/2011
During these tough economic times, a number of people are turning to farming. [Read More]

Search committee extends hunt for new citrus director – 10/11/2011
A Florida Citrus Commission search committee on Monday kicked the can down the road for another week, agreeing to review all 114 applications for a new Citrus Department executive director during the next seven days. [Read More]

Mandating E-Verify would be a mistake – 10/11/2011
Here we go again. Every year for the last five, immigration hawks in Congress have sought to require all businesses to use an error-plagued federal system known as E-Verify to ensure that all new hires are U.S. citizens or legal immigrants. [Read More]

Ala. loses workers as immigration law takes effect – 10/6/2011
Alabama's strict new immigration law may be backfiring. Intended to force illegal workers out of jobs, it is also driving away many construction workers, roofers and field hands in the country legally who do backbreaking jobs that Americans generally won't. [Read More]

Farmers don't exploit workersLetter to the EditorBy TBO.COM – 10/6/2011
Harry Chamberlain should do his homework before writing a letter ("Exploiting migrants," Your Views, Oct. 2). Farmers (like most companies) need good workers. You cannot have a successful business without good workers, and if you exploit your workers they will move on. [Read More]

Ag Commissioner: Ga. Farmers Need Migrant Labor – 10/5/2011
A farm labor shortage that left crops rotting in the fields after Georgia passed a law cracking down on illegal immigration shows the need for a retooled or expanded guest worker program for migrant laborers, Georgia's agriculture commissioner told a panel of Washington lawmakers Tuesday. [Read More]

Fight against greening advances – 10/5/2011
Researchers haven't found a solution for citrus greening, but they have discovered ways to manage the bacterial disease that attacks crops. [Read More]

Rick Scott May Dip into Claude Kirk’s Orange Ink – 10/4/2011
After attending former Gov. Claude Kirk’s funeral in Palm Beach on Monday, Gov. Rick Scott said he may want to pick up one of the late Sunshine State promoter’s staples. [Read More]

The Insider: Jason Alexander Signs With Florida Department of Citrus for Ads – 10/4/2011
Orange juice is getting younger! That's the new image the Florida Department of Citrus wants to give the classic breakfast drink by signing Jason Alexander of "Seinfeld" fame to become OJ's new online spokesman. [Read More]

Alabama Wins in Ruling on Its Immigration Law – 9/29/2011
A federal judge on Wednesday upheld most of the sections of Alabama’s far-reaching immigration law that had been challenged by the Obama administration, including portions that had been blocked in other states. [Read More]

Legalize farm workers; they harvest our food – 9/29/2011
Do you like to eat? Who do you think is harvesting the food you eat either at home or in your favorite restaurant? It is harvested by the migrant laborer who is here just to earn a living. If you think a farmer could find alternative workers, that is simply not realistic. There really is no other work force. So as you have your salad and dinner with all the vegetables, think about who is harvesting it for you. [Read More]

Collins won't resign from SFWMD – 9/29/2011
The South Florida Water Management District is sticking to its $21 million decision to store 34,000 acre-feet of water on Lykes Brothers land in Glades County, despite a controversy about the board's chairman being a Lykes employee. [Read More]

Bradenton company to manage new migrant housing – 9/28/2011
The Diocese of Venice, through Catholic Charities, will be building 53 single-family homes on a 29-acre plot of land in Desoto Country for the benefit of low-income farm-workers in Arcadia. [Read More]

Despite rulings, canker payments in limbo – 9/26/2011
Like thousands of other Floridians, Tim Farley was dismayed when the state chopped down his backyard orange, lemon and grapefruit trees in a failed effort to stop a citrus disease from spreading to commercial groves. But at least he figured he’d get paid after judges ordered Florida years ago to compensate him and others. [Read More]

Florida citrus: More fruit from fewer acres – 9/25/2011
Florida’s just-completed citrus harvest was 4 percent larger than the previous year’s, and generated 2 percent more revenue for growers, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s annual citrus inventory. [Read More]

