See what the latest citrus forecast predicted for the 2016-17 Florida citrus season.
March 9th saw the release of the latest USDA citrus forecast for the U.S.’s citrus crop. It’s a monthly event that Florida citrus growers anticipate. Unsurprisingly, the latest citrus forecast is down for both Florida and California. See the details below.
This Season’s Citrus Forecasts
After a lot of speculation from the end of the 2015-16 season at 81.5 million boxes of citrus, the first citrus forecast for the 2016-17 season was set at 70 million boxes in October. Florida’s largest citrus harvest was in the 1997-98 season with 244 million boxes. Citrus harvests have fallen in Florida since the citrus greening disease was detected in 2005. It has since spread to every county in Florida, decimating the industry.
The citrus industry’s next two citrus forecasts increased slightly for November and December. Then, January’s forecast dropped to 71 boxes, and February’s forecast fell to end back at 70 boxes.
March’s citrus forecast fell by 4% for a total of 67 million boxes. It’s a drop of 18 percent over last season’s 81.5 million total.
For citrus nation-wide, California citrus’s forecast also fell by 2%, and Texas’s remained the same. Nation-wide, the entire citrus forecast fell 3% from last month’s totals. See the full citrus forecast in a Citrus Industry Magazine release.
Reactions to the Latest Citrus Forecast
In a release by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) concerning the latest citrus forecast, Florida Commissioner of Agriculture, Adam Putnam, said, “Although not unexpected, today’s historically low forecast is the latest example of citrus greening’s continued devastation of Florida’s citrus industry. Until a long-term solution is discovered, which some of our state’s brightest minds are working on, we must support Florida’s multi-billion-dollar citrus industry and the more than 60,000 jobs it supports.”
Griffin Fertilizer is committed to helping both growers and ranchers make sound agronomic and economic decisions in order to maximize the health of their grove and pasture. As a full-service custom dry & liquid fertilizer blender and crop protection product distributor, we will continue our mission to further advance Florida agriculture. For questions or concerns about your farm or pasture, contact us and one of our team will be in touch.