Citrus

Rosy Red Valencias Part of Bee Sweet Citrus Lineup

Wed, 29 Apr 2026 23:12:00 GMT

Bee Sweet Citrus says Rosy Red Valencias, a new citrus variety native to California’s Central Valley, will be available later this spring. Discovered in 2009 by Bee Sweet Citrus grower Nancy Lange, the company says this variety is an excellent choice for customers seeking unique produce to enhance their summer selection.

“The Rosy Red is truly unique,” Lange says. “As the only Valencia orange with beautifully tinted juice, it boasts a vibrant rosy blush and a striking coral-colored flesh. Its beautiful pigmentation comes from lycopene, a carotenoid known for its nutritional benefits. With its delicious flavor and healthful qualities, Rosy Reds are sure to delight consumers.”

Similar to Bee Sweet’s Royal Red oranges and Cara Cara Navel oranges, Rosy Red Valencias feature a unique coral-colored interior and a blushed rind. The blush is most pronounced during the summer months, and harvest runs from May through August.

Bee Sweet Citrus says the packaging for its Ruby Red Valencias highlights the new variety’s unique qualities.

(Photo courtesy of Bee Sweet Citrus)

The fruit features a sweet flavor Bee Sweet says makes it perfect for fresh eating, with abundant juice content that is excellent for juicing.

“Rosy Reds were first discovered as a spontaneous variation on a single limb of a Valencia tree,” says Joe Berberian, Bee Sweet Citrus sales representative. “We’re grateful that Nancy not only noticed the emergence of Rosy Reds but also led its development and production. We’re proud to include Rosy Reds in our citrus line-up and hope our customers enjoy their unique flavor while they’re in season.”

Bee Sweet Citrus says Rosy Red Valencias are available in both bag and bulk options. The packaging will highlight the variety’s unique qualities and is sure to draw attention in the produce aisle.

California Eyes Ample Supplies for Summer Fruit Promotions

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 00:34:52 GMT

With favorable crop conditions reported for California fruits like berries, citrus and melons, some major grower-shippers in the state are gearing up for promotions to help boost summer sales. Here’s a crop outlook from a few of those companies and a look at the best time to promote.

California Giant Berry Farms

California blueberries will be available from early May until late June, says Brad Peterson, director of business development for California Giant Berry Farms, Watsonville, Calif.

They’ll peak during the last two weeks of May and the first week of June, which will make an ideal promotion window, he says.

Organic blueberry production will experience a large jump with the addition of a San Diego growing region, Peterson says.

Supplies of California raspberries and blackberries should be stable “outside of the tips and tails of the season,” he says, with the highest volumes available in August, September and October.

“Data from the International Fresh Produce Association and retail analytics firm Circana confirm that the Fourth of July generates massive sales spikes for fresh berries,” he adds.

The company’s conventional volume will be similar to past years with a slight increase thanks to continued trade-ups in raspberry varieties, Peterson says.

“Quality has been good so far for California blueberries,” he said in early April. “Caneberries are shaping up nicely and are anticipated to produce high-quality fruit.”

Growing weather in California has been unique so far “with minor subpar conditions,” he adds.

California mandarin season for Wonderful Halos will run through May before transitioning to a summer import program to ensure year-round availability, says Zak Laffite, president of Wonderful Citrus, part of Los Angeles-based The Wonderful Company. The company also offers navel and valencia oranges, minneolas, lemons and grapefruit during the summer.

(Photo courtesy of The Wonderful Company
)

The Wonderful Company

Summer is an important sales period for Los Angeles-based The Wonderful Company, which has operating divisions that market POM Wonderful beverages and Wonderful Citrus items.

“For POM Wonderful, we prioritize social and retail promotion of our pomegranate beverages during the summertime,” says Jennifer Hirano, vice president of marketing.

“Our lineup of POM Wonderful juices, which includes POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice, POM Wonderful Blueberry 100% Juice and POM Wonderful Cherry 100% Juice, offers a deep ruby red color and refreshing pomegranate flavor,” she says.

The company’s lineup of POM Antioxidant Super Teas is featured throughout the season as well. They offer the antioxidant quality of pomegranates with a blend of gently brewed teas and come in five flavors, she says.

On the citrus side, California mandarin season for Wonderful Halos will run through May before transitioning to a summer import program to ensure year-round availability, says Zak Laffite, president of Wonderful Citrus.

The supply of Wonderful Seedless Lemons continues to be strong, he adds. The company also offers navel and valencia oranges, minneolas, lemons and grapefruit during the summer.

Legend Produce

Well over half the cantaloupes and honeydew melons grown in the U.S. come from California, and Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Legend Produce LLC, one of the nation’s leading year-round melon producers, sources nearly 100% of its melons from the Golden State during the summer season, says Justin Bootz, sales manager.

Most of the state’s melons are grown in central California, where the agricultural community of Mendota is known as the “Cantaloupe Center of the World.”

Legend Produce LLC, Scottsdale, Ariz., one of the nation’s leading year-round melon producers, sources nearly 100% of its melons from California during the summer season, says Justin Bootz, sales manager. The company introduced its Kiss brand melons last year and plans to increase acreage this year.

(Photo courtesy of Legend Produce LLC
)

Most growers and retailers plan watermelon promotions for the Fourth of July, and melon availability typically remains high well into summer, Bootz says.

Legend Produce, which offers popular Origami melons, is a year-round melon shipper and offers California-grown cantaloupes, honeydew melons and seedless and mini watermelons from July through mid-October.

The company introduced its Kiss brand melons last year and plans to increase acreage this year.

The Kiss line includes Sugar Kiss, similar to a cantaloupe; Honey Kiss, similar to a hami melon; and Summer Kiss, similar to a galia melon, Bootz says.

Porterville, Calif.-based Homegrown Organic Farms offers peaches and a wide range of other organic fruit during the late spring and summer months, says Stephen Paul, deciduous category director.

(Photo courtesy of Homegrown Organic Farms
)

Organics Thrive in Summer

The organic category is a crucial part of California’s summer fruit program, and Porterville, Calif.-based Homegrown Organic Farms has a strong seasonal program lined up, says Stephen Paul, deciduous category director.

“During the late spring and summer months, we offer a wide range of organic fruit, including berries and stone fruit such as blueberries, blackberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, pluots and apricots,” he says.

The firm’s summer lineup also includes citrus like grapefruit, lemons and valencia oranges along with organic grapes. Fresh figs will come on later in the season.

Blueberries and stone fruit are the company’s most popular items at this time of year and drive strong demand throughout the summer, he says.

“We’re also seeing growing momentum around products tied to regenerative organic practices as consumer awareness continues to build,” Paul says. “Fresh figs are another exciting category as we enter our second season, and we’re seeing strong enthusiasm from customers.”

The company expects strong quality across its summer fruit programs despite some early-season weather variability.

The summer season runs from May through September and is highlighted by strong promotable volumes of stone fruit from late June through early August, along with domestic berries at key points throughout the California and Oregon seasons, Paul says.

“Beyond those core drivers, the season is supported by a steady mix of citrus, grapes and fresh figs, giving retailers the flexibility to build a dynamic, evolving summer fruit set from start to finish,” he adds.

New at Homegrown Organic Farms is a fully redesigned website that better reflects the company’s product offerings and sustainability commitments, Paul says.

And this summer, the company will expand its Regenerative Organic Certified program to include Oregon-grown blueberries, building on its already-certified ROC stone fruit program, he says.

Sunkist Aims to Deepen Consumer Engagement with ‘Peel Talk’ Digital Series

Wed, 08 Apr 2026 17:34:28 GMT

Sunkist Growers has launched “Peel Talk,” a new digital content series the cooperative says is designed to deepen consumer engagement and reinforce citrus’s role in everyday wellness, snacking and shared moments.

Sunkist says this campaign launches at a key time for the citrus category, when a wide range of in-season citrus is available to consumers, including navel oranges, lemons, California mandarins, grapefruit, organics and specialty favorites such as cara cara oranges, blood oranges and minneolas.

Sunkist says “Peel Talk” introduces original storytelling, culinary inspiration and interactive content that connects consumers more directly to citrus and the farmers behind it.

“Peel Talk” centers on the idea that small rituals can create meaningful connections, Sunkist says. In each episode, pairs ranging from couples and siblings to roommates and friends sit down together to peel a Sunkist orange and connect. As the peel comes off, conversations open up and candid moments unfold.

The series includes four episodes, all available across Sunkist’s digital platforms, including Instagram and TikTok.

“‘Peel Talk’ is designed to meet consumers where they are — seeking connection, wellness and simple rituals in their everyday lives,” said Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing at Sunkist Growers. “By combining storytelling, recipe inspiration and interactive experiences, we’re bringing citrus into moments that feel personal, shareable and relevant to how people connect today.”

Sunkist says “Peel Talk” also features recipes designed for shared living households, along with interactive elements such as a citrus personality quiz that invites consumers to discover their unique citrus persona.

The cooperative says this initiative reflects its broader brand and category strategy as a grower-owned cooperative connecting more than 1,000 multigenerational family farmers in California and Arizona with retailers and consumers. By linking the stories behind the fruit to the moments happening at home, “Peel Talk” reinforces the connection between growers, retailers and consumers.

“Peel Talk” content will roll out throughout April across its digital platforms, Sunkist says.

Why One California Farmer is Betting Big on Algae for Fertility

Mon, 09 Mar 2026 14:44:35 GMT

Rows of citrus trees stretch across the landscape under the California sun, their canopies forming neat green corridors between irrigation lines and tractor paths. Some trees are newly trimmed, others older and thicker from years of growth. It’s the kind of orchard scene that has long defined agriculture in this part of the state, where permanent crops dominate the landscape and generations of farmers have worked to coax productivity from difficult soils and an increasingly unpredictable water supply.

For fifth-generation farmer Justin Wylie , these groves are more than just another orchard to manage. They represent an opportunity to rethink how soil works on his farm and whether biology — specifically algae — can play a larger role in the future of California agriculture.

Wylie and his family farm roughly 4,000 acres across California’s Central Valley. Some of that land has been in the family for generations, while other acres are leased. Like many farms in the region, the operation produces permanent crops such as pistachios and citrus, commodities that require long-term planning and careful soil management.

“This is a long-term lease with an investment company partner,” Wylie says. “And we just entered into that lease last year. It’s a 15-year lease with a five-year extension.”

One of the ranches he’s currently working to improve came through a recent leasing agreement that gives the family time to invest in the land and experiment with new approaches. That time horizon matters. With permanent crops like oranges, orchard decisions can affect productivity for decades. The trees must be pruned, fertilized and irrigated carefully year after year, and the soil beneath them has to remain functional through increasingly hot and dry growing seasons.

When Wylie’s team first took over the ranch, some improvements were necessary before any new ideas could be tested.

“We were really lucky on this ranch,” Wylie says. “The previous guys, they did let some of the trees get overgrown, so we did have to come in and push a hedge and top and resize those trees.”

While the orchard needed structural work above ground, Wylie says the bigger opportunity lies beneath the surface. The ranch is now part of a broader effort on the farm to transition a portion of the acres toward organic and regenerative systems.

“For the majority of the ranch, as far as fertility, the soils, the condition of the ranch,” he says, “I think the big thing with this ranch is transitioning from a conventional model to an organic regenerative, which is part of our commitment in the lease. It’s part of the model of the lease here — that we transition the ranch from conventional to certified organic and regenerative.”

