To the owners of groves that have been purchased for retail and housing developments: your property taxes may be going up. ...more

March 29, 2009

LAKELAND – During simultaneous meetings held last month at Agriculture Research Service in Fort Pierce and the National Academy of Sciences in West Palm Beach, researchers from institutions in Florida, other states and other countries urged all citrus growers and industry participants to continue to work diligently solve devastating citrus diseases, such as greening. "We brought together 23 scientists, including plant pathologists, botanists, entomologists, microbiologists and others to offer the industry new perspective beyond that of the citrus research establishment," stated Robin Schoen, director of the Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources, National Research Council, NAS. "Members of the NAS panel were astonished by the rapid spread and severe impact of greening in Florida to date. We realize that urgent and immediate attention is needed to address this situation so that it does not escalate out of control." "Our goal is to preserve the future of the citrus industry in Florida. We recognize the need for independent scientific experts to help Florida's citrus teams identify the most effective and efficient way to solve greening," said Bob Norberg, deputy executive director, research and operations, Florida Department of Citrus. "This joint meeting illustrates the willingness of the Florida scientific community to embrace new research directions as we move forward." ...more

May 10, 2008

AVON PARK — An additional 20 to 25 workers will be unemployed by Jan. 31 as Cargill Juice North America exits the citrus processing business in Florida. The company announced plans in August to close the Avon Park and Frostproof plants. "It's interesting," said Tom Abrahamson, president. "When we decided to shut down the plants for good, we said at the time that we still had inventories of juice, and we estimated they would last until December 2008." ...more

December 23, 2007