Dec
12
Battle rages to save citrus groves
Filed Under Agriculture | Leave a Comment
‘Greening’ threatens fruit industry in SW Fla., state
By JOYCE SCHENK
Business Writer
Photos courtesy of UC Statewide IPM Program, Beth Grafton-Cardwell
Mongri Zekri and Mike Murphy are on the front lines of a war. The battlegrounds are the citrus groves of Southwest Florida.
But this conflict is not limited to the Sunshine State. The struggle is being waged worldwide.
The enemy, Huanglongbing, is better known as citrus greening. It is a devastating bacterial disease that reduces citrus production, destroys the economic value of the fruit and – eventually – kills the trees.
Zekri is a multi-county Citrus Extension agent, working with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS).
Murphy is CEO of Cooperative Producers Inc., among the area’s largest citrus growers and part of the Florida Natural Orange Juice Co.
The two recently spoke about the spread of citrus greening across the state and the steps being taken to slow the disease’s progress.
Oct
24
Florida’s worst crop failure: new farmers
Filed Under Agriculture, Economic Development, Trends | 1 Comment
Young growth not replacing old in critical profession
By JOYCE SCHENK
Business Writer
This is the last of a three-part series dealing with current issues in agriculture.
More than a third of all the country’s farmers are within 10 years of retirement.
Data from the federal government indicates that farmers older than 65 outnumber those younger than 35 by more than three to one nationwide.
This sobering information shows an industry in crisis.
According to the most recent U.S. Census Bureau report, the average age of the Florida farmer is 57.
Given these statistics, the topic of farm transition – the shifting of the business to the next generation of farmers and ranchers – has become a huge issue in maintaining the strength of the farming industry. Read more
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