St. Lucie agricultural agent wins national, state honors – 9/24/2011
St. Lucie County agricultural agent Edward Skvarch has been awarded state and national honors for his expertise in teaching commercial nurserymen, landscapers and small farmers the best way to do anything from pruning a tree to diagnosing a disease on a tomato plant. [Read More]

E-Verify system not ready for prime time – 9/23/2011
In May, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a controversial Arizona law that requires employers to check the immigration status of new hires on an Internet database and revokes their business licenses if they violate federal immigration law. Emboldened, supporters are trying to take the program national: This week, a congressional committee approved a bill introduced by Rep. Lamar Smith that would mandate that all U.S. employers use an online database to confirm workers are authorized to work in the United States. [Read More]

Citrus Land In Florida Down 2.3 Percent This Year – 9/22/2011
Commercial citrus growing in Florida continues to shrink in size, if not profitability. [Read More]

Citrus Commission Panel Urges Reversal of 2 Reforms of Citrus Code – 9/21/2011
[Read More]

Don't let polluters write clean-water rules – 9/21/2011
At the end of August, a large, disgusting algae outbreak slimed Old Tampa Bay. Two months earlier, an algae outbreak in the Caloosahatchee River near Fort Myers turned the river bright green, smelled like raw sewage and made thousands of fish go belly up. [Read More]

Seald Sweet aiming to expand on West Coast – 9/20/2011
Vero Beach, Fla.-based Seald Sweet International looks to expand its West Coast business through a partnership with Dinuba, Calif.-based Fresh Select. [Read More]

Indian discovers drug for Alzheimer's disease – 9/20/2011
A new drug derived from citrus fruits can help people suffering from Alzheimer's disease to improve their quality of life, claims a researcher of the All Indian Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS). Dr Mahaveer Golechha, senior research fellow, department of pharmacology, AIIMS, who discovered the anti-Alzheimer's potential of citrus fruits has been awarded the prestigious Alzheimer's Drug Discovery Foundation's, USA Young Investigator Scholarship Award. [Read More]

Citrus Sickness Showing In South – 9/20/2011
Just as BAHA is trying to mitigate the damaging effects of Fowl Typhoid in the Poultry industry, it is now having to deal with the presence of Citrus Leprosis, a viral disease that if left unchecked could spell major problems for the Citrus Industry. [Read More]

E-Verify anxiety: Local growers fear U.S. immigration bill Enlarge Photo – 9/20/2011
Florida's fruit and vegetable growers say their biggest challenge is ensuring they have enough workers to pick their crops and get them onto grocery shelves. [Read More]

Florida's Natural Growers Receives George Harris Jr. Award From CFDC – 9/19/2011
A familiar name in Polk County's citrus industry received the Central Florida Development Council's highest award Monday night. [Read More]

Turn orange peel into plastic? It's not as crazy as it sounds – 9/15/2011
British scientists are pioneering a novel way of recycling that turns orange peel into plastic. [Read More]

Invasive guava fruit fly found in Central Florida poses new threat to agriculture, citrus industry – 9/13/2011
Farmers might have a new pest on their hands after inspectors with the Department of Agriculture recently discovered an invasive fruit fly near Orlando. [Read More]

Farmers File Suit Against Alexander Over Firings – 9/9/2011
In the waning days of the 2011 legislative session, Sen. JD Alexander, one of the state's most powerful lawmakers, delivered an impassioned floor speech against a measure that would have required employers to check the immigration status of new hires. [Read More]

Assembly passes bill sympathetic to farmworkers – 9/8/2011
Farmworker unions in California would be certified automatically if an employer is found to be guilty of election misconduct under a bill that passed the state Assembly Thursday. [Read More]

Guava Fruit Fly Found in Windemere – 9/8/2011
The Florida Department of Agriculture has stepped up its detection program after finding a guava fruit fly in Orange County. [Read More]