The transition is happening gradually. Wylie says roughly 25% of the farm’s acres are currently part of that shift, allowing the family to experiment with new soil-building practices without risking the entire operation.

But the push to explore regenerative systems didn’t begin with markets or policy. It started with a deeply personal experience.

A Personal Connection to Soil Health

Wylie says his interest in soil biology and regenerative farming took shape nearly a decade ago, around 2015 or 2016. At the time, his family was dealing with a serious health challenge involving his young son.

The experience pushed him to start researching nutrition, gut health and the human microbiome — topics that would eventually reshape how he thought about farming.

“[My son] was sick as a kid, and so we were doing everything we could to heal him,” Wylie says. “His gut ended up in the hospital a few times with an autism diagnosis.”

Doctors and therapists offered guidance, but the recommendations didn’t sit well with Wylie.

“And then at the time, the doctors and the therapist told us basically, ‘Practice acceptance,’” he says.

Instead, Wylie started searching for more information about gut health and what researchers were learning about the microbiome. Over time, he began seeing parallels between the human digestive system and the biological activity that happens in healthy soils.

“They started figuring out that autistic kids had very weak gut microbiomes,” Wylie says. “And so when you make that connection as a farmer and you start saying, ‘What are all the things I can do at home to not stress that?’”

That question eventually carried over into his work in the field. The farm’s first experiment with regenerative practices was modest.

“We started on 40 acres of pistachios, playing around with it,” he says. “What can we do here growing in a different system?”

At the same time, the regenerative agriculture movement was gaining momentum online, making it easier for farmers to explore new ideas.

“At the time, there were quite a few regenerative agronomists out there releasing podcasts and YouTube videos,” Wylie says. “So the information was there. It was never on my radar before. But once you join that community and industry, it’s pretty interesting.”

Building on What Came Before

Even as Wylie explores new biological tools, he says the farm’s current practices still build heavily on the work done by previous generations.

His father’s generation invested heavily in agronomy research and orchard management strategies, developing systems that helped the farm stay productive in California’s demanding growing environment. From pruning methods to fertilizer programs, many of those lessons still guide how the farm operates today.

Rather than abandoning those systems, Wylie says his goal is to refine them.

“It’s really a tweak,” he says. “In my mind it’s a slight change in the method, not a complete start over.”

The farm continues to rely on the knowledge accumulated through decades of conventional farming, while gradually introducing new practices aimed at improving soil biology.

“We’re just trying to make tweaks to the system that we’re already operating in on the other ranches to see if we can do this a different way,” Wylie says.

One of the biggest challenges in that transition is managing fertility.

California orchards have historically relied on precise fertilizer programs to keep trees productive. But moving toward organic or regenerative inputs can create a different nutrient dynamic, especially during the early years of transition.

Wylie says growers sometimes underestimate how sensitive orchards can be during that shift.

Managing the Transition Carefully

According to Wylie, one of the most common mistakes farmers make when transitioning to regenerative systems is reducing fertilizer too quickly.

He says orchards that have spent decades under conventional management are accustomed to intensive nutrient programs, and abruptly changing that system can cause yields to fall sharply.

On some ranches where regenerative practices have been in place for several years, Wylie says the difference in soil structure is already noticeable.

“There’s other ranches we’ve been farming regenerative for five years,” he says. “You can stick your hand in the soil and get your fingers down right there on the berms next to the trees — it’s chocolate cake.”

But he warns farmers shouldn’t assume that kind of soil health will appear immediately after switching systems.

“Until that day, do not pull back,” Wylie says.

He says the biggest mistake happens when growers assume they can immediately match their old fertility programs using organic inputs.

“That’s the mistake that growers make,” he says. “They think I’m going organic regenerative, I can match dollar for dollar, I can do the same thing I was doing conventionally.”

Instead, Wylie says the transition often produces what he calls a “J-curve.”

“You’re going to see that J-curve,” he says. “I mean, it’s going to tank.”

To avoid that, his farm relies heavily on testing.

“We pull a lot of sap samples, multiple tissues and soils per year,” Wylie says. “Kind of watching our fertility and making sure these trees are fed.”

He says growers must remember trees grown in conventional systems are used to consistent nutrient availability.

“The soil has been farmed a certain way,” he says. “These trees are used to being fed intensively in that conventional system.”

And organic fertilizers don’t always behave the same way.

“The organic fertilizers just don’t work as well,” Wylie says. “So you have to be careful.”

Introducing Algae Into the System

As Wylie searched for ways to accelerate soil improvement, one newer tool caught his attention: microalgae.

The technology comes from soil health company MyLand, which produces living algae on farms and distributes it through irrigation systems.

“We’re probably in our fourth or fifth season,” Wylie says.

The idea behind the system is relatively simple. Rather than applying microbes directly to the soil, the system produces algae that help stimulate microbial activity already present in the soil ecosystem.

Jeff Tuel says the technology centers around specialized tanks designed to grow algae on the farm itself.

“We call these APVs, algae producing vessels,” Tuel says. “And essentially, the sole purpose is to grow algae here.”

Water from the farm is stored inside the vessels, where conditions are controlled to encourage rapid algae growth.

“So for all intents and purposes, this is kind of like the algae producing container,” Tuel says.

From there, the algae are delivered through irrigation systems already used on the farm.

“And we try to keep that holding tank to a level where if the irrigator is irrigating a 12-hour set, 24, 36,” Tuel says. “Our main objective is for them to never run dry of algae.”

Production is adjusted to match the grower’s irrigation schedule.

“We harvest according to the grower’s irrigation schedule,” he says.

Another important step happens before the system is even installed. MyLand scientists collect algae samples from the farm itself, identifying native strains that are already adapted to the environment.

“The reason native is important is because it’s used to the pH, it’s used to the droughts, the floods, everything Mother Nature’s thrown at it,” Tuel says.

Because those organisms already exist in the local ecosystem, they are more likely to survive once applied to the soil.

“Its odds of surviving and actually making an impact in that ecosystem are far greater,” he says.

Microalgae also sits at the base of the soil’s microbial food web.

“Microalgae is actually the base of the microbial food chain,” Tuel says. “All the bugs and beneficials in the soil are feeding off of it.”

Rather than introducing microbes, the strategy is to stimulate the microbes already present.

“I like to say instead of a bug-and-a-jug approach, we are ringing the dinner bell for the microbes,” Tuel says. “It’s kind of an all-you-can-eat buffet for microbes to get them moving and active.”

Tackling Difficult Soils

For Wylie, improving soil biology could help solve one of the Central Valley’s most persistent challenges: poor soil structure.

Many orchard soils in the region contain very low levels of organic matter, which limits their ability to hold water and maintain structure through the growing season.

“We have about 0.5% soil organic matter,” Wylie says. “Our water holding capacity is very low.”

That lack of organic matter can cause irrigation problems later in the summer.

“A lot of times these soils as we’re irrigating during the season will lock up,” he says.

Early in the season, irrigation water infiltrates the soil fairly easily.

“You start with very good water infiltration in April, May, June,” Wylie says.

But conditions change as the summer progresses.

“By the time you get to July, August, when you really need it, it’s very difficult to push water down in the soil,” he says.

For farmers trying to manage water carefully in California’s dry climate, that creates a major challenge.

“These soils are not very functional for us as farmers,” Wylie says.

Tuel says stimulating microbial activity can gradually improve those conditions.

“When you get those microbes to start moving and firing, you’re going to start to build soil aggregate,” he says.

Better aggregation can help water move through the soil while also improving nutrient availability.

“If it’s a high-salt ground, we can start to leach out some of those salts,” Tuel says.

Algae may also influence soil chemistry.

“Algae is also going to help regulate the pH in the soil so we can start to free up some locked-up nutrients,” he says.

Thinking Long-Term

While installing an on-farm algae system requires investment, Wylie says he sees it as part of a long-term strategy for improving soil performance.

“In a biological system like MyLand, it’s about the same cost as a soil amendment program out here, depending on how much acreage you’re using,” Wylie says.

The difference is the system focuses on building biological activity rather than simply adding nutrients.

“But it’s a long-term solution,” he says. “It’s not going to work overnight.”

Instead, the goal is to strengthen the soil’s microbiome so it can better buffer environmental stresses.

“It’s actually creating a buffer by just supercharging the microbiome that’s in the soil,” Wylie says.

That biological activity may help address several common soil issues in California orchards.

“Everything feeds on it,” he says. “It’s overcoming high salt, high chlorides.”

Even trace mineral challenges may improve over time.

“In some cases in California, we have very high boron in some areas,” Wylie says.

He believes increased biological activity may help mitigate those problems faster than traditional soil-building methods alone.

“Microalgae being put into the system can actually overcome those salts that might take 10 or 15 years of compost and cover crops,” he says. “You can accomplish in a few years by using MyLand.”

The Pressure on California Farmers

The search for new tools is happening at a time when farming in California is becoming increasingly expensive.

Data from USDA shows the state continues to rank as the most expensive place in the country to grow crops, driven by high labor, energy and input costs.

Those economic pressures are compounded by growing regulatory expectations.

Wylie believes California farmers are already facing some of the strictest scrutiny in global agriculture.

“I think the state’s already looking at it very closely,” he says. “I think they’re going to put more pressure on farmers in California.”

Compared with other agricultural regions, he says California producers are operating under unique constraints.

“Other than the European Union, there is no one in the world that’s under as much pressure as a California farmer to change the way we do things,” Wylie says.

Because of that, he believes farmers must take the lead in finding workable solutions.

“We need to figure this out,” he says. “And I want to figure it out before the government gets involved and tries to tell me how to do it.”

Government incentive programs exist, but Wylie believes the real challenge is making soil health practices economically viable.

“They can offer me some incentives,” he says. “We have healthy soils out here. They give you a little compost and cover crop seed.”

Ultimately, though, growers need systems that work on their own.

“We need to figure this out and we need to make it economical and profitable before the state comes in,” Wylie says.

Because once regulations remove certain tools, farmers may have little room to adapt.

“Now you’re forced to figure it out with your back against the wall,” he says. “We don’t want that.”

For Wylie, the answer may lie beneath the soil surface where billions of microbes, fueled by algae, could quietly reshape how California farms grow their crops. And by doing so now, Wylie hopes he’s able to find ways to continue to grow productive crops in California, despite increased regulations.

Ojai Pixies Build on 25% Growth as Late-Season Citrus Window Opens

Thu, 05 Mar 2026 21:03:23 GMT

As retailers transition into the late-season citrus window, Melissa’s Produce begins shipping 2026 Ojai Pixie tangerines in early March, positioning the program to extend category momentum into spring.

According to Melissa’s, Pixie tangerines delivered more than 25% sales growth in 2025 versus the prior year, outperforming the broader citrus category, which is up 17% year over year in the first quarter. The March through May availability window allows retailers to sustain citrus performance as early-season mandarins taper.

“Ojai Pixies aren’t just another tangerine,” says Robert Schueller, director of public relations for Melissa’s. “They’re seasonal, they’re grown in California by a small co-op of family farms, and the flavor is second to none. Retailers who highlight that story through our program assets tend to capture the strongest performance during the spring window.”

Grown by a small cooperative of family farms in California’s Ojai Valley, one of the few east-west-facing valleys in the world, Pixies benefit from extended daily sun exposure that supports sugar development and balanced flavor, Schueller says. The fruit is naturally seedless, low in acid, unwaxed and easy to peel, offering an exceptional eating experience.

