Baptists Feeling the Drought Too!

May 15th, 2012 by tamara

What a drought! It’s so dry that I heard that the Baptist are going to have to start sponging folk off rather than dunk them! Folks all over are crying about the dry weather and what are we going to do? Nothing until it rains and eventually it will rain again. A grower told me the other day that he didn’t think it was ever going to rain. I know it doesn’t look like it right now but I guarantee it will rain again when we need it the most. What really concerns me is the lack of water in areas that usually hold a little water even in the worst droughts are all dried up now.

It’s a nightmare out there for growers and caretakers trying to keep everything irrigated and out of stress, not to mention the price of fuel running production cost even higher.

Throughout the state’s citrus growing regions some groves are showing signs of wilt in the heat of the day and a little more drop of young fruit that expected. Trees that were affected by the cold weather this past winter and those with greening or other diseases look the worst, dropping quite a bit of fruit and in some cases beginning to die back.

It sure is hard to replace good rainfall with micro-jets.

It seems like when we do get a little rain along comes the wind and its dry again in a day or two. This also affects the foliage on the trees drying them out putting them in a wilt. We should be heading into the rainy season and conditions will change but so far that hasn’t happened. Most growers think that we will be ok and in some cases where some drop has been noticed the fruit will probably size up more and make up the difference in production.

The industry is always up against it in one way or another; either labor, weather, market, cost of production, disease that we didn’t ask for, but you know after all this time in this great industry the more things change it seems the more they stay the same. Growers still meet at their local restaurants to discuss and solve all the problems out there, they always armchair quarterback the latest football game, solve political issues, what the preacher said on Sunday, ask about each other’s families compare fruit prices, which one got the best deal or the best price on fertilizer and material. Same discussion just different faces and different issues. I think back to the freezes the industry suffered and these tough growers are still here and replanting. Well his drought is just another bump in the road.

Florida Citrus Mutual just finished its area meetings and elections I thank all the growers’ that attended and for those who were not able to make it you missed a good program outlining what has been happening within your organization. Not to mention the great meal that was served. Remember we are your organization and we are proud to serve the growers of Florida. Let us hear from you. Call me and I will make sure a representative gets in touch with you!

Rusty Wiygul
Director of Grower Affairs

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Florida Citrus Growers Closer to Appealing ITC Decision

May 14th, 2012 by tamara

LAKELAND, Fla. (May 14, 2012) – The country’s largest citrus grower organization has filed a summons with the U.S. Court of International Trade initiating an appeal of the International Trade Commission (ITC) decision to revoke the anti-dumping order against Brazilian orange juice processors.

“We continue to believe that the ITC made the wrong decision in this case for a number of reasons,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “There’s been extreme volatility in the marketplace since the revocation of the order providing clear proof that the order was doing what it was supposed to do – make the Brazilian processors play by the rules.”

“We will continue to consider our options to appeal and if necessary, we will file a new petition because we know the dumping isn’t going to stop.”

Some of the ITC’s findings that Mutual could challenge in an appeal include:

• Concluding there are significant supply constraints in Brazil
• Concluding the United States is not an attractive market for Brazilian juice
• Assuming that Brazil’s processing presence in the United States evens the trade playing field
• Ignoring the carbendazim issue’s affect on demand
• Relying almost exclusively on unsupported Brazilian pricing data
• Concluding that Brazilian imports do not affect on U.S. prices
• Focusing on grower revenue without considering increased costs
• Failing to properly consider the effects of revocation on growers

Since the Commission revoked the anti-dumping order on March 14 many of their assumptions have been severely undermined; OJ futures prices have declined by 40 percent, the effects of carbendazim have significantly reduced consumer demand and Brazilian shippers expect to have carbendazim-free concentrate back on the market in less than six months.

In addition, Brazilian production outstripped the Commission’s estimate by 7 percent for both the current season and next year. A week after the vote, the Brazilian industry reported anticipated inventories 40 percent higher than predicted by the Commission.