Lawmaker Offers Plan to Lure Migrant Farm Workers – 9/8/2011
The lawmaker, Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, the chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced his farm guest worker bill late on Wednesday and held a hearing on it in the House on Thursday. He is proposing a thorough overhaul of the existing guest worker program for agriculture, known as H-2A, which is shunned by most growers as too bureaucratic and costly for their fast-changing labor needs in fields and orchards. [Read More]

Expert Predict Slow Citrus Season for Texas – 9/7/2011
Experts predict this year's citrus crop could already be doomed and the season just started. [Read More]

Citrus Commission Advertises Director Job – 9/7/2011
The Florida Citrus Commission's search for an executive director for the Department of Citrus moves forward with a job posting. [Read More]

Nominations sought for Florida Citrus Hall of Fame – 9/7/2011
The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame is seeking nominations. [Read More]

NOMINATIONS SOUGHT FOR THE FLORIDA CITRUS HALL OF FAME – 9/7/2011
Nominations will open on September 1, 2011 for potential inductees to The Florida Citrus Hall of Fame, with induction ceremonies scheduled to take place on Friday, March 2, 2012 at Florida Southern College in Lakeland. The luncheon is co-sponsored by Florida Citrus Mutual and the Florida Department of Citrus. [Read More]

Citrus Industry: Competition In Beverage Market Is Growing – 9/6/2011
While Florida citrus growers finished a second consecutive profitable season in 2010-11, the industry must deal with two troubling long-term economic trends — too much competition in the beverage market and not enough competition among supermarket chains. [Read More]

Another developer goes the agricultural route – 9/6/2011
For the second time in three months, a landowner has decided to forego developing a large parcel of land in Hernando County and instead turn it over to cattle grazing and other agricultural uses. [Read More]

Grower Known for Hard Work, Famous Barn – 9/4/2011
Leland Young has worked hard all his life, and now, less than a month before his 80th birthday, he still puts in a full day at his citrus grove and restores his antique cars and antique machinery. [Read More]

Citrus panel works to define its leader – 9/2/2011
The new executive director at the Florida Department of Citrus will come primarily from a marketing background. [Read More]

Bill Would Jeopardize Many Farms – 8/30/2011
Farmers and their crops are one of the main drivers of Florida's economy. They rely heavily on their workers, and Florida consumers depend on the locally grown, farm-fresh products that farmers supply. [Read More]

Sand skinks hinder developers – 8/30/2011
Orange County's west side has a big problem as it tries to recover from a slumping economy: sand skinks. The 4-inch creatures that are akin to lizards, but look more like snakes, have been classified by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service as endangered. As a result, new hurdles are in the way of anyone who wants to develop, or even change the use of land, where these creatures live. [Read More]

Mail-order potted citrus plant ripens into pickle of a problem – 8/30/2011
Pointing to the potted lemon tree sitting there so innocently in her driveway, Bridget Donovan summoned her best sarcasm: "This is the little lawbreaker." [Read More]

Why '100% Orange Juice' Is Still Artificial – 8/29/2011
File this one under "things we always sort of knew, but wish we didn't." All that "100% orange juice, not from concentrate" stuff you've been drinking? Technically, it's "not from concentrate," but it's not really 100% orange juice either, a report at Civil Eats details. [Read More]

Changing Economy Helping Florida Citrus Growers Catch Up to Brazilians – 8/25/2011
The changing global economy is making Florida citrus more competitive with its longtime rival, said Tom Spreen, an agricultural economist at the University of Florida in Gainesville and an authority on the global citrus industry. [Read More]

BRAZIL/UK: CitrusBR launches orange juice campaign – 8/24/2011
The Brazilian Association of Citrus Exporters (CitrusBR) has launched a US$1.5m campaign to promote orange juice in the UK, amid falling consumption across Europe and the US. [Read More]

Orange Juice Falls as Crop May Dodge Hurricane; Cotton Declines – 8/23/2011
Orange-juice futures fell on signs that groves in Florida, the world's second-biggest citrus grower, may escape damage from Hurricane Irene as the storm's track shifts east. Cotton also declined. [Read More]

