The USDA has released its forecast for the Florida citrus season.
All oranges 28.0 million boxes
The 2022-2023 Florida all orange forecast released today by the USDA Agricultural Statistics Board is carried forward from October at 28.0 million boxes, down 32 percent from last season’s final production. The total includes 11.0 million boxes of non-Valencia oranges (early, midseason, and Navel varieties) and 17.0 million boxes of Valencia oranges. The Navel orange forecast, at 300,000 boxes, accounts for 3 percent of the non-Valencia total. The estimated number of bearing trees for all oranges is 44.0 million.
All grapefruit 2.00 million boxes
The forecast of all grapefruit production is carried forward at 2.00 million boxes, 40 percent less than last season’s utilization of 3.33 million boxes. The total is comprised of 1.80 million boxes of red grapefruit and 200,000 boxes of white grapefruit.
Tangerines and Tangelos total 700,000 boxes
The forecast for tangerine and tangelos is carried forward at 700,000 boxes, 7 percent less than last season’s utilization of 750,000 boxes. This forecast number includes all certified tangerine and tangelo varieties
Weather and Field Conditions
On September 28th, 2022, Hurricane Ian made its first U.S. landfall along the southwestern coast of Florida as a Category 4 storm. The storm traveled directly over four of the five largest citrus producing counties (Desoto, Highlands, Hardee and Polk), at hurricane strength. The entire citrus area was inundated with heavy winds and excessive rainfall as it made its northeastward movement over the state. Normal grove operations were temporarily halted in all areas. Typical farm work was set back for two to three weeks in some locations, while in less affected areas after two to three days, the usual agricultural processes resumed, to include spraying, mowing, and general grove maintenance. The remainder of the month of October was relatively dry. Except for a couple southern counties, most recording stations showed less than two inches of rainfall for the month.
Crop Progress
The crop season began with harvesting of Navel and Hamlin oranges, red grapefruit, and Fallglo and Early Pride tangerines, primarily for the fresh market. According to the Citrus Administrative Committee Utilization Report, dated October 23, 2022, less than 1 percent of early and midseason oranges (excluding Navels), 7 percent of Navel oranges, 1 percent of all grapefruit, and 2 percent of tangerines and tangelos have been certified.
Maturity
Regular bloom fruit samples (325 orange and 98 grapefruit) were collected from groves on established routes across Florida’s citrus region and tested by the Florida Agricultural Statistics Service (FASS) on October 26-28, 2022.