An anti-dumping order covering the major Brazilian orange juice processors was put in place in 2006. Dumping is defined as selling product for less than “normal value,” including prices below the cost of production. It can severely harm domestic producers by subsidizing cheaper U.S. sales with higher priced foreign sales destabilizing world markets. If a domestic industry can prove foreign producers are dumping then anti-dumping deposits can be imposed by the U.S. Department of Commerce (DOC).

The DOC annually reviews sales and if the dumping stops, the deposits are refunded. If the dumping continues then the company(s) forfeits the duties or is required to pay additional duties. For more information on dumping, please go to Mutual’s website at http://www.flcitrusmutual.com/industry-issues/trade/dumpingcase.aspx

The Florida citrus industry creates a $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering more than 550,000 acres. Founded in 1948 and currently representing nearly 8,000 grower members, Florida Citrus Mutual is the state’s largest citrus grower organization. For more information, visit www.flcitrusmutual.com.

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Deadline to register for Certified Crop Advisor’s Continuing Education Seminar is Friday, May 11, 2012 at 5:00pm

May 9th, 2012 by tamara

The semi-annual Certified Crop Advisor’s Continuing Education Seminar is fast approaching and will be held on Thursday, May 17, 2012 from 8:00am to 6:00pm at South Florida Community College’s in a new location Building T Room 20.

The two educational areas that will be covered in this year’s seminar are Soil and Water Management and Crop Management. A total of ten contact hours will be awarded for attending the full day, five contact hours in each of the two educational areas listed above.

You can register for a half day if you only need credits in one of the educational areas. The morning session from 8:00am to 1:00pm will cover Soil and Water Management and the afternoon session from 1:00pm to 6:00pm will cover Crop Management.

A working lunch and snacks will be provided to make the most efficient use of your time. Please register by no later than Friday, May 11, 2012 in order to guarantee your meal.

To register, or if you have any questions or need information about the program, please contact Lorrie Key, 863-784-7033 or Renee Smalley, 863-784-7034.

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601 Changes Signed by Governor

April 30th, 2012 by tamara

Dear Mutual Members and Friends:

Just a quick note to let you know Governor Rick Scott signed the changes to Chapter 601 into law on Friday. If you will recall the bill made some tweaks to the statute that governs the Florida Citrus Commission and the Florida Department of Citrus. Among the changes:

• Staggering Commissioner terms
• Eliminating four-year term and Senate confirmation for executive director
• Rulemaking authority for quality/maturity standards
• Tax Assessment caps

This was a complete team effort. Florida Citrus Mutual would like to thank Rep. Ben Albritton as well as Sen. JD Alexander, Sen. Alan Hays and Rep. Denise Grimsley for steering the measure through the Legislature. Mutual President Vic Story and Commissioner Ellis Hunt were also instrumental in getting this done.

The effective date of this legislation is July 1, 2012 except for the repeal of the maturity standards which is effective later in the year.

Once again great job by the entire Florida citrus industry…Do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Regards,

Mike

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Citrus Research Funding

April 17th, 2012 by tamara

Dear Mutual Members and Friends:

I have some great news. Governor Rick Scott signed the $70 billion state budget today and did not veto the $2 million appropriation for citrus research. Consequently, this money will go straight to the Citrus Research and Development Foundation to supplement grower box tax dollars in FY ’12-‘13. At current production levels the $2 million equates to roughly 1.2 cents per box.

We have been talking to the governor and his staff quite a bit over the past year and we really think he has come to understand the importance of our $9 billion industry and the fact we must beat HLB to remain viable. Of course none of this would have been possible without the outstanding efforts of Sen. JD Alexander and Rep. Denise Grimsley, two of our industry’s strongest allies.

Mutual certainly appreciates Governor Scott’s decision today. We hope to see him once again at the Annual Conference in June.

Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Regards,

Mike Sparks

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USDA’s 2011-12 Florida Orange Crop Estimate Decreases Slightly

April 10th, 2012 by tamara

LAKELAND, Fla. (April 10, 2012) –The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) reduced its orange crop forecast for the 2011-2012 season by two million boxes Tuesday, estimating Florida will now produce 145 million boxes.

“It’s truly amazing Florida growers can once again produce such a quality crop in the face of immense challenges such as HLB, or citrus greening,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “This is a testament to the resiliency of our growers and the fact they are the best in the world, bar none.”

Visit www.nass.usda.gov/Statistics_by_State/Florida/Publications/Citrus/cpfp.htm for the complete USDA estimate. The USDA makes its initial forecast in October and then revises it monthly until the end of the season in July. During the 2010-2012 season, Florida produced 139 million boxes of oranges.

The 2011-2012 April decrease was seen entirely in Valencias, with the estimate dropping from 73 million to 71 million boxes. Early and mid-season varieties remained at 74 million boxes. For Florida specialty fruit, the USDA predicts 1.15 million boxes of tangelos and 4.3 million boxes of tangerines. Those numbers are unchanged from March.

The yield for from concentrate orange juice (FCOJ) decreased to 1.62 gallons per 90-pound box from the previous estimate of 1.64 gallons per box.

The USDA predicts Florida will harvest 18.8 million boxes of grapefruit in ’11-‘12, showing a minor rise from the March forecast of 18.7 million.

The Florida citrus industry creates a $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering about 550,000 acres. Founded in 1948 and currently representing nearly 8,000 grower members, Florida Citrus Mutual is the state’s largest citrus grower organization. For more information, visit www.flcitrusmutual.com.

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Deadly citrus disease turns up in California

April 2nd, 2012 by tamara

New Haven Register – April 1, 2012

FRESNO, Calif. — A citrus disease that has killed millions of citrus trees and cost growers billions of dollars across Florida and Brazil has been detected in California, despite the industry’s best efforts to keep it at bay.

After a week of testing the U.S. Department of Agriculture confirmed citrus greening was detected in a lemon-grapefruit hybrid tree in a residential neighborhood of Los Angeles County.

The disease stands to threaten not only California’s nearly $2 billion citrus industry, but treasured backyard trees scattered throughout the state.

“Huanlongbing is called the world’s worst disease of citrus,” said Dr. Robert Leavitt of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. “It had been present until now in all of the world’s major citrus producing areas — except California.”

The bacterial disease is carried by the Asian citrus psyllid and attacks a tree’s vascular system, producing bitter fruit and eventually killing the tree. Sap-sucking pysllids that feed on an infected tree become carriers of the disease.

It is not a threat to humans.

“It’s disappointing,” said Joel Nelson of California Citrus Mutual. “Now we’ll see if this great program that we believe we have in place is going to work.”

Detection of the disease has been state citrus growers’ fear since the bug first crossed into San Diego County from Mexico in 2008, potentially threatening California’s fresh citrus market. Despite 25 years of worldwide research, there still are no biological or genetic controls for the disease that keeps fruit from ripening.

The disease is present in Mexico and across the southern U.S., but nowhere is the problem more severe than in Florida, where the disease first appeared in 2005. The University of Florida estimates it has cost 6,600 jobs, $1.3 billion in lost revenue to growers and $3.6 billion in lost economic activity.

The pest and the disease also are present in Texas, Louisiana, Georgia and South Carolina. The states of Arizona, Mississippi and Alabama have detected the pest but not the disease.

California growers and state agricultural officials have been aggressively trapping and testing bugs for the disease since the first sighting four years ago.

“This is the other shoe dropping,” said Ted Batkin of the California Citrus Research Board. “We’re prepared, and now we’ll put our game face on.”

The industry group will ramp up trapping efforts and increase testing samples in an effort to keep the disease from crossing into the San Joaquin Valley, where 80 percent of the state’s citrus grows. California growers have been contributing $15 million a year to fund efforts to fight both the psyllids and the disease on top of state and federal programs to fight its spread.

