Florida - Thursday October 12, 2023: The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) forecasts that Florida orange production will be up 30% from last season. Citrus production is up in all categories, according to the report.
The USDA first citrus crop forecast of the season was released Thursday, October 12.
The October issue of the Citrus Industry magazine credits a new therapy which involves injecting oxytetracycline (OTC) into tree trunks. Thursday's Citrus Industry newsletter
quotes the president of Florida Citrus Mutual, Kyle Story, as saying “We are very optimistic. We have seen these therapies that we’ve deployed over the last 10 months really take hold in the trees,” he said. “We are seeing a great flush of new leaves. And we are seeing tree health as good as we’ve seen in the past five or six years for this time of year.
USDA October Forecast for Florida Citrus Production
- Florida Non-Valencia Orange Production Up 22 Percent
- Florida Valencia Orange Production Up 35 Percent
- Florida All Grapefruit Production Up 5 Percent
- Florida All Tangerine and Tangelo Production Up 4 Percent