POLK COUNTY, Fla. — At Ridge Island Groves in Haines City, Archie Ritch and his family offer families all kinds of fun at their folksy farm stand: jams and jellies, U-pick peaches, orange blossom honey, souvenir gator heads, and the best blueberry soft serve around.
But it’s his prized Florida oranges and fresh-squeeze orange juice sold directly to customers that put him on the map.
“We have customers today that are the grandchildren of the customers we had in the early Nineties,” as he perused a block of pineapple oranges renowned for their sweetness. “If you drink some of our orange juice, there’s nothing like it.”
Right now, support from his customers isn’t just appreciated. It’s mandatory. This season, Ridge Island Groves’ numbers are a little tighter because of the damage Hurricane Ian caused back in September.
“The signs are on the floor or on the ground,” he said as he peered under the row of citrus trees. “Those brown peels are just oranges that fell off or were blown off and then have just rotted.”
Ritch estimates that his grove experienced eight or nine hours of hurricane-force winds. At first, he thought he lost just 10-15% of his citrus crop. But in the weeks after Ian, damaged fruits kept dropping and rotting.
In all, he now estimates that he lost 50% of his citrus crop.
Ritch, however, considers himself lucky. Growers further south faced more ferocious conditions and suffered even greater losses, sporadic flooding, and even uprooted trees.
“I have to tell you, this year, we had a really nice crop coming into the season, and then, to get hit with this hurricane was like a punch below the belt,” Ritch said.
A U.S. Department of Agriculture report released Feb. 8 delivers an abysmal but expected forecast: this year’s harvest could be 61% less than last year’s lackluster crop, which was the lowest since World War II.
A Feb. 9 report by the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) estimates that Florida’s citrus industry suffered a $247.1 million loss from damaged fruit because of Ian.
Florida Citrus Mutual, the trade group that represents the state’s growers, points out that the actual financial loss is likely around $675 million since the UF/IFAS estimate does not include citrus trees uprooted and destroyed by Ian’s fury.
As extreme weather events and a rampant disease called citrus greening shrink the supply of Florida citrus fruits, customers are feeling the impact through higher prices for orange juice and fresh oranges, tangerines, and other citrus fruits.
Rep. Scott Franklin, whose district includes the state’s most productive citrus groves, said something must be done quickly to help growers survive financially until the next growing season arrives.
“It’s important that we do everything we can to help them get back up on their feet,” he said in an interview with ABC Action News. “There was a sense that the industry had finally started to turn the corner — and we’ve had some good solutions, I think, to some of the troubles that we’ve faced with greening — and then, we get this that comes along at the worst possible time.”
Last week, he filed a bill that would streamline the process of helping growers impacted by Hurricanes Ian and Nicole. If passed, it would provide many growers aid using existing USDA “block grant” funds.
According to Franklin, the bill has already garnered bipartisan support and support from both chambers of Congress.
The congressman, however, is urging his colleagues to act quickly.
“It’s just as important that the support comes very quickly as any time at all,” he said. “To get money a year or two from now isn’t going to help them. The citrus industry is at a very precarious moment right now. Time — the clock is ticking for them to try to get these groves back in service.”
Back in Haines City, Ritch hopes the bill will pass.
“I think any kind of help that we can get would be beneficial,” Ritch said. “Anything that we can get that would help us bridge that gap until we can get to the next season.”
Even without help, Ritch has no plans to quit. The affable, optimistic citrus grower has been tested by previous storms and diseases. He’s also encouraged by new varieties and pesticides that could help growers turn the tide against citrus greening.
“We’re resilient, or some people may call us hardheaded.” he smiled. “There’s always next year.”
Other growers, though, might not have that luxury this time around.
