Citrus crops in Texas are just getting started. "We've just begun harvesting and degreening. We'll start slowly and ramp up to full production in November," says April Flowers of Lone Star Citrus Growers. "The crop looks good, and we are excited to begin another season. We continue to recover from the freezes of 2021 and 2024, and we are starting to see some of our new plantings come into production in a light way."
Lone Star Citrus Growers' MyLand Ribbon cutting ceremony.
This year's crop is expected to be similar to last year's in fruit size and quantity. However, there is a bit of a varietal shift happening in the state. "Navels suffered great losses during the past two freezes and farmers haven't been keen to replant them due to the popularity of Valencias, so we really aren't harvesting many Navels anymore," says Flowers, adding that it's expecting to ship into late March.
Texas and drought
Along with those previous freezes, Texas citrus growers continue to contend with drought. "While we have seen rain locally, our reservoirs are still at historic lows, and we have not seen sufficient progress in enforcing the water treaty," says Flowers. "While Lake Amistad is finally up to 27 percent full, we rely most heavily on Falcon Lake, which is still only at 13.7 percent. October is typically our rainy season, and we are hopeful that the West Texas watershed will experience some good rainfall. What we need most right now is rain over the reservoirs, especially Falcon Lake."
This year's crop is expected to be similar to last year's in fruit size and quantity.
As for demand, Flowers says that the beginning of the season is starting already with a strong market. That's due to a gap between the end of the California citrus season and the start of the season in Texas.
For more information:
April Flowers
Lone Star Citrus Growers
Tel: +1 (956) 424-7775
[email protected]
www.lonestarcitrus.com