The 2026 crop is forecast to be lighter due to the variety’s natural alternate bearing cycle, with strength in larger sizes early in the season. Due to warmer winter conditions, some early shipments may show more external green coloration. Melissa’s notes that peel color is cosmetic and not indicative of internal maturity. Eating quality remains strong, and the company says it is working closely with grower partners to manage grading and supply.

Ojai Pixies are available March through May, offering retailers a defined seasonal citrus program during spring resets and holiday promotions. Recommended merchandising strategies include bulk displays supported by high-graphic grower bins and 1-pound grab-and-go totes that support e-commerce and convenience shoppers.

Florida Growers Face a Lingering Impact After Heartbreaking 12-Hour Freeze

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 22:04:21 GMT

There’s no question that Florida’s specialty crops were impacted by a late January, early February freeze, but the severity of the damage depends both on the crop and the location.

Philip Harmon, professor of plant pathology and extension specialist with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, describes the damage he’s seen from the state’s blueberry growers as “devastating.”

“Growing fruits and vegetables in Florida is a challenging career to take,” he says.

But one thing Harmon knows about the state’s blueberry growers is that no matter the challenge, these growers will replant.

“The consistent human side of this is that these guys are resilient,” he says. “They’re super hardworking, and they are not the kind of people to give up.”

A Year of Income Lost in One Night

Harmon, located in Gainesville, Fla., says the damage varies across the state and by variety. He’s seen damage on young blueberry plantings and plantings 20 years or older, all hit by the storm.

While growers were as prepared as they could be for freeze damage, which is common during the blueberry season, this year brought a perfect storm of conditions that lead to the loss.

“It was extreme, and I’d like to believe that this is a one-off sort of thing that we might not see again so soon,” Harmon says. “Just because it was so weird in how it materialized and how it swung from record highs in mid-January to these record lows in the first week of February.”

He says that dramatic shift was the real kicker.

“This was a stack back against them with this storm of the generation,” he says. “It’s really something that we hadn’t seen and couldn’t really plan for, because it’s not something that was expected or that was within our lexicon of what was even possible prior to this.”

Harmon says it’s a tough loss for growers because even those who were ready and had contingency plans were still impacted.

“The real heartbreaker of this story is that, with the wind, with the perfect storm of conditions, not even our best and most prepared growers come out unscathed,” he says. “They have tremendous losses. And in fact, some of the best growers are seeing some of the most severe losses. So, this is an inequality of effort to outcome. … They’re devastated by this loss, because they literally put 364 days into this crop and lost it in 12 hours of cold temperatures and blowing wind; their entire year’s worth of income went up in smoke.”

Harmon says growers’ attention now turns to crop insurance, disaster relief and other federal programs that could help them rebuild.

“It’s an injustice, because the hard work here that these folks do day to day to make a crop for us, to produce food for us that didn’t pay out, and it wasn’t any fault of their own,” he says. “That’s the real kind of heartbreaker for me to see these guys very resilient — and they will come back — but discouraged by this event and uncertain about how they’re going to be able to navigate the potential resources available to them to try to keep their enterprises afloat, and try to make their farms whole again and be able to produce a crop next year.”

Growers have a good mix of varieties to balance out the ebbs and flows within production, but unfortunately, this storm was a great equalizer.

“Our growers do a better job than most of building that into the system and protection by hedging their bets, so to speak,” Harmon says. “This year, nobody won this game.”

Greening and Cold Converge to Put New Stress on Florida Citrus

“It’s kind of a mixed bag,” says Tripti Vashisth, an associate professor of horticultural sciences and a citrus Extension specialist with UF/IFAS, in assessing how the state’s citrus growers fared.

“It depends where you are in the state, and even within that location where you were, if your groves were more low-lying, the cold stayed there longer, and the temperature got really low,” she explains.

Some areas lost flower buds and leaves due to the cold and wind. While wind caused some fruit drop, Vashisth, located in Lake Alfred, Fla., says there likely will be fruit drop, too, in the coming weeks. Some fruit froze, which will affect quality.

Trees already stressed with citrus greening disease will likely have more stress.

“These trees were already struggling; they did not have a whole lot of leaves on them,” Vashisth says. “Canopies are often thin on these trees with not a whole lot of fruit. Now with freeze, we will be losing more leaves, so now the tree would have to spend more resources in making leaves.”

Because these canopies were thinner in trees with greening, there will be more damage.

“On the bigger trees. If they had a more fuller canopy, they would have more biomass to insulate from the freeze,” she says. “But now these are thinner canopies, so they are more exposed to the low temperatures too.”

That’s added to the stress these trees face fighting the citrus greening pathogen, which means it will take longer for damaged trees to recover, Vashisth says. The real challenge, she adds, is growers are not just farming this year’s crop but also helping the tree set buds for next year.

“Investing in tree health will go a longer way,” Vashisth says. “The dilemma that growers are in: They are paid for the fruit, not for the leaves, so it becomes very difficult to see the benefit in the short term, and they have to make these hard decisions based on economics. But as a researcher in horticulture, the recommendation would be, again, help the tree in recovering from these damages, and hopefully if you have a healthier tree, we can have better-quality fruit and more fruit in subsequent years.”

Mark Ritenour, professor of postharvest technology with UF/IFAS, says growers typically try to harvest citrus fruit before the end of December to avoid cold damage, but some still have fruit on trees going into January.

Ritenour, stationed in Fort Pierce, Fla., says he can’t remember the last time a storm hit the state as it did.

“This has been a unique one for us, though,” he says. “I can’t remember the time when it got this cold down here for this long, so it’s been quite a while since I’ve been here.”

He says he suspects there will be postharvest damage from this storm, however, it’s going to be a few weeks before the true extent is seen. Fruit that suffers freeze damage typically will have vesicles that have dried out and will be lighter.

Fruit damage from radiation freezes — cold-weather events that can happen in calm and clear weather — show up at the top of the fruit, but cold damage from windy weather shows up differently.

“It was more windy this time,” he says. “You’re going to get the freezing occurring mostly initially on the wind-exposed side of the fruit.”

Ritenour also notes that trees infected with citrus greening would have thinner canopies that could shield the fruit from damage. He adds that he’s heard fruit grown under citrus protection screens “look like they’re doing pretty good.”

To understand the full extent of freeze damage on fruit, growers often have to wait for the fruit to drop in the grove. However, thanks to modern technology, assessing freeze damage in the packinghouse has gotten much easier.

“We have optical and vision and weight-grading systems in the packinghouse, and we can separate it out that way,” Ritenour says. “We can use our vision and weight-grading systems now to determine density and remove fruit that way, but it has to dry out some before we can really tell.”

Damage from the recent storm is shown on mature fruit.

(Photo courtesy of Wael Elwakil)

Strawberries Enter a Wait-and-See Recovery

The state’s strawberry growers used overhead sprinkler irrigation to prevent the plants from suffering too much from a hard freeze, but they still suffered some damage, says Wael Elwakil, Extension agent in fruit and vegetable production with UF/IFAS in Hillsborough County.

“The damage to the immature fruit and flowers will continue to unfold until mid-February,” he says. “Generally, it takes approximately three weeks for a new flower to become ready to harvest fruit, depending on the weather and crop management.”

He says strawberry growers have reported between 20% to 60% losses during the week following the freeze.

“There were some extreme situations where reported losses reached up to 70% or more with certain varieties or freeze protection failures due to the storm,” he says.

Joe Klick, associate vice president of product management at Naturipe Farms, says a bright spot was for growers who used row covers.

“Some growers do have fruit under tunnels, and they believe a higher percentage of that crop was able to be protected and saved,” he says. “We are still working closely with our growers to fully assess the extent of the damage.”

Klick says for many growers, it’s a wait-and-see period to understand how each variety will come through the cold snap.

“Weather is always one of the biggest variables in farming, and as much as we would love to be able to control Mother Nature, we simply cannot,” he says.

Elwakil says growers must now focus on managing disease issues, along with the added moisture and wind damage, to help plants recover.

“Growers are resilient and trying to stay positive and powering through,” he says. “They look forward and quickly adapt to adjust to market needs and current production volumes.”

Nick Wishnatzki, public relations director for Wish Farms, says the storm caused some growers to discard damaged fruit, with most losing between 10% to 20% of blooms.

“Growers in the Plant City/Dover area experienced a more significant impact, largely due to strong winds that accompanied the freeze,” he says. “Farms farther south reported comparatively lighter damage.”

But production is already rebounding with warmer weather, Wishnatzki says.

“The bloom losses from the freeze mean that volumes in late February and early March may fall below levels typical of previous seasons,” he says. “Fortunately, the cold’s impact is limited to volume issues specifically; fruit quality and flavor remain exceptional, and we expect that to continue.”

And Elwakil says that oftentimes after storms like the one the state’s growers just experienced, the market is more challenging than the storm itself.

“Support Florida farmers by purchasing Florida produce,” he says.

How Frieda’s Winter Citrus is Winning the Produce Aisle

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 17:30:19 GMT

With the winter citrus season in full swing, MarthaStewart.com is keeping the category in the spotlight. Frieda’s Branded Produce says it is empowering retailers to seize this momentum, offering a curated selection of snackable, high-flavor varieties that align perfectly with today’s consumer wellness and budgeting priorities.

Whether it’s the availability brought on by the winter season, a desire for immune-boosting foods rich in vitamin C or healthier eating brought on by a “new year, new me” resolution, winter is when consumer appetite for citrus is at its peak, says Frieda’s, adding that its winter citrus program delivers everything that shoppers want most right now, including easy snacking, everyday wellness and real value.

In a recent seasonal produce roundup for MarthaStewart.com, Frieda’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing Alex Jackson notes that “January is prime California citrus season,” with the best-tasting varieties showing up as winter settles in. Frieda’s says its program is proof, touting a lineup of specialty citrus, including mandarinquats, limequats, calamondins, Tahitian pummelos, meyer lemons and pink lemons that are available now. Most recently back in season in the lineup are Lemonade Lemons and Popjoys kumquats.

Circana’s Fresh Produce Category report for 2026 indicates that the brands positioned to lead will innovate around convenience, health and affordability. Fresh fruit is expected to outpace overall produce growth, with high demand for snack-sized options and unique varieties.

Frieda’s says its winter citrus program enables retailers to design a practical set that’s tailored to how people are shopping this year:

Grab-and-go snacking — With sweet, edible rinds and tart, juicy flesh, Popjoys kumquats, mandarinquats, limequats and calamondins give shoppers a refreshing, portion-friendly citrus option for lunchboxes, desk snacks and quick cravings.
Extra zest for everyday eating — Meyer, pink and soon-to-arrive Lemonade lemons fit into cooking, baking and beverages. They also support post-New Year’s wellness routines with vitamin C, antioxidants and heart-healthy flavonoids.
Nature’s answer to the sour-tart-sweet trend — Consumers can’t get enough sour-tart-sweet candies, drinks and fruits like Frieda’s line of poppable quats. Consumer favorites like mandarinquats, limequats and Popjoys kumquats demonstrate that nature’s candy will not be outdone.
Must-try cart stoppers that keep produce departments interesting — Tahitian pummelos bring size, a lemon-lime flavor with hints of melon plus trial-driving novelty to winter citrus displays.

Seasonal buzz is key, but Frieda’s says its winter citrus program is also backed by measurable brand performance.

Frieda’s meyer lemons are outpacing growth in the total lemon category and leading branded meyer-lemon growth.
Frieda’s citrus growth is ahead of category growth, year over year, with 9.4% unit growth compared to 6.2% for the category.
Frieda’s Popjoys are more than 15% less expensive than the next leading competitor based on price per unit, delivering strong value and keeping specialty citrus in reach to more customers.