“We’ve been fortunate that we have been able to learn from the experiences of other citrus-growing areas of the world,” Leavitt said. “They didn’t know they had the psyllid or the disease until it was too late. We have learned from their scientists and have taken a proactive approach.”

State officials are making arrangements to remove and dispose of the Los Angeles County tree, which so far is the only one found to be infected. They also will spray all citrus trees for psyllids within a half-mile of the infected tree. Testing on tissue samples from other trees within the half-mile radius is ongoing.

As of Saturday all sales and shipments of citrus trees within a 5-mile radius of the infected site will be suspended. State officials also are working on a larger quarantine that will extend into northern Orange County.

The closest commercial grove is 14 miles away.

State officials are unsure why Los Angeles County has a higher rate of psyllid infestations than areas closer to the Mexican border. But officials are investigating whether the bugs are hitchhiking through airports and seaports.

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Drop in Soda Sales Accelerates as Healthier Options Grow

March 21st, 2012 by tamara

CNBC – March 20, 2012
Available online at http://www.cnbc.com/id/46796332

Soda sales have been declining for the past seven years, but the pace of the decline quickened in 2011 despite growth in the overall beverage market.

Americans continue to guzzle more bottled water, ready-to-drink tea and coffee, sports drinks and energy drinks, rather than sip on soda and fruit juices, according to beverage statistics released Tuesday.

The U.S. beverage market grew by 0.9 percent in 2011, according to preliminary data from Beverage Marketing, a research, consulting, and financial-services firm that tracks the beverage industry. Although this marked the second year of growth for the beverage industry, after two consecutive declines in 2008 and 2009, the pace of growth slowed from 2010.

Beverage Marketing said sales were hurt by higher prices, which made the drinks more difficult for struggling lower-income consumers to afford.

Beverage Digest, an industry newsletter that also issued industry sales data Tuesday, estimates carbonated soft drink prices were up about 3 percent last year, as companies passed on the higher cost of sweeteners, such as corn syrup and other raw materials, to consumers.

All of the big three beverage companies — Coca-Cola [KO 71.10 0.51 (+0.72%) ], PepsiCo [PEP 65.35 0.07 (+0.11%) ], and Dr Pepper Snapple [DPS 38.59 0.21 (+0.55%) ] — sold lower volumes in the U.S., as sales of leading brands such as Coke, Diet Coke, Pepsi-Cola, and Mt. Dew fell, according to Beverage Digest.

Both Coke and Pepsi saw their market shares shrink, while Dr Pepper’s share was flat, the newsletter said. Sales of Dr Pepper’s flagship brand rose 0.5 percent last year, a good showing, but not nearly as good as Fanta, the ninth largest soda brand, which saw sales volume climb 3 percent. Fanta’s growth was enough to unseat Diet Dr Pepper from the top 10.

Leading Beverage Trademarks Trademark Company 2011 Rank % Change
Coke Coca-Cola 1 (1.5%)
Pepsi PepsiCo 2 (5.5%)
Mountain Dew PepsiCo 3 (1.0%)
Dr Pepper Dr Pepper Seven Up 4 0.3%
Gatorade PepsiCo 5 8.1%
Sprite Coca-Cola 6 (0.6%)
Nestle Pure Life Nestle 7 (0.2%)
Poland Spring Nestle 8 (1.8%)
Tropicana PepsiCo 9 (5.2%)
Dasani Coca-Cola 10 7.5%

Source: Beverage Marketing. Figures in parenthesis are losses. Trademark volume includes all beverages under that trademark. For example, Coca-Cola, including Diet Coke, Caffeine-Free Coca-Cola, etc. Gatorade includes G2.

While Fanta’s growth was impressive, the fastest-growing beverage brand was Dasani, a bottled water sold by Coca-Cola. Dasani’s volume rose 11 percent, according to Beverage Digest. It was followed by Arizona iced tea, which grew 9.3 percent, and Pepsi’s Gatorade, which rose 8 percent.