Economist: With Sales Sinking, Now is The Time to Boldly Advertise OJ – 8/23/2011
Buy some orange juice — make that a lot of orange juice — and win a new car or a five-day, expenses-paid trip to Orlando for a family of four. [Read More]

Collector Fred Houk loved Florida, family, faith – 8/23/2011
Frederick "Fred" Houk Sr. collected experiences as much as he collected matchbook covers and pictures of historical markers. [Read More]

2010-11 Citrus: Good Season in Grove and Pocketbook – 8/9/2011
Florida citrus growers enjoyed an unusually good 2010-11 citrus season in both the grove and the pocketbook. [Read More]

Rep. Stearns holds hearing on EPA water rules – 8/9/2011
Opponents of federal standards limiting polluting nutrients in Florida's waters urged Washington lawmakers on Tuesday to intervene and force the Environmental Protection Agency to ease its rules that go into effect next year. [Read More]

Report: 40 states passed immigration legislation in 2011 – 8/9/2011
Nearly 250 new immigration laws and resolutions were enacted in 40 states during the first half of 2011 indicating a growing frustration with the federal government's handling of the issue, according to a new report. [Read More]

New high-tech methods to spot citrus greening – 8/8/2011
The devastating disease called citrus greening, which kills citrus trees and for which there is no cure, can now be identified faster and cheaper with a method developed by scientists with the USDA’s Agricultural Research Service. [Read More]

Economy squeezes OJ sales – 8/8/2011
Southwest Florida's commercial growers have a lot of things to think about as they head to the Citrus Expo Aug. 17 and 18 in North Fort Myers. [Read More]

Nothing fake in OJ, say growers – 8/8/2011
Southwest Florida citrus growers who read a July 29 blog on a food page of the Huffington Post website were puzzled and dismayed. [Read More]

Immigration law already affecting growers – 8/8/2011
Horticultural farm owner Bill Cook said he's already having trouble finding the workers he needs before most of the state's new law against illegal immigration takes effect. [Read More]

Guest workers having trouble getting to state – 8/6/2011
Louisiana Agriculture Commissioner Mike Strain says the federal government has run into a holdup in processing applications to allow foreign agricultural workers to be employed in the United States. [Read More]

US proposes tightening visa rules to give citizen applicants better chance against foreign guest... – 8/6/2011
The U.S. Labor Department is raising the wages employers must pay foreign guest workers and is proposing other major changes that could diminish the number of foreign citizens imported to work in the hospitality industry in Palm Beach County. [Read More]

Florida citrus industry struggles after disease, declining sales – 8/6/2011
Florida's $9 billion citrus industry is hoping for a change in fortune. It's facing tough times with plant disease and declining sales. [Read More]

Citrus canker payout increases for Palm Beach County homeowners – 8/4/2011
The payout may rise for Palm Beach County homeowners whose trees were destroyed in the fight against citrus canker. [Read More]

Orange Juice a Luxury Item? REAL OJ Already Is – 8/4/2011
It turns out that the reports were right – orange juice has become a luxury. [Read More]

Citrus Board Accepts Keck's Resignation – 8/3/2011
The Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday accepted the resignation of Ken Keck as the top executive at the Florida Department of Citrus effective at the end of the day. [Read More]

Florida Department Of Citrus Sends List Of Facts About Orange Juice – 8/2/2011
The Florida Department of Citrus sent over a few paragraphs of information in response to my post, "The Flavor Of Your OJ Is A Chemically-Induced Mirage" from last week. [Read More]

Adair named to Fertilizer Technical Council – 8/2/2011
Robert C. Adair, Jr. was recently appointed to serve on the Fertilizer Technical Council by state Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam. [Read More]

Drought-Parched S. Florida Farmers To Get Help From Feds – 8/1/2011
South Florida farmers whose crops were withered by drought and fried by the heat may soon get some help, after Broward and Palm Beach counties were included in a disaster declaration by the US Department of Agriculture covering 27 Florida counties. [Read More]

