See where the last USDA citrus forecast of the season ended up, and how it compares with the start of the season.
The USDA released its final citrus forecast for Florida and the rest of the country for the 2017-2018 citrus season on June 12th. The final totals drew comments from citrus industry leaders like Florida Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam. See how this year’s citrus forecast compares, below.
The 2017-2018 Citrus Forecast History
The citrus forecast for the 2017-2018 season started out at 54 million boxes of citrus forecast for the state of Florida. For comparison’s sake, the 2016-2017 citrus season ended with 68.7 million boxes and the peak harvest of Florida’s citrus industry was during the 1997-98 season with 244 million boxes of citrus.
The 2017-2018 Florida citrus harvest totaled 44.95 million boxes of citrus, a decrease of 81 percent from the height of the industry’s harvests. Florida’s citrus harvests have steadily decreased since the bacteria that cause citrus greening was found in South Florida in 2005.
Citrus and Hurricane Irma
A large portion of the 2017-2018 citrus harvest was lost when Hurricane Irma swept through The Sunshine State in September of 2017. Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) estimated that the storm caused over $760 million in damages to the Florida citrus industry alone. State leaders like Ag Commissioner Adam Putnam and Florida Governor Rick Scott worked hard to secure aid for all of Florida’s ag industry who were affected by the hurricane.
In a FDACS press release statement, Adam Putnam said, “While today’s final citrus crop forecast brings this horrible season to a close, it’s important to remember that the industry is still recovering from Hurricane Irma’s unprecedented damage last year. Thanks to the collaborative efforts of the United States Department of Agriculture, Florida’s agriculture industry and our elected leaders, much-needed disaster assistance is on the way to help Florida’s growers.”
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.
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