Highlands crop in good shape

Despite what looked like a disastrous winter, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has increased its March orange crop forecast for the 2009-2010 season by 2 million boxes. Florida is now expected to produce 131 million boxes.

The forecast is similar in Highlands County, said Ray Royce, executive director of Highlands County Citrus Growers Association.

"In general, the freeze didn't cause the loss of too many boxes of fruit," Royce said. "Although there are some individuals in colder locations who had significant damage, everyone is surprised to have come through it with as little damage as we had."

Some citrus growers told Royce that they experienced 15 to 20 nights below freezing, a rare winter in Central Florida.

In mid-January, the Florida citrus industry experienced more than a week straight of sub-freezing temperatures. The result was frozen fruit and leaf damage across most of the state's growing regions.

Even so, there wasn't much wood or twig damage, and virtually no loss of adult trees in Highlands County, Royce said.

Although winter still isn't over, said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, "This estimate is evidence that Florida citrus came through the 'freeze that would never end' in better shape than we first thought. It was a tough patch, but one can't underestimate the resiliency of our industry."

The 2010 crop won't be fully picked until June, but with trees ready to bloom in the next few weeks, growers are already looking at next year.

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 in July.

The USDA held steady on its grapefruit estimate at 18.8 million boxes.

The orange increase came in early and midseason varieties. That estimate grew by 2 million boxes to 68 million. The projection for Valencias stayed at 63 million boxes. For Florida specialty fruit, the USDA's tangelo and tangerine estimate remained at 900,000 boxes and 4 million boxes respectively.

However, this year's oranges will be drier. The all-variety yield for frozen concentrated orange juice is expected to be 1.53 gallons per 90-pound box, down from 1.56. The Valencia yield dropped from 1.7 to 1.58.

The Florida citrus industry creates a $9 billion annual economic impact, employing nearly 76,000 people, and covering more than 576,000 acres. More info: www.flcitrusmutual.com