Obama administration sues to block Alabama immigration law – 8/1/2011
The Obama administration on Monday sued to block enforcement of Alabama's new immigration law, widely considered to be the toughest measure in the United States to try to crack down on illegal immigrants. [Read More]

Scott rekindles discussion of immigration reform – 8/1/2011
When lawmakers begin preparing for next year's legislative session in September, one of their priorities should be taking another look at laws dealing with immigrants, Gov. Rick Scott said Monday. [Read More]

Growers donate $250K to fight citrus disease – 7/29/2011
The Florida's Natural Growers Board of Directors voted to donate $250,000 to fight citrus greening, a disease plaguing the Florida Citrus industry. [Read More]

Citrus Department Director Ken Keck Will Resign – 7/28/2011
Ken Keck will resign next week as executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus after five years — the victim of, in no particular order, declining orange juice sales, citrus greening, higher taxes and state Sen. J.D. Alexander. [Read More]

Agriculturist, Ag hall of fame noms now open – 7/28/2011
Nominations for Manatee County Outstanding Agriculturalist and Agriculture Hall of Fame are now being accepted. These recognitions honor those who have contributed to the success and growth of agriculture in the county. [Read More]

Growers give to research – 7/28/2011
Florida's Natural Growers, which operates an orange juice processing plant in Lake Wales and a packaging plant in Umatilla, plans to donate $250,000 to fight a disease plaguing the state's citrus industry. [Read More]

Business united against EPA water rules, says cost is too high – 7/28/2011
Business and industry groups say Florida residents will have to pay more if the new federal water pollution standards go into effect. The state is the only one in the nation to get the federally-imposed rules. The industry groups made their case before an independent panel of scientists Tuesday in Orlando, as Lynn Hatter reports. [Read More]

Free Trade pacts are good for Florida and the rest of America – 7/25/2011
Florida lives on trade. As a transportation hub and the gateway to Latin America, Florida is the United States' fifth-largest exporting state. More than 110,000 Floridians have jobs directly supported by exports. With two international airports and the Port of Miami, the Miami-Fort Lauderdale metropolitan area accounts for 65 percent of all of Florida's exports. As trade volume increases, South Florida gains. [Read More]

His beat is agricultural crimes – 7/25/2011
Agricultural Deputy Fred Tagtmeier of the Highlands County Sheriff's Office has a position that is vital to a rural community like Highlands County. He is responsible for the investigation of a wide variety of agricultural and citrus crimes including trespassing, improper use of four-wheelers, destruction of property, theft, dumping, animal cruelty, hunting and poaching violations. [Read More]

EPA triggers fierce backlash over attempt to force Florida to clean up waterways – 7/24/2011
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to force Florida to clean up its ailing streams, lakes and coastal estuaries has triggered fierce backlash, and the biggest controversy is over how much it would cost to implement new pollution limits. [Read More]

Mini 'crop copter' could be godsend for citrus growers, farmers, says UF professor – 7/24/2011
The small black-and-white device with rotating blades at the end of six arms looks like an alien spaceship from a science-fiction movie. [Read More]

Don't gut farm bill – 7/24/2011
Jackson County farmer Jeff Pittman is one of many who are worried about upcoming changes to the federal farm bill. [Read More]

The secret to longevity? Citrus, says 101-year-old Davie grove mascot – 7/23/2011
Al Roth, the grove owner, the real estate developer, the craps player, is demonstrating his likeable charm and quick wit. Entertaining flocks of visitors to his family’s grove in Davie, the 101-year-old tells stories of gambling at the Brook Club and dancing the night away at the National Hotel in Miami Beach during the 1950s. [Read More]

Proposed county budget would gut funding for agriculture – 7/23/2011
There’s a long way between County Hall and the avocado groves of Redland, the rows of tomatoes in Homestead and the plant nurseries of deep South Miami-Dade. [Read More]

Record Retail Price Sends U.S. OJ Sales Plummeting – 7/20/2011
In the Florida Department of Citrus' continuing mission to boost domestic orange juice sales, it will change the way it reaches out to the nation's supermarket chains. [Read More]

