ALTURAS, Fla. — Florida citrus growers are still on track for a rebound year, according to the latest forecast released by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) on Friday.
According to the report, growers in Florida are on-pace to produce 20.5 million boxes of oranges, which would be a 30% increase from 2023 and good news to not only growers but also orange juice consumers.
Last year, Florida's harvest was the lowest in roughly 90 years thanks to damage done by Hurricane Ian and a pervasive insect-spread disease — known as citrus greening — that has decimated yields for years.
Matt Joyner, the Executive Vice President and CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, says growers desperately need a better harvest in 2024.
“You just can’t invest multiple seasons without a crop,” he said. “If nothing else, psychologically, we need to see what we believe, which is, you know, we’ve sort of hit that bottom, and we’re starting to climb out of the hole.”
Though Joyner said some citrus varieties harvested in the past few months were at lighter numbers than expected, he’s pleased with what he sees overall.
“We still think we’re going to realize an increase over last year,” he said. “Frankly, after two hurricanes and a freeze going into last season, if we were flat or any increase is going to be a success for this industry this year.”
So far, during this growing season, weather conditions have been favorable.
“Obviously, we were all waiting with bated breath to get through the hurricane season, and you know, thus far, the winter has been good to us,” Joyner said.
As a result, growers like Kyle Story, the President of Florida Citrus Mutual and a fourth-generation grower in Polk County, can see a difference in their groves. Trees are looking healthier as they continue to recover more than a year after Hurricane Ian. Story said therapies that fight the effects of citrus greening also appear to be working.
“We feel that there is a lot of reason to be optimistic,” he said.
Nevertheless, persistence in the citrus industry continues to take a fight.
One of Story’s prized Valencia orange groves, located on 80 Foot Rd. in the once citrus-dominated community of Alturas, is now surrounded by abandoned citrus groves and strawberry fields — a relative newcomer in the area as some citrus operations go defunct.
“We’re a resilient group, and I might even say a little hardheaded,” he said.
However, despite the challenges, he has no plans to abandon his family tradition, which he views as an important piece of Florida's heritage.
“It’s in your blood. Agriculture is something that you’re born to and, certainly, you have to have a passion for — you have to have faith in,” he said.