Frieda’s says with its winter citrus lineup, retailers can build a set that is right for the season and right for the shopper.

In a Tight Labor Market, Bee Sweet Citrus Appeals to Potential Employees

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 02:12:41 GMT

When it comes to citrus marketing, reaching out to consumers isn’t the only issue facing the citrus industry.

Bee Sweet Citrus, a California-based shipper of California- and Chile-grown citrus, recently launched a new commercial campaign on Telemundo in local Central Valley markets that highlights its job opportunities and the stories of its workforce.

“While it’s important to market our variety line to our customers and social media following, Bee Sweet Citrus believes it’s equally important to share the stories of our workforce with the public,” Monique Mueller, Bee Sweet’s director of communications, tells The Packer.

“Every employee within our workforce plays an integral part in growing and processing our fruit,” adds Jasmine Reynozo, Bee Sweet’s director of human resources. “Cumulatively, the work they do allows us to ship high-quality citrus, and without a strong team, the quality of our fruit would decline.”

The pair of 30-second commercials are running now through April. They highlight the employment success stories of Laura Torres and Francisco Robles Avalos.

Laura Torres, who helps run Bee Sweet Citrus’ mandarin line as one of its leading production managers, is featured in one of the company’s 30-second commercials highlighting the success of its employees.

(Photo courtesy of Bee Sweet Citrus)

“Francisco has been working at Bee Sweet Citrus for over 30 years, met his wife here, and we’ve also just hired his son as a mechanic,” Reynozo says in the company’s announcement of the segments.

“Laura started her journey as an intern and now helps to run our mandarin line as one of our leading production managers,” Reynozo says. “These are the experiences that so many of our employees share and represent Bee Sweet Citrus as a whole.”

Mueller tells The Packer that, while Bee Sweet has frequently featured stories of its employees on social media and its job opportunities in the Central Valley, this is the first time the company has used television.

“Internally, our employees feel a sense of pride when they’re recognized for their work, and externally, the public is able to get a better understanding of the work that goes into growing, packing and shipping their favorite citrus products,” Mueller says.

How Retail Collaboration and Supply Strategies Drive Citrus Marketing Success

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 20:33:42 GMT

With the U.S. in the middle of its winter citrus season, season, recent weather issues have complicated long-running labor, water and import pressure challenges on the supply side, but there’s a lot to celebrate and anticipate on the marketing side.

Citrus demand has been growing recently; most of the familiar citrus varieties rank in consumers’ top 10 most purchased fruits, and the vitamin-C-heavy citrus offerings are well positioned to meet consumers’ growing interest in healthy, nutrient-dense foods.

Marketing in this mature fruit segment has its challenges, but experts on both the supplier and retailer sides stress the importance of product differentiation, point-of-sale information and collaborative strategies to increase citrus demand.

Supply-side Challenges

You can’t market what you don’t have, so supply-side issues play into citrus marketing even if the consumer knows nothing about it.

Dave Rooke, senior vice president of sales for Wonderful Citrus, highlights supply chain volatility as an overarching challenge for the citrus industry, pointing to the ongoing issues of rising costs of
labor, water and inputs. However, part of the most immediate issues facing the winter citrus crop has been the weather.

“We’ve had significant weather challenges in the month of December with foggy weather in the valley for four weeks,” Rooke said Jan. 7.

Fog has contributed to low temperature differentials, with both highs and lows being in the 40s. This, combined with a lot of rain, has made it challenging, he says.

“Then you add rain to the fog, and it just makes it very, very difficult from a supply standpoint,” he adds.

But it’s not just weather that’s challenging the supply side. Vince Mazzetti, vice president of Blue Banner Citrus — a Riverside, Calif.-based grower-packer-shipper of California citrus — adds import pressure to the list of challenges facing his company, which deals heavily with grapefruit.

“We get a lot of pressure from imports from Mexico, Chile, Argentina, South Africa,” he explains of California grapefruit.

Increasing import pressure on domestic citrus producers is a growing issue . According to the USDA’s Economic Research Service’s Fruit and Tree Nuts Yearbook records on trade, in 2023 (the most recent complete data) imported grapefruit made up 11.4% of the domestic supply, with the largest volumes coming from South Africa. This was down from 16% in 2022 but up considerably from 2% to 5% that predominated from the early 2000s.

In general, imports are growing as a proportion of available citrus in the U.S. For example, in 2013, 9.35% of available fresh oranges in the U.S. were imported, while in 2023 the number was 17.96%. Similarly, imported lemons represented just under 9% of total lemon availability
in the U.S. in 2013, compared to 22.74% in 2023.

Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing for Sunkist Growers Inc., highlights the growth of citrus imports as an interesting trend among consumers who voice strong support for local produce. She says the trend reinforces “that when shoppers find something they enjoy, they are looking to consume it all year-round.”

(Photo: siewwy84, Adobe Stock)

Consumers Love Citrus and Its Health Benefits

On the demand side, the citrus industry today has much to celebrate. Noting that the past two months have been a bit
chaotic due to recent weather issues, Rooke reports that last year was good with demand for citrus overall being up.

“The citrus industry as a whole was up between about 5% to 6%, which is positive,” he says, adding that citrus overall is “a health-first product,” something that is increasingly of interest to consumers.

Dennis Payne, director of merchandising produce and floral for Greensboro, N.C.-based grocery chain The Fresh Market, says health is front of mind for shoppers, especially early in the year when the domestic citrus season is in full swing.

“During this time, we consistently see an increase in demand driven by healthy eating goals and consumers seeking the nutritional benefits of citrus, particularly during the winter months and flu season,” Payne says.

According to The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2026 report, 55% of respondents said they are eating more fruit now compared to two years ago. Those respondents overwhelmingly reported health concerns and seeking more nutrients as the top reason, at 77%.

Additionally, most citrus varieties perform well with surveyed consumers. For example, oranges were the No. 6 most purchased fruit, with 77% of respondents reporting such a purchase in the past 12 months. Lemons came in at a close No. 7, with 76% of respondents saying they bought lemons. Limes were No. 9, with 66% of respondents indicating a purchase.

Rates of reported purchases dropped off with other varieties, with 61% of respondents reporting clementine or mandarin purchases in the past 12 months, for example. Grapefruit saw the lowest rate of reported citrus purchases at only 40%. Still, these reported purchase rates are higher than in past Fresh Trends surveys.

Every citrus category also showed higher rates of reported purchase among younger respondents (Gen Z and millennials) than with older consumers (Gen X, baby boomers and traditionalists) in the Fresh Trends 2026 report. For example, 85% of Gen Z respondents reported buying oranges, compared to only 66% of baby boomers. Similarly, 52% of millennials reported buying grapefruit, compared to only 25% of traditionalists.

Product Differentiation and Consumer Education are Key

While citrus remains popular among consumers, and especially younger consumers, marketing citrus is not without its challenges today. For instance, price can be a marketing problem for citrus in the current economic environment, according to Howard, but she is optimistic.

“What’s interesting is that even as many shoppers feel price-stressed, particularly younger consumers, they are still willing to trade up when the value proposition is clear,” she says.

“The opportunity lies in the fact that produce remains a strong value proposition overall, and citrus has a unique ability to deliver nutrition, versatility and familiarity at a price point consumers still trust. When brands and retailers clearly communicate quality, flavor and usage, citrus can win both trial and repeat purchases — even in a cautious-spending environment.”

Differentiation can also be a marketing issue. During citrus import season, generally summer through early fall for all citrus but limes, Payne says citrus faces stiff competition from stone fruit and apples.

“During this time, it’s critical for The Fresh Market to differentiate citrus by sourcing the best-quality fruit globally and clearly communicating that value to customers,” Payne says. “Strategic merchandising, compelling storytelling around origin and flavor, and targeted promotions can help citrus stand out and maintain consumer interest during highly competitive seasonal transitions.”

Consumer education on varieties is another key challenge that plays into differentiation, Rooke says.

“If a consumer doesn’t know that lemons can be seedless, then they don’t go and ask for them,” he offers as an example, referencing Wonderful Citrus’ seedless lemons. “So, it’s this idea of educating consumers to know what’s available and know what they should even begin to ask for.”

Rooke also gives the example of navel oranges versus mandarins as it relates to health messaging.

“Naval oranges have been around forever in the U.S. Mandarins haven’t been. So, how do we continue to educate consumers that mandarins can be every bit as healthy and packed with vitamin C as the navel orange that everyone grew up with eating?” he asks, adding that he’s often surprised navels are still being sold when compared to the convenience of mandarins.

“If you look at retail price per pound, the price per pound is actually not that different, and so it becomes, ‘what separates that from a consumer standpoint?’” he says.

Grapefruit

(Photo: akepong srichaichana, Adobe Stock)

Focus on Grapefruit Education

Mazzetti also highlights the need for consumer education, particularly when it comes to grapefruit.

“There’s a huge challenge with grapefruit, as it hasn’t really been promoted a lot the last 10, 15 years,” he says.

He says the lack of familiarity with grapefruit among younger consumers is a challenge, but one about which he is quite optimistic. He shares a personal anecdote about bringing grapefruit as part of a rotating class snack system at his oldest son’s elementary school a couple of years ago.

“And for about three weeks, I’d go pick up my kids at school … and I had all these parents coming to me asking, ‘Where do we get this grapefruit? Little Cindy, little Johnny, little Timmy, they all came home screaming that they had this grapefruit at school and they love it,’” Mazzetti recalls.

“If you can get kids to want it, our problems are solved,” he adds.

Rooke also reports that Wonderful
Citrus has also rebranded its Texas grapefruit program, historically known as Sweet Scarlets, in an effort to stand out and differentiate the product.

“We’ve renamed it Sweet Grapefruit, really to highlight the product offering and try to capture a consumer that maybe doesn’t historically interact with grapefruit,” he says.

Direct Consumer Engagement in Stores is a Winning Strategy

Blue Banner Citrus, which just recently parted from Sunkist, now finds itself in the exciting but challenging position of marketing its grapefruit how it wants. Mazzetti says the company is excited to do point-of-sale and direct-to-consumer marketing strategies, such as tastings in stores as an independent packer-shipper.

“At the right time of year, with the right box of grapefruit, we can really do some good promotion on California grapefruit,” Mazzetti says.

According to the Fresh Trends 2026 report, 34% of respondents said sampling would make them more likely to purchase a new produce item or more of a certain familiar item. This reporting rate was equal with “tried it at a restaurant” and just behind the most popular factor, “word of mouth,” at 39%.

Rooke also notes the value of POS information and accessories like bin bases. He says Wonderful has had success with having citrus items outside of the produce section along with special, smaller bins with interchangeable header cards. He gives the example of having these small hexagonal bins of the seedless lemons
in the seafood section, with the header card showing a piece of salmon, as having good results.

“We need to make sure that we continue to have multiple points of offering of the products to a consumer,” he says. “Sometimes it’s maybe not on their list, and we want to make sure that they’re reminded of it, and having those different points of differentiation is important.”

According to Fresh Trends 2026, respondents preferred produce information be close to or on the produce itself when they purchase it. A quarter of respondents listed in-store signage as the most important source for information about that produce, including origin, preparation and proper storage and recipe tips. Another quarter of respondents listed produce packaging as the most important.

Other options, which saw much lower importance ratings from respondents, were growers’ or retailers’ websites, social media and news outlets.