Citrus Department Closes $1.19 Mil. Deal With TLC Family Church – 7/20/2011
The Florida Department of Citrus cleared $1.19 million after closing costs on the sale of its former Lakeland headquarters at 1115 E. Memorial Blvd., Executive Director Ken Keck told the Florida Citrus Commission on Wednesday. [Read More]

Citrus Commission Chair McKenna On Chapter 601 & FDOC Chief – 7/20/2011
The new Florida Citrus Commission Wednesday elected grower Marty McKenna as chairman. The commission instructed its new Strategic Structures Planning Committee – originally called the Kitchen Sink committee – to address changes to Chapter 601 of Florida Statutes, which governs the Citrus Commission, before tackling other industry issues. McKenna addresses the work on Chapter 601 in the first report. [Read More]

Weather causes US$8.6M orange damage in Mexican state – 7/19/2011
Droughts and heat waves have cut orange production in half in the Mexican state of Tamaulipas, with total losses valued around MXN100 million (US$8.6 million), website Hoytamaulipas.net reported. [Read More]

Roundtable Citrus Grower: Labor’s an 8; HLB’s a 6 Among Concerns – 7/19/2011
Six Florida citrus growers, including Gardinier Florida Citrus General Manager Lee Jones, recently shared thoughts about numerous grower issues at a recent Citrus Industry magazine/Southeast AgNet grower roundtable. [Read More]

Ag. interests: EPA water rules not the ‘proper solution’ to pollution, algal blooms – 7/18/2011
In a July 14 letter sent to the Florida congressional delegation, a large group of industry and agricultural representatives say that a set of water pollution standards are not the solution for algal blooms and fish kills plaguing many parts of Florida. [Read More]

State refuses to pay citrus canker awards – 7/16/2011
Five years after the chain saws went silent, the state is refusing to pay thousands of South Florida homeowners for fruit trees destroyed in the fight against citrus canker. [Read More]

Farmers worry about budget negotiations, cuts – 7/16/2011
Farm groups are rushing to save government subsidies they've long received. [Read More]

Central Florida governments, Deseret Ranch fight over reservoir's water – 7/15/2011
Deseret Ranches, one of the nation's biggest producers of beef cattle, is expanding into the farming of potatoes, corn, black beans and cucumbers in a big way. [Read More]

Tropicana’s new bottling facility almost complete – 7/13/2011
Tropicana’s new $4 million bottling facility is nearing completion and consumers are already seeing the result: new clear plastic bottles in the grocery store. [Read More]

USDA seeks ways to boost farm-to-school programs – 7/13/2011
The popularity of farm-to-school programs that put locally grown food on cafeteria trays has exploded in recent years - so much so that the federal agency in charge of school lunches is giving them a new stamp of approval. [Read More]

Cerabino: Crops rot as Georgia feels effects of immigration law – 7/13/2011
In Georgia, crops are rotting in the fields because migrant workers aren't there to pick them. [Read More]

Feds give money to project vetoed by the governor – 7/12/2011
Monday, The U-S Department of Agriculture gave Florida citrus growers 11-million dollars for citrus disease research over the next four years. As Sascha Cordner reports, this came after Governor Rick Scott vetoed two-million dollars for that same type of research. [Read More]

Federal Funds Allocated for Citrus Greening Research – 7/12/2011
Amid a tough budget battle in Washington, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson announced he's secured $11 million in U.S. Department of Agriculture money during the next four years for scientific research to control citrus greening, a deadly bacterial disease threatening the viability of commercial citrus growing in Florida. [Read More]

Florida's latest orange crop 4% larger than last season's – 7/12/2011
Florida's latest orange harvest came in 4 percent larger than last year's crop, according to the final forecast of the 2010-11 season by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. [Read More]

Florida business leaders oppose E-Verify immigration bill – 7/6/2011
If Congress passes a law mandating that private businesses verify the immigration status of employees, the requirement could disrupt or wreck certain businesses including Florida’s farms and hospitality industry, which thrives on international tourism, according to business leaders from several states, including Florida. [Read More]