To put this in perspective, carbonated soft drink sales grew about 3 percent annually in the U.S. for much of the ’90s. The category has been declining since 2005, however, as increasingly health-conscious consumers turn to other beverages perceived to be more healthful.

In the carbonated soft drink category, six of the top 10 brands lost volume, and only four grew. Overall, sales of carbonated soft drinks fell 1 percent in 2011, faster than the 0.5 percent decline in 2010, Beverage Digest said.

Beverage Digest includes fast-growing energy drinks within the category. Without energy drinks, sales of carbonated soft drinks would have fallen 1.5 percent.

Beverage Marketing estimates energy drink sales grew 14.4 percent by volume in 2011. This means it was the fastest-growing segment with the beverage industry. But it remains a relatively small share of the total beverage industry volume. In fact, only the read-to-drink coffee category is smaller, Beverage Marketing said.

Not surprisingly, no energy drink or ready-to-drink coffee brand ranks among the leading trademarks.

Sports drinks are another matter. Gatorade has been growing at a fast clip and topped the one-billion-gallon mark for the first time last year. Gatorade, coupled with G2 and other brand variations, is the fifth-largest beverage trademark, according to Beverage Marketing.

As for bottled water, its growth continues to accelerate. In 2008 and 2009, tough economic times led to a decline in bottled water sales, but the category recovered in 2010, and its growth rate accelerated in 2011. Bottled water sales volume was up 4.1 percent in 2011, faster than the 3.5 percent growth in 2010.

“The strong showing by high-end and functional products shows that consumers — at least the more affluent ones — are not concerned exclusively with economic consideration when making their beverage selections,” said Michael C. Bellas, chairman and CEO of Beverage Marketing.

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ITC Votes to Revoke OJ Anti-Dumping Order

March 14th, 2012 by tamara

LAKELAND, Fla. (March 14, 2012) – The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) Wednesday struck a blow to Florida citrus growers by voting to revoke the anti-dumping order on certain Brazilian orange juice processors.

The ITC said removing the anti-dumping order would not materially harm the Florida citrus grower despite increased Brazilian production, declining U.S. consumption and rapidly escalating costs of production.

An anti-dumping order covering three major Brazilian orange juice processors – Cutrale Citrus Juice, Citrosuco Paulista and Louis Dreyfus – has been in place since 2006. Every five years, the United States conducts a “sunset review” to determine whether duties should remain in place on Brazilian OJ or be revoked, taking into consideration how that would impact the U.S. industry, including Florida growers.

The decision came after Florida Citrus Mutual (FCM) spent the past six months building a case against the Brazilians.

“Florida Citrus Mutual is extremely disappointed with this decision and we will review next steps including an appeal,” said Michael W. Sparks, FCM’s executive VP/CEO. “Over the past five years Brazilian processors have continued to dump cheap product into the United States as their residual market and I cannot see any reason why they would stop, especially if the anti-dumping order goes away.”

Dumping is bad because it can drive domestic producers out of business while destabilizing world markets. U.S. firms can file an anti-dumping petition with the International Trade Commission, which investigate the matter.

If a domestic industry can prove foreign producers are selling product for less than “normal value,” including below the cost of production, then anti-dumping deposits can be imposed by the government.

The DOC annually reviews sales and if the dumping stops, the deposits are refunded. If the dumping continues then the company(s) forfeits the duties. The order can be lifted when a company successfully completes three consecutive reviews without dumping.

For more information on dumping, please go to Mutual’s website at http://www.flcitrusmutual.com/industry-issues/trade/dumpingcase.aspx

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Nutrient Management for High Citrus Fruit Yield in Tropical Soils

March 13th, 2012 by tamara

The article attached below was recently featured in the International Plant Nutrition Institute’s ‘Better Crops with Plant Food’ publication. While the article is written with reference to Brazilian-based research, the information may prove informative and helpful for Florida growers as well.

Please see page 4 within the link for the article.

Better Crops with Plant Foods – 2012 Issue 1

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