But strategies like tastings, special POS materials and distribution throughout the store take considerable effort and good relations with retailers. Speaking from The Fresh Market’s perspective, Payne notes the most effective of these efforts are built through direct collaboration with growers with customers in mind.

“When POS, tastings and cross-merchandising are thoughtfully executed, they enhance the shopping experience and help bring the citrus story to life,” he says, adding that since each retailer operates differently, a one-size-fits-all strategy is rarely effective.

“Citrus suppliers can make these efforts easier and more appealing by developing customized programs tailored to each retailer’s brand, customer base and operational capabilities. Flexibility, simplicity of execution and clear value to both store teams and shoppers go a long way in building strong, successful partnerships.”

Driving Demand for the Future

Partnerships and cross-industry collaboration are also needed when it comes to growing citrus demand overall, according to sources. Rooke says that starts with growers and suppliers putting the best-quality citrus in the market, day in and day out.

“When we look to put something that’s inferior from a quality standpoint, it doesn’t help any citrus grower, shipper or packer,” he says. “So, learning to have that discipline is one of the key things that citrus growers as a whole need to do broadly.”

Also citing quality concerns, in part, Mazzetti calls for greater protection of the domestic citrus industry.

“We should probably get some heavier tariffs on these offshore companies because it’s killing domestic farmers,” Mazzetti says. “You can get fruit from all these other countries, and maybe the quality is as good or not, but a lot of people buy it with their wallet, especially on an item that’s not a staple. Lemons might be a staple because of foodservice, but citrus in general is a luxury.”

Howard also stresses the value of the fruit itself and expands on what value can mean.

“To grow citrus consumption, the industry needs to make citrus easy, dependable and relevant in everyday routines,” she says. “A consistent eating experience is foundational, but convenience, pack formats and the use of inspiration are increasingly important.”

Howard, along with other sources, also emphasizes the importance of quality communication strategies to growing citrus demand. For example, while acknowledging citrus-growing states have their own state-level citrus groups, Mazzetti recommends the formation of a citrus
industrywide promotional board. Currently, Texas and Florida have federal marketing committees for their produce industry, but there is
no nationwide group .

“I think, collectively, someone’s got to lead this charge to promote U.S. citrus and the seasonality of it and the uniqueness of what we have,” he says.

Payne echoes the sentiment, if not in exact terms: “The citrus industry and retailers should collaborate on a comprehensive, multichannel marketing strategy designed to drive consumption. By aligning messaging across all media platforms and clearly communicating citrus health benefits, flavor profiles and usage occasions, we can strengthen consumer engagement, expand demand and maximize category growth.”

Howard voices optimism on the future for citrus, even in light of spending-cautious consumers.

“Looking ahead over the next five years, we believe citrus has a strong opportunity to grow alongside broader produce trends, especially as health, wellness and fresh food remain priorities for consumers,” she says. “The brands and categories that succeed will be those that build trust through quality, adapt to where consumers shop and evolve their messaging to stay relevant with the next generation of shoppers.”

Sunkist Introduces ‘Year of the Horse’ Lunar New Year Packaging

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 17:58:55 GMT

Sunkist Growers is celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year with the introduction of its Year of the Horse limited-edition packaging program, part of Sunkist’s annual Lunar New Year initiative, which evolves each year to reflect the zodiac animal and cultural traditions observed around the world.

The global program is designed to help retailers bring seasonal relevance and cultural storytelling to the citrus category during the Lunar New Year period, according to a news release.

The program features custom-illustrated 10-pound cartons designed specifically for Sunkist Navel and Cara Cara oranges, along with Lunar New Year-themed display bins that offer flexibility across citrus varieties. Celebrated this year on Feb. 17, Lunar New Year is traditionally associated with prosperity and good fortune, with citrus commonly gifted as a symbol of abundance and well wishes, making it a natural centerpiece for seasonal displays and gifting.

“As Lunar New Year coincides with the start of the calendar year, retailers have an opportunity to connect cultural tradition with how shoppers are thinking about food, family and fresh routines,” says Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing for Sunkist Growers. “Our Year of the Horse program is designed to make that easy, combining eye-catching packaging with flexible merchandising options that help elevate citrus during an important seasonal moment.”

In addition to the limited-edition orange cartons, the program allows retailers to expand Lunar New Year sets through open display bins that can accommodate a range of citrus offerings. Lemons continue to play an important role as shoppers enter the new year, focused on at-home cooking and everyday versatility, while larger fruit options, such as pummelos, offer a bold visual presence perfect for Lunar New Year–themed displays.

Retailers are increasingly leaning into visually impactful citrus items during key promotional windows, particularly varieties that make a strong shelf presence, the company says. In recent promotional periods, pummelos have shown strong shopper engagement when supported with in-store activity, reinforcing their role as a bold citrus option well-suited for seasonal merchandising moments like Lunar New Year.

“The strength of Lunar New Year merchandising is its flexibility,” Howard says. “Whether retailers choose to anchor their displays with limited-edition orange cartons, build out larger themed bins or complement the set with everyday citrus staples like lemons, these programs are designed to support both celebration and repeat purchase.”

Sunkist’s Lunar New Year–themed packaging and display materials are available now. Retailers are encouraged to contact their local Sunkist sales representative to bring citrus, and the spirit of prosperity and good fortune, to stores today.

More Orange County Acres added to California's HLB Quarantine

Tue, 30 Dec 2025 23:17:30 GMT

The California Department of Food and Agriculture expanded the state’s huanglongbing, HLB, or citrus greening quarantine boundary in the San Juan Capistrano area of Orange County.

The new areas are found in grids 483 and 484 of the quarantine map.

CDFA says this boundary expansion also includes the agency’s Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6 to reflect the new quarantine boundary.

This expansion follows additional acres in the past few months:

For specific changes to the quarantined areas in California, visit the APHIS Citrus Greening web page .

Commodity-Specific Trade War Battles to Watch for in 2026

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 20:12:01 GMT

While larger-scale trade battles dominated national headlines, different fresh produce commodities had their own trade fights to pick. The Packer covered these in detail in 2025, and it is almost certain that the ongoing issues will hit headlines in 2026 as well.

For example, The Tomato Suspension Agreement was one of the biggest examples of a commodity-specific trade fight to grace the headlines. In late November, a source told The Packer’s Christina Herrick that U.S. tomato growers might not see the impact of the termination of the Tomato Suspension Agreement until the January 2026 crop and beyond into spring.

Coverage of the tumultuous trade fight in 2025 started in summer when Herrick sat down with Robert Guenther , executive vice president for the Florida Tomato Exchange, as the agreement neared the end of its 90-day implementation period.

“For decades, Mexican exporters have dumped tomatoes into the U.S. market below their cost of production, by margins as high as 273%, which are injuring American tomato farmers,” Guenther said.

“The 2019 Suspension Agreement and the previous four suspension agreements were supposed to stop this,” he continued. “Instead, it became a shield for repeated violations. It failed in its basic purposes: to shield U.S. tomato producers from dumped Mexican tomatoes and to ensure fair trade as required by U.S. law.”

Later, in mid-July, when the U.S. Department of Commerce ended the Tomato Suspension Agreement and imposed a 17% tariff on most imports of Mexican tomatoes, the reaction from the fresh produce industry was pronounced and deeply divided. Herrick and The Packer’s Jennifer Strailey covered the controversy’s sides .

On the one hand, Florida claimed victory. The Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association and the Florida Tomato Exchange called the end of the agreement a victory for U.S. tomato growers and a positive movement “toward fairer competition, not only for tomato growers but for all specialty crop producers nationwide.”

On the other hand, the controlled-environment agriculture industry was “deeply disappointed,” by the move.

“Because most high-value greenhouse growers farm in Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, the termination of this agreement will cause significant damage to these growers, serving as a financial barrier to new investment in U.S. greenhouses,” the CEA Alliance said.

But the situation with tomato prices, tomato trade, and prices is a nuanced one. Because they are such a staple to U.S. consumers, and supplies are dependent on Mexican-grown tomatoes, the situation begged the question: Are tomatoes poised for an eggs moment?

Other commodities faced trade threats and dumping issues

Tomatoes weren’t the only commodity to see trade war battles in 2025 that will likely continue in 2026.

For example, in mid-September, Herrick covered the growing fight over mushrooms . A group of U.S. mushroom growers accused Canadian growers of dumping mushrooms in the U.S. market below the price of production.

“These practices have resulted in significant negative impacts on U.S. mushroom growers and packers, including lost sales, depressed prices and declining profitability,” they said.

Herrick reported the trade situation between the two countries is more than a symbiotic relationship, however. Canada supplies almost all of the peat moss substrate for U.S. growers, and the U.S. supplies most of Canadian growers’ mushroom spawn, for instance.

According to the U.S. International Trade Commission , the case will extend into 2026 due in part to the government shutdown’s impact on its operation late in the year.

California’s citrus industry also found itself at the center of a pitched trade battle in 2025 as well. As Strailey reported in early October , the Golden State’s citrus growers found themselves pressured by imports exceeding exports, pest and disease threats, and tariff pains from China.

Long a desired destination for California citrus exports, China answered President Donald Trump’s first term tariff threats seriously.

“China took retaliatory measures and increased tariffs substantially,” said California Citrus Quality Council President Jim Cranney. “And since then, we’ve been operating with tariffs that are in a neighborhood of about 46%.”

The tariff fight with China looks like it will be an on-going issue in 2026. As will the question of Argentinian dumping of lemons and limes with the shifts in reciprocal tariffs on the country, among others.

Sicar Farms Highlights Winter Citrus Program

Wed, 17 Dec 2025 20:08:11 GMT

Lime importer Sicar Farms says it has transitioned to its winter crop, which complements its year-round supply, adding that it is primed to help retailers support citrus promotions around health and wellness at the beginning of the new year.

“Our limes deliver exceptional nutrition and flavor. Citrus is naturally rich in vitamin C, which supports immunity, skin health, and energy. At the same time, our farming practices ensure we grow high-quality fruit with respect for the environment,” says Luis Gudino, SiCar Farms CEO.

Sicar Farms has also expanded operations into Florida, which it says helps support retailers and foodservice customers across the Northeast. This expansion significantly reduces transit times, allowing limes to reach retail and foodservice partners quicker, resulting in improved freshness, extended shelf life and superior overall quality for consumers, according to the company.

Sicar Farms says it sources its limes from regions with favorable climates that support strong yields and good fruit quality, which helps reinforce its commitment to sustainability while consistently delivering fresh, flavorful limes to market.

And that helps tie back into consumer demand for flavorful and functional fruits.

“Today’s consumers want more than great flavor; they’re looking for foods and beverages that support overall wellness and help boost their vitamin C intake,” Gudino says.

Sun Pacific Launches New ‘Irresistibly Cute’ Marketing Campaign for Cuties

Fri, 12 Dec 2025 19:34:13 GMT

Sun Pacific , a California grower, packer and shipper of fresh citrus, kiwifruit and table grapes, has launched a new marketing campaign for its Cuties-brand mandarins. Sun Pacific says Cuties, first launched in 2002, helped define the mandarin category and introduced millions of shoppers to the seedless citrus. The company says its new marketing campaign celebrates Cuties’ role in fueling demand for the mandarin category.

This “Irresistibly Cute” marketing campaign will celebrate what makes Cuties a trusted staple for families.