Jamaica bans sale of citrus plants to control invasive pest carrying devastating disease – 7/5/2011
Jamaica has shuttered all citrus nurseries across the tropical country to try and check an invasive pest that carries a fast-spreading bacteria capable of devastating its $43 million commercial industry, officials said Tuesday. [Read More]

Labor Exceeds HLB As Concern To Many Florida Citrus Growers – 7/5/2011
A recent Citrus Industry magazine/Southeast AgNet Grower Roundtable showed that the availability of labor – especially that required for fruit harvesting – is now a bigger concern to many Florida citrus growers than the devastating disease HLB. [Read More]

Mutual’s Board Elects Officers for 2011-12 Season – 6/30/2011
Florida Citrus Mutual’s board of directors recently elected officers for the 2011-12 season. Vic Story, president of Story Citrus Services, Babson Park, was re-elected president of the organization. [Read More]

Agriculturalists try to save research center – 6/30/2011
WESLACO — The message was urgent as local farmers, scientists and others gathered Wednesday at the Kika de la Garza Subtropical Agricultural Research Center (SARC) in Weslaco to discuss the center’s future. [Read More]

Putnam Says He's Not Interested in Running for Governor in 2014 – 6/29/2011
Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam, who is from Bartow, says he's happy in his new job and not thinking about a 2014 Republican primary challenge to Gov. Rick Scott. [Read More]

Adam Putnam's mission to help Florida school kids eat healthier gets a boost – 6/29/2011
Mom always said eat your veggies. Now dear Mom is getting some support on that mission from Florida Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam. [Read More]

Agriculture colleges, extension get budget squeeze – 6/27/2011
As university budgets take a beating across the country, agricultural schools and extension programs are feeling the impact. [Read More]

Judge Blocks Key Parts Of Georgia Immigration Law – 6/27/2011
A federal judge issued a preliminary injunction Monday temporarily blocking key provisions of a new Georgia law that aims to crack down on illegal immigration, while allowing other parts of the law to move forward. [Read More]

Haridopolos names Senate budget director as new chief of staff – 6/24/2011
Senate President Mike Haridopolos named Senate Budget Director Craig Meyer as his new chief of staff, replacing Steve MacNamara who is headed to the governor’s office. [Read More]

Swiftmud enacts rules to avoid sinkholes, dry wells in Dover, Plant City – 6/24/2011
With temperatures rising and the winter harvest long over, water officials are making plans to avoid the kind of water use that caused sinkholes and dry wells during heavy winter freezes on eastern Hillsborough farms. [Read More]

Scott OKs limited product suits, Ag oversight of school meals – 6/23/2011
Bills limiting lawsuits against automakers and giving the state's agriculture commissioner authority over school food programs became law today with Gov. Rick Scott's signature. [Read More]

Suntree man films documentary at dad's orange grove – 6/22/2011
During his working career, Andrew Graham was a no-nonsense trial lawyer, a respected Melbourne attorney who argued some big cases at the Florida Supreme Court. [Read More]

Ga. puts probationers to work harvesting crops – 6/22/2011
It's 3:25 p.m. in a dusty cucumber field in south Georgia. A knot of criminal offenders who spent seven hours in the sun harvesting buckets of vegetables by hand have decided they're calling it quits -- exactly as crew leader Benito Mendez predicted in the morning. [Read More]

McKeel: Gov. needs to repair media relations – 6/22/2011
State Rep. Seth McKeel had a little advice for his fellow Republican, Gov. Rick Scott, at Tiger Bay Repair your relations with the news media. [Read More]

Last chance for growers to take advantage of the $50 per gallon Headline® Advantage offer in 2011 – 6/13/2011
Growers have until Aug. 15, 2011 to receive $50 per gallon on purchases of Headline® fungicide from authorized BASF retailers. [Read More]

Agricultural Land Owners Hope For A Reversal of Fortunes – 6/9/2011
After charting two straight years of declining agriculture land values,University of Florida economist Rodney Clouser expected his latest survey to show, if not rising prices, at least a sign values were rebounding from the bottom of the market. [Read More]

Little change in Florida citrus forecast – 6/9/2011
The June forecast for Florida's orange harvest, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, is unchanged from the previous month's forecast of 140 million boxes. [Read More]

My Plate Aims to Simplify – 6/3/2011
The Agriculture Department says its new healthy eating symbol - called "My Plate" - will show Americans that nutrition doesn't have to be complicated. [Read More]

To Fight Unemployment, Ga. Pushes Farm Work – 6/2/2011
Are you out of work? Are you looking for a job? Do you live in Georgia? If the answer to those questions is "yes," Gov. Nathan Deal has an idea for you: Become a farm worker. [Read More]

Many ways food can get tainted from farm to fork – 6/2/2011
On the path from farm-to-fork, there are many ways that foods can pick up nasty germs like the E. coli bug sickening more than 1,600 people across Europe. But there are steps consumers can take to avoid getting infected. [Read More]

Study: No Adverse Effects Between Lipitor, Grapefruit Juice – 6/1/2011
Florida Department of Citrus sponsored a 2003 clinical study headed by cardiologist Patrick Reddy of Watson Clinic on whether drinking grapefruit juice with Lipitor, the world's top-selling cholesterol-lowering drug, increases the drug's effectiveness with no harmful side effects. [Read More]

Loxahatchee Groves and Callery-Judge officials inch toward possible agreement on growth – 6/1/2011
The town and Callery-Judge Grove appear to be in the last leg of hammering out an agreement that will keep the two out of court over Loxahatchee Groves' proposed growth plan. [Read More]

Winner and loser of the week in Fla politics – 5/29/2011
Winner of the week: J.D. Alexander. It appears that Rick Scott wants to avoid crossing the powerful Lake Wales senator and budget chief more even than tea party Republicans. [Read More]

Scott Vetoes Citrus Research Funds – 5/26/2011
Florida citrus lost two major battles in the 2011-12 state budget today when Gov. Rick Scott vetoed a $2 million appropriation for citrus greening research but declined to veto a measure that made major changes to the Florida Citrus Commission and Florida Department of Citrus. [Read More]

Florida’s Citrus Research Foundation Taps Browning As COO – 5/25/2011
The Citrus Research and Development Foundation (CRDF) Tuesday selected Harold Browning to be the foundation’s new chief operating officer. [Read More]

Judge: Alico Lawsuit Can Continue – 5/25/2011
A circuit judge has ruled the lawsuit pitting two grandsons of the late Ben Hill Griffin Jr. will go forward. [Read More]

Eight Local Water Basin Boards to Be Eliminated – 5/25/2011
The eight local basin boards under the Southwest Florida Water Management District will disappear, the agency's Governing Board decided Tuesday. [Read More]

Florida growers ganging up on citrus greening – 5/25/2011
The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services urges citrus growers to participate in the Citrus Health Management Areas (CHMA) initiative, a program led by the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (UF/IFAS), in partnership with the citrus industry and the Department, to slow the spread of citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing or HLB). [Read More]

Drones Tested for Agriculture Use – 5/24/2011
Look up in the sky! It’s a bird! It’s a plane! No, it’s a Multi-Rotor Remote Sensing System! [Read More]

Tiger Bay Meeting: Rep. Albritton Concerned About House, Senate Rift – 5/23/2011
Coming off his first stint in Tallahassee, freshman Rep. Ben Albritton, R-Wauchula, on Monday spoke at a Tiger Bay lunch meeting about beginner naivete and frustration in the state capitol. [Read More]

Market Watch: Hemet's wealth of summer grapefruit – 5/20/2011
At the farthest fringe of the Inland Empire, southeast of the hardscrabble town of Hemet, lies the world center of summer grapefruit, one of the least known and most fascinating of California's agricultural niches. [Read More]