“This season we’re launching a campaign that is unapologetically and irresistibly cute,” says Sarah Deaton, director of marketing at Sun Pacific. “No other brand owns cuteness like Cuties does. We’re serving up smiles with a side of vitamin C, and we’re not toning the cuteness down for anyone.”

Sun Pacific says its new “wow” displays will help retailers prominently showcase Cuties in stores.

“It was a record year for mandarins with nearly $1.8 billion in sales for the domestic season, and we look to continue the momentum this year,” Deaton says.

Sun Pacific notes that according to Circana data, Cuties is the fastest growing and largest mandarin brand in dollar sales by almost 10% over competitor brands. Additionally, Sun World says the Circana data shows Cuties is the best performing brand with higher average weekly dollars per stores selling, and it has the highest repeat purchases at 61% with more new consumers purchasing Cuties than all other brands combined.

Sun World has also refreshed the Cuties website to better support retailers. This website will align with the “Irresistably Cute” campaign and offer consumers wellness information, Cuties crafts, activities and content along with snacking ideas and recipes to keep shoppers engaged and to encourage new and repeat purchases at retail. Shoppers can join the Cuties Club for coupons and more to continue driving traffic to stores.

Sun World says this new campaign was inspired by the belief that even in stressful times, joy can be found in life’s sweet little pleasures.

“We’re on a mission to ‘cutify’ the world by inviting people to embrace positivity and playfulness every day. The brand naturally brings joy, comfort and even a bit of nostalgia for simpler, sweeter times,” Deaton says.

Sun World will roll out this new marketing campaign across digital advertising, social media, influencer marketing and in-store activations. This “Irresistibly Cute” campaign, Sun World says, encourages consumers to spread joy, share sweetness and see the world through a brighter, more playful lens.

Citrus Greening Named One of Farm Journal Foundation's “Mean 16” Biosecurity Threats

Wed, 10 Dec 2025 22:45:42 GMT

A newly released report from the Farm Journal Foundation (the farmer-centered, non-profit, nonpartisan organization created by Farm Journal, which owns The Packer) details the top 16 most significant pest and disease issues that U.S. growers face. Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), is prominently featured among the “Current Threats.”

HLB was first confirmed in the U.S. in 2005 in Miami-Dade County, Fla. The disease is caused by the Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus bacterium, which the Asian citrus psyllid vectors. The psyllid was first found in the U.S. in 1998, setting the stage for the outbreak.

This graphic from the Farm Journal Foundation’s “Mean 16" report shows the drop in citrus production, which incudes oranges, grapefruit, tangerine, and lemon/lime.

(Graphic courtesy of the Farm Journal Foundation)

In the two decades since the disease arrived in the Sunshine State, orange production has dropped from 244 million 90-pound boxes in 1998 to a projected 12 million boxes for the 2024-25 season — a nearly 95% reduction.

Citrus greening has since spread to Louisiana, South Carolina, Georgia, Texas, Alabama, Mississippi, Arizona and California.

Florida growers have battled compounding issues like devastating hurricanes, which could move the psyllid further along in the state. Hurricane Wilma (October 2005) caused $180 million in damage; Hurricane Irma (2017) caused nearly $760 million; Hurricane Ian (September 2022) hit 375,000 acres and caused about $675 million; and Hurricane Milton impacted 166,000 acres and caused about $55 million in damage.

The Farm Journal Foundation’s “Mean 16” list calls for greater public investment in agriculture research and development. ( Read the full report here. )

No Silver Bullet

The report notes that many of the crop pests on the list lack full and effective treatments. Researchers across the globe and country seek to provide both short- and long-term solutions to this devastating disease.

Tripti Vashisth, associate professor of horticultural sciences and citrus extension specialist with the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), says growers must manage irrigation, nutrition, plant-growth regulators, psyllid control and antibiotic injections for trees infected with citrus greening.

“For the growers, it becomes really challenging that they have to be on top of each of these things, because once the tree has an infection, it is not as forgiving as a healthy tree,” she says. “If you miss fertilization on a healthy tree, it’s way more forgiving, because it has the reserves to run on ... but when it is sick, it needs everything all the time. It has become cumbersome for the growers, and that’s their biggest challenge — that there is no silver bullet and there are many different things that they can do.”

Citrus greening-induced fruit drop is also problematic. Vashisth says prior to developing management strategies, growers could lose 40% to 50% of their crop due to fruit drop.

“After that research, now we have better tools for controlling fruit drop, and it is quite successful,” she continues. “There are two plant growth regulators that we can use to control fruit drop, and it works. The timing is the critical part of it.”

Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology and Extension specialist with UF/IFAS, says growers have a profound “mindset change” to manage the disease.

“They also had to sort of get their heads around going from that very gentle method of plant management to a much more aggressive, and that’s a very much a mindset change,” she says. “We’re talking about at the same time as a biological problem; we’re also talking about almost a sociological issue.”

Dewdney, who has been with UF/IFAS since 2008, says that while it looked like a rapid expansion across the state, she thinks it was likely a slower progression.

“One of the huge challenges with this disease is the fact that it is within the vascular system, but the fact that it can kind of hide there for a long time in an older, healthy tree,” she says. “So, a tree can look relatively healthy for three, four, five years before it starts to really succumb. And that whole time, if you’ve got psyllids around, they’re able to feed on it and potentially pick up the pathogen and move it along. And so, it’s sort of sitting there silently.”

While short-term management is crucial for survival, the long-term solution lies in research and development, a priority reinforced by the “Mean 16” report.

Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences with a focus on citrus and subtropical fruit breeding and genetics at UF/IFAS, says that thanks to modern technology fruit breeding — which used to be a 20-year process — is now closer to 10. And his main focus for the future of the industry is to develop HLB-resistant and -tolerant rootstock and varieties.

“Genetic resistance or genetic tolerance to HLB and other diseases remains the only long-term solution,” he says. “We need all those strategies to ensure that the grower is able to have a profitable crop in the short term, but the bottom line is you need to have tolerance and, if you get very lucky, resistance.”

To learn more about the University of Florida’s work on citrus greening, read “ How Florida Citrus is Fighting Back Against Greening Disease .”

How Florida Citrus is Fighting Back Against Greening Disease

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 20:43:11 GMT

It’s hard not to associate Florida citrus with the devastating citrus greening disease, also known as huanglongbing (HLB). In the 20-plus years the pathogen has been in the state, Florida’s orange production has dropped from 244 million 90-pound boxes in 1998 to 12 million boxes for the 2024-25 season.

While that nearly 95% reduction in orange production has had significant consequences, a team of researchers at the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences are learning more about HLB and its vector, the Asian citrus psyllid, to help growers combat the threat.

Citrus greening is a global issue, with Brazil now at the epicenter, having almost half of the country’s production impacted. The disease also runs rampant in Asia and Africa. As Tripti Vashisth, associate professor of horticultural sciences and citrus extension specialist with UF/IFAS, notes: The weather is similar to India, but growers in Florida have experienced much more significant loses.

“In my opinion, a lot has to do with the soil,” she says. “The soil in Florida, unfortunately, is sand, which has lower water-holding capacity, lower nutrient-holding capacity. But if you look in India, they have a heavy clay soil; so does China, Nepal and then even Brazil has a very-high-in-iron soil.”

Vashisth says along with soils that don’t hold moisture and nutrients, Florida growers have also faced significant damages from major hurricanes. Hurricane Wilma, which hit October 2005, shortly after greening was first detected, caused $180 million in damage; Hurricane Irma in 2017 caused nearly $760 million in damage; Hurricane Ian in September 2022 hit nearly 375,000 acres of citrus groves and caused about $675 million in damage; Hurricane Milton impacted 166,000 acres and caused about $55 million in damage.

“Once a hurricane hits, it’s just not that year, it’s [the] next couple of years that the trees are just getting back to the normal,” she says. “Milton is not isolated; we were still recovering from Ian, and it has been three hurricanes in six or seven years.”

Short-Term Solutions

As a horticulturalist, Vashisth focuses on what growers can do to help strengthen and create more resilient trees. She says growers have to manage irrigation, nutrition, plant-growth regulators, psyllid control and antibiotic injections; it’s a lot to balance.

“For the growers, it becomes really challenging that they have to be on top of each of these things, because once the tree has an infection, it is not as forgiving as a healthy tree,” she says. “If you miss fertilization on a healthy tree, it’s way more forgiving, because it has the reserves to run on ... but when it is sick, it needs everything all the time. It has become cumbersome for the growers, and that’s their biggest challenge — that there is no silver bullet and there are many different things that they can do.”

Vashisth says that when she started in 2014, it was believed that nothing could help the fruit drop associated with citrus greening, adding that growers can lose between 40% to 50% of their crop yearly due to fruit drop. However, she says she discovered growers applied plant growth regulators at the wrong time.

“After almost three years of research, we found that the signal that tells a fruit that it needs to drop arises almost three months before the actual drop happens,” she says. “So, you have to be applying those plant growth regulators three months before the physical fruit drop begins, which changes the complete scenario because most of the time people see the drop and then they want to apply, but that’s too late to apply.

“After that research, now we have better tools for controlling fruit drop, and it is quite successful,” she continues. “There are two plant growth regulators that we can use to control fruit drop, and it works. The timing is the critical part of it.”

Vashisth says she also looked into the application of gibberellic acid to help encourage leaf development in declining trees. A concern, though, is that encouraging a tree to develop leaves might take resources away from flower development and thus cause a reduction in fruit.

“We applied it, and we did see a reduction in flowering, but interestingly that doesn’t affect the yield of the tree,” she says. “In the end, we get the same amount of fruit. Basically, we reduce the number of flowers, we create more leaves. These leaves can now feed the fruit, and they have a better return.”

She says about 60% of the state’s citrus growers now use gibberellic acid.

“It’s not a silver bullet,” she says. “It’s just one more tool that can help the tree.”

Vashisth says Florida’s sandy soils make it difficult for trees to maintain the right nutrient balance. She says soil moisture levels are also critical for trees with citrus greening. She noticed the state’s dry season overlaps when valencia growers experience fruit drop, and it runs through flowering and fruit set for the next season. She says she found productivity improved by more than double when growers irrigate in small doses daily.

“Even though we are not applying more water, it’s more frequent,” Vashisth says. “The challenge here, from the grower point of view, is that I’m asking them to irrigate at least every day, even if they cannot do three times a day. I’m saying every day, and it takes human labor to turn on those pumps, get the irrigation going, and that’s a challenge.”

This is where she sees the potential for automatic systems and chemigation to help growers deploy gibberellic acid during months when growers aren’t using sprayers in November and December.

Vashisth says another challenge to research is that each citrus variety responds differently to HLB. Of the sweet orange varieties, hamlin is more susceptible than valencia. Murcott mandarins can drop up to 60% of its fruit if not managed properly. She says rootstock, too, has different responses to greening.

“Every variety has a different response, and it just depends on where they are grown,” she says. “Soil has a lot to do with how the trees respond. The same treatment at one place may result different have different results at different places.”

Vashisth decsribes her work with growers on improving tree health as a partnership, noting she’s trying to help growers manage groves with the best tools available. She says a major focus of her research going forward will be looking at abiotic stress and its impact on fruit quality.

“We are doing things that can be short-to-mid-term goals so we have something that can be adopted right away,” she says.

Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences with a focus on citrus and subtropical fruit breeding and genetics at UF/IFAS, has modified grapefruit citrus embryonic callus cells, which he says are similar to human stem cells, through conventional methods or using biotechnology to develop into new citrus plants with what he hopes is resistance to huanglongbing.

(Photo: Christina Herrick)

Whole System Disease

Megan Dewdney, associate professor of plant pathology and Extension specialist with UF/IFAS, says growers in Florida had been lucky up until the onset of citrus greening, as there weren’t many significant diseases or insects to manage. Going from changes in production and income to a different management technique was an adjustment, she says.

“They also had to sort of get their heads around going from that very gentle method of plant management to a much more aggressive, and that’s a very much a mindset change,” she says. “We’re talking about at the same time as a biological problem; we’re also talking about almost a sociological issue.”

Dewdney, who joined UF/IFAS in 2008, says while HLB looked like a rapid onset, she thinks it was a slower progression.

“It looked like it was explosive, but I suspect it was more of a gradual creep, but it was silent,” she says.

Dewdney says she works a lot with her entomological colleagues, as the Asian citrus psyllid is a vector of the disease. She says it’s important to understand as much about the insect and the pathogen.

“One of the huge challenges with this disease is the fact that it is within the vascular system, but the fact that it can kind of hide there for a long time in an older, healthy tree,” she says. “So, a tree can look relatively healthy for three, four, five years before it starts to really succumb. And that whole time, if you’ve got psyllids around, they’re able to feed on it and potentially pick up the pathogen and move it along. And so, it’s sort of sitting there silently.”

Dewdney says trees might not exhibit any symptoms or might just look off, so a grower might think it’s a fertilizer issue or something else other than greening. While a tree infected with HLB looks more stressed, other pathogens might cause additional issues. She says she sees more prevalence in twig dieback and stem end rot in trees infected with greening. While thought of as a postharvest disease, stem end rot now shows up in the field.

“When a weakened fruit starts to detach, it doesn’t fully detach,” she says. “Now you see these organisms going in, and you see the stem end rot on the tree instead of where you’d normally see it in the packinghouse, but that fruit is not heavy enough to drop, because it’s deficient.”

Dewdney says HLB has also complicated growers’ management of phytophthora. She says HLB-infected roots attract phytophthora zoospores. Also, systemic products for phytophthora management don’t work as well, she suspects, in part due to the tree’s weakened vascular system. Greening also affects flowering patterns, Dewdney says, noting that a branch or branches might flower early, which can allow a pathogen that causes post-bloom to build up inoculum.

“If you’re unlucky enough to have the right weather conditions at bloom, which is wet and wet and warm, you see explosive bloom, explosive disease in the field, because it’s been building up over spring on all these weakened trees,” she says. “This has the secondary effect that this disease [has], called post-bloom fruit drops. It makes the little fruitlets fall off, and then you don’t have any fruit this just before you even get to worrying about anything.”

She notes that growers often start young trees, which are very susceptible to HLB, under individual protective covers, or IPCs, which are mesh bags that protect the young citrus trees from pests. However, growers still need to be proactive with insect and disease control. An unprotected tree will die within a year, while an established citrus tree that gets infected at year eight or longer will have a slower decline.

Dewdney says that before the prevalence of citrus greening, it would take growers about seven years to get to a profitable production level.

“Now, I don’t know if it’s even if it’s that short anymore to get to profit, but the trees don’t necessarily last longer than three, four, five years,” she says. “It is a tree canopy disease because it absolutely decimates systems.”

Dewdney says she and a research team will look at trunk injections of oxytetracycline and its alternatives, as well as the optimal timing of applications for young trees.

“I don’t think we’ve seen too much that looks much better than the oxytetracycline so far,” she says. “There’s always hope that something a little less difficult to work with and less controversial.”

All the while, growers face tough decisions on whether to stay in the citrus business.

“We’re talking about family farms, businesses that have been in the families for multiple generations,” Dewdney says. “It’s just heartbreaking to watch this. I’ve had growers that are practically in tears on the phone with me, saying, ‘I don’t know how much longer I can go.’ That’s really hard to listen to. We’re not going to hang up on that poor person, because you know that they’re going through an absolute crisis.”

Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences UF/IFAS, says as a citrus breeder, he and his team deploy a combination of breeding techniques developed more than 200 years ago, with modern breeding strategies such as CRISPR and AI. Here, with some genetically modified citrus rootstocks with potential HLB resistance. "“It’s an exciting time to be a plant breeder, I think so, because there’s a huge potential in actually making a significant contribution to the field, given what you’ve seen with HLB,” he says.

(Photo: Christina Herrick)

A Look Ahead

While seedless membranes and flavor are obviously important, the ultimate goal is to have HLB-resistant cultivars and rootstock, says Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences with a focus on citrus and subtropical fruit breeding and genetics at UF/IFAS.

“Genetic resistance or genetic tolerance to HLB and other diseases remains the only long-term solution,” he says. “We need all those strategies to ensure that the grower is able to have a profitable crop in the short term, but the bottom line is you need to have tolerance and, if you get very lucky, resistance.”

Traditional breeding used to be a nearly 20-year process, but thanks to modern technology, Dutt says it’s closer to 10 years. A challenge to developing new cultivars is that sweet oranges and grapefruits have limited genetic diversity, which also limits genetic resistance.

In grapefruits, Dutt says he modifies citrus embryonic callus cells, which he says are similar to human stem cells, through conventional methods or using biotechnology. These then get placed in growing mediums with plant hormones to develop into new citrus plants.

“Using plant biotechnology, plant genetics, you can actually accelerate the process of hopefully trying to find that one needle in the haystack,” he says.

Wild strains could be a source of new genetic diversity, but they often have unpleasant tastes, so Dutt sees wild strains as a good source of resistant and tolerant rootstock. He says having both resistance and tolerance in the scion and the rootstock will be the best defense against citrus greening.

“We are screening large populations of seedlings to identify natural variation, because natural variation happens,” he says. “We are also using many tools to actually induce other kinds of variation, such as genome editing and the development of GMO plants.”

And he says an HLB-tolerant rootstock developed through using CRISPR could support a tolerant non-GMO sweet orange variety.

“Citrus breeding is a very slow and long-term process,” he says. “You have to use multiple strategies. We have all these different strategies, conventional breeding, GMO, CRISPR, you name it. We’re all doing that at the same time. Now it’s more work for my folks, more work for me, but there is an urgent need to get that done.”

He says his team focuses primarily on sweet oranges and grapefruits but also does a little research in mandarins.

“The first objective is for us to stabilize the industry,” he says. “Even if I have a breakthrough in a mandarin that’s not going to stabilize our industry, we need to have breakthroughs with sweet oranges with grapefruits, because that’s the bulk of our industry.”

But a happy accident did happen along the way in Dutt’s research. As his team incorporated finger limes into the research program due to its high tolerance to citrus greening, Dutt developed two red-pigmented finger lime varieties. He says, along with its promising potential for growers, he sees finger limes as a potential source for HLB-tolerant rootstocks.

Dutt says his team is also looking into the potential of finger limes in a breeding program.

“We know it has good genetic potential, but what can we do with it?” he says. “We did an experiment to see how it works as a rootstock. It worked well. Will it work well as a parent? We don’t know, and that’s too early, but we do have hybrid populations with UF SunLime as one of the parents. So, you know, science never stops.”

He says he and his research team have hundreds of trees being evaluated for tolerance and resistance to HLB, and there’s a team comparing the resistance and susceptibility of related cultivars to learn what triggers the tolerance and resistance.

“And if you can identify those differences, can we utilize those to build better citrus?” he says.

Dutt says, as a citrus breeder, he and his team deploy a combination of breeding techniques developed more than 200 years ago and modern breeding strategies such as CRISPR and artificial intelligence.

“It’s an exciting time to be a plant breeder, I think, because there’s a huge potential in actually making a significant contribution to the field, given what you’ve seen with HLB,” he says.

USDA’s $30M Citrus Purchase Could Provide Major Lift for California Growers

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 20:01:34 GMT

U.S. citrus producers stand to benefit from USDA’s newly announced plan to purchase up to $30 million in fresh oranges, grapefruit and mandarins for food banks and nutrition programs nationwide. While the purchases will be open to growers across multiple states, California’s dominant role in the fresh citrus market positions the industry for significant gains once bidding begins.

The USDA action, announced Nov. 24 by Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins, is intended to support farmers facing surpluses, import pressure and weakened markets. The agency will procure $15 million in fresh oranges, $10 million in grapefruit and $5 million in mandarins through USDA’s authority under Section 32 of the Agriculture Act of 1935.

The purchases will assist producers and communities in need, Rollins says, and will bolster American prosperity by supporting American agriculture, rural communities and those in need of nutrition assistance.

“President [Donald] Trump is standing with America’s farmers, especially right now while the farm economy recovers from years of neglect under the last administration,” Rollins says in a news release. “Certain commodities are experiencing a surplus, and USDA is ensuring these crops do not go to waste and instead go to Americans in need across the country. These fresh fruits will reach those in need, boosting healthier options for Americans at food banks across the country, all while benefiting American farmers facing unfair actions from foreign competitors.”

(Photo courtesy of California Citrus Mutual)

Casey Creamer, president and CEO of California Citrus Mutual, says the purchase will not only benefit those who secure USDA contracts but the entire domestic citrus sector by easing volume pressure and strengthening grower returns.

“California … sort of dominates the fresh space,” Creamer says, noting that while fruit from Florida and Texas is also eligible, California marketers will be active bidders when solicitations open. “We’re hopeful that California gets … its fair share of those bids.”

More importantly, he says, USDA’s intervention helps stabilize the market overall.

“When you’ve got a little bit of excess fruit, or you’ve been dealing with import competition, cheap imports coming in at certain timing, all that impacts the growers’ pocketbook negatively,” Creamer says. By reducing the volume headed to retail channels, he adds, “it helps keep prices to where they should be for growers and hopefully more profitable.”

USDA has not yet allocated specific volumes by state. Solicitations will outline varieties, delivery points and contract terms, after which marketers nationwide will submit bids. Creamer says USDA typically awards contracts based on price competitiveness.

“This is starting the solicitation process,” he says. “There’s competition from across the country and lots of different companies that will be competing.”

Even growers who do not directly supply USDA will still gain from the federal investment, Creamer says. With $30 million in product removed from the commercial market, the indirect benefits could multiply.

“If you take it easily, it’s $30 million of benefit to the industry. But if you add in the other factors, we think it’s three to four times more value to the growers,” Creamer says, pointing to high production costs, interest rates and ongoing pricing challenges.

He also underscored the importance of federal support at a time when trade disruptions and reciprocal tariffs have strained exports.

“There’s been a lot of impacts negatively to the industry over the last five, six, seven years, and so every little bit helps,” he says. “The greatest long-term benefit to U.S. consumers is having a really solid domestic industry.”

Creamer expresses gratitude to Rollins, USDA and members of Congress, who help make things happen to support the industry, he says.

As solicitations are issued in the coming weeks, California growers and marketers are preparing to compete for contracts while anticipating broader market relief from USDA’s intervention.

Unlocking New Potential With Specialty Finger Limes in Florida

Tue, 02 Dec 2025 18:53:07 GMT

As Manjul Dutt, assistant professor of horticultural sciences with a focus on citrus and subtropical fruit breeding and genetics at University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, has focused on unlocking citrus breeding stock that is tolerant of resistant to the citrus green disease huanglongbing, he’s also unlocked a new potential opportunity for Florida growers.

Australian finger limes are naturally HLB-tolerant. As a post-doctoral researcher, Dutt says he crossed finger lime genetics with conventional citrus to look for the next generation of sweet orange and grapefruit cultivars resistant or tolerant to the citrus greening bacteria. And as he evaluated some of the germplasm, a citrus grower told him that there was an economic potential for new finger lime varieties.

“There is a huge need in the specialty citrus industry for finger limes,” Dutt says, noting that the grower told him, “‘I just came back from California, and I paid a lot of money to buy a dish that had the finger lime pearls in it.’ He’s like, ‘high-end restaurants, chefs, bartenders, mixologists — they all would really want the finger lime.’”

Lijun “Angelia” Chen, assistant professor in the UF Food and Resource Economics Department, says part of the appeal of finger limes is the “tiny, caviar-like pearls that pop in your mouth with a fresh citrus burst.”

Dutt says he decided to expand the breeding program to look at the economic potential of the finger lime crosses, while remaining focused on providing growers with HLB-tolerant sweet orange, grapefruit and citrus rootstock.

He conducted an informal survey on the color profile of finger limes, which range from pale to pink to deep red.

“Nine out of 10 people wanted red, so we decided to release the red ones,” Dutt says.

This specialty program has released two varieties. UF SunLime is a hybrid finger lime that produces large, cylindrical fruit. Fruits range from 2.7 inches to 3.1 inches and offer a rich red color when mature. The fruit weighs around 30.4 grams on average and has up to five seeds. UF RedLime produces narrow, longer fruit that range from 4.2 inches to 4.8 inches. Fruits weigh 28.8 grams and average four to 14 seeds.

SunLime is tolerant to HLB but susceptible to citrus scab, and RedLime is highly tolerant to HLB.

Dutt calls all this “serendipity,” as he knows that there’s even interest in growers outside of the state. Earlier this year, UF/IFAS held a finger lime field day and some Texas growers who attended saw the potential to bring UF SunLime and UF RedLime to the Dallas and Houston markets.

Unlocking the Potential

Dutt says he has worked with UF colleagues to look at the economics of consumer interest, as well as with Chen to look at the sensory attributes and with the horticulture department to look at postharvest.

Chen says her team seeks to address key barriers to a successful value chain for Florida finger limes.

“On the economic and marketing side, we’re exploring market potential from the perspectives of multiple stakeholders, including growers, extension professionals, consumers, chefs and mixologists, to support informed, sustainable growth,” she says.

While there’s interest from growers, thanks in part to HLB resistance, consumer awareness and knowledge about finger limes remains low, Chen says, though food enthusiasts, connoisseurs and adventurists have shown strong interest in the specialty citrus.

“Finger limes, positioned as a specialty/luxury product (due to novelty and high price points), have gained significant attention in high-end culinary and mixology scenes,” she says. “However, the supply chain still needs development, as growers want to know who to sell to and consumers want to know where they can buy them.”

But Chen sees potential as consumers seek out creative dining and craft cocktail experiences.

“Finger limes benefit from this trend because they’re unique, eye-catching and elevate presentation and flavor,” she says. “Plus, the rise of social media and influencer marketing makes it easier than ever to showcase eye-catching dishes and drinks featuring finger limes to a wider audience.

Chen says servers, chefs and mixologists, as well as social media influencers, can help promote the use of finger limes in food and drinks, noting this can help inform consumers on how to best incorporate finger limes into their households and shape initial demand.

“In-store sampling, trade show displays and farmers market appearances can all be promising venues for continued promotion and education,” she says.

But she tempers that potential with the caution that awareness for finger limes should grow slowly and steadily to ensure finger limes’ long-term potential in the industry.

“Continued research is critical to ensure sustainable growth of this specialty citrus and avoid potential boom-bust cycles,” Chen says. “Strategic market development backed by data will help finger lime producers build long-term viability in this emerging sector.”

From Shipping to Store, Why the Right Packaging Matters for Citrus

Thu, 20 Nov 2025 12:33:57 GMT

Choosing the right packaging option for the right commodity is key to ensure quality arrivals when shipping Texas citrus, says Aaron Fox, executive vice president at McAllen, Texas-based Fox Packaging.

“Each product shines when the right bag is chosen,” he says.

For Texas oranges, shippers rely on three main formats, Fox says.

Leno bags are used for bulk programs because the material is strong and holds up across long runs.
Fox Fresh Mesh Combo in the 1-to-20-pound range accommodates retail packs.
Fresh VertiFilm provides a big print window and tidy shelf presence for retail formats from 1-to-8-pounds.

Standardized pack sizes help retailers hold predictable price points, which supports steadier supply across the season, Fox says.

Weight and rind care drive the choice for Texas grapefruit, explains Victoria Lopez, marketing and business development manager.

“Leno is a strong option for bulk and heavier packs because it resists tearing and breathes well in transit,” she says.

“Many shippers also choose Fresh Mesh Combo in the 5-to-10-pound range, and we are seeing an 8-pound, club-size trend gaining traction for its balance of value and carry comfort,” Lopez says.

A well-vented film format can work for smaller counts or gift-style presentation, provided ventilation stays high and handle strength is up to the task, she adds.

No matter what packaging option one chooses, keeping fruit dry, cool and well-ventilated from pack-out to the back room is a must, Lopez says.

“Start with dry, pre-cooled fruit and give it a package that breathes so you do not trap humidity against the rind,” she says.

Maintain the cold chain, but don’t cool grapefruit too much to reduce the risk of chilling injury, Lopez says. Keep the relative humidity high enough to limit weight loss.

A couple other suggestions: “Choose pack weights that match the commodity and route, spec reinforced handles and seams for heavier SKUs, use vented shippers or reusable plastic containers to keep air moving through the pallet, and avoid ethylene-heavy mixed loads, when possible,” Lopez advises.

Texas Citrus Season Off to Strong Start

Wed, 19 Nov 2025 18:14:12 GMT

Warm but manageable growing conditions have brought on a healthy crop of Texas sweet red grapefruit and early navel oranges this season.

“The crop looks good, the quality looks good,” says Dale Murden, president of Mission-based Texas Citrus Mutual.

Volume of both commodities should be similar to last season — close to 4 million cartons of grapefruit and about 1 million boxes of oranges. Texas sweet red grapefruit accounts for the majority of the Lone Star State’s citrus production.

The grapefruit harvest kicked off in late September and will continue until April or early May. Early navels will be available until the end of November, and valencias will ship in January, February and March.

Mission-based Lone Star Citrus Growers is taking steps to improve its operations as the harvest gets underway, says April Flowers, marketing director.

“We are fine-tuning a robotic palletizer this season, which will increase pack efficiencies,” Flowers says. “And our consumer website underwent a transition to a new platform, which will improve the end-user experience.”

Texas-grown sweet Rio Red grapefruit are the company’s main commodity.

“Thanks to the low acid and bright red flesh of our Rio Reds, our fans anxiously await Texas citrus season each year,” Flowers says.

On the organic scene, Mission-based South Tex Organics has kicked off its certified organic navel oranges and organic Rio Star grapefruit, says Russon Holbrook, vice president.

The company will start shipping valencia oranges in late January and will continue until April. Grapefruit will also be available from late October into April.

Texas-grown sweet Rio Red grapefruit are the main commodity from Mission-based Lone Star Citrus Growers, says April Flowers, marketing director. “Thanks to the low acid and bright red flesh of our Rio Reds, our fans anxiously await Texas citrus season each year.”

(Photo courtesy of Lone Star Citrus Growers)

Volume from South Tex Organics should be similar to last year, Holbrook says. Sizes will include many 36s, 40s and 48s for grapefruit and 88s to 113s on oranges.

Water continues to be a challenge throughout the state, but Murden says growers will make it through the season.

The state’s more than 600 citrus growers enjoyed good prices and good quality during the 2024-2025 season, Murden says.

“Last year people were very happy,” he says.

Growers are still trying to rebuild tonnage they lost after a 2020-2021 freeze and periods of bad weather, Murden says.

“We’re just now starting to see our younger trees that have been planted in the last four years come into production,” he says.

Flowers says she’s happy with the strong Brix-acid ratio the fruit from Lone Star Citrus already has achieved at this point in the season.

The company is also a supplier of Texas-grown, supersweet oranges with varieties such as early, Marrs, pineapples and valencias.

Lone Star Citrus Growers expects to ship 1.1 million cartons of citrus from October to mid-March, slightly more than last year.

Holbrook says he’s pleased with South Tex Organics citrus as well.

“Quality is pretty positive,” he says.

Demand for organic citrus continues to be steady for the company.

“We have a very solid customer base,” Holbrook says. “Each year we pick up new buyers. Those buyers have been growing with us year over year.”

More Acres in Riverside County Added to California’s HLB Quarantine

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 18:50:43 GMT

USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture have expanded the huanglongbing (HLB) and citrus greening quarantine in the state.

The expanded area adds 3 sq. miles in the Riverside area of Riverside County.

APHIS says this expansion is due to positive detections of HLB and greening in plant tissue samples collected from a residential property in Riverside. The agency says this expansion does not impact commercial citrus acres.

This expansion follows additional acres in the last few months of the Capistrano Beach area of Orange County and the Murrieta area of Riverside County , acres in Riverside County , the San Clemente area of Orange and San Diego counties , the Perris area of Riverside County and the area of Coto de Caza in Orange County, the Rancho San Margarita area of Orange County, the Perris area of Riverside County and the Rancho Cucamonga and San Bernadino areas of San Bernadino County .

For specific changes to the quarantined areas in California, visit the APHIS Citrus Greening web page .

California Citrus Mutual Projects Strong Season

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 21:33:48 GMT

Despite some industry challenges, Casey Creamer, president of Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual, is upbeat about California’s 2025-26 citrus season.

“We’ve got a high-quality product that’s in demand,” he says. “Comparatively speaking, with all the other commodities in California and across the country, I’m optimistic about where we sit.”

Creamer cited depressed prices in the lemon market as one obstacle the industry faces, but he says, “I remain optimistic that the citrus industry in California will make it through the storms that we’re always dealing with.

“We’re always battling to keep growers sustainable,” he adds. “I think there’s a lot of positivity and excitement having high-quality California citrus.”

He estimates that about 2,500 citrus growers work in California.

Although huanglongbing (also known as HLB or citrus greening disease) is another “significant concern for the industry,” the disease has not yet reached commercial groves as far as can be determined, he says.

However, quarantines in some residential tracts have gotten closer to commercial production areas.

“We have a significant program in place to do everything we can to control the (Asian citrus) psyllid and manage the disease and keep it out of the commercial groves,” Creamer said.

Finally, despite some activity by Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents in the Ventura area early this year, there’s been no long-term impact on California’s citrus industry from the presence of ICE, Creamer says.

“It’s something that we’re watching very closely, but right now, there are no reports of any major activities,” he says.

What California Citrus Growers Expect for This Season

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:20:38 GMT

Favorable growing conditions should result in a larger California navel orange crop this year than last.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture estimates the 2025-26 crop will reach 80 million 40-pound cartons, up from 75.8 million cartons last year. Growers, however, think factors like rainfall and pests could prevent production from reaching the 80 million mark, says Casey Creamer, president of Exeter-based California Citrus Mutual.

The valencia orange crop was winding down in late October, and some navels and mandarins were already being harvested as well as lemons in the San Joaquin Valley and the desert regions, Creamer says.

Sunkist Growers

Valencia, Calif.-based Sunkist Growers Inc. kicked off its season with lemons and pummelos, says Cassie Howard, senior director of category management and marketing. Promotional volume of navel oranges was expected by mid-November.

“This year’s navel crop is showing larger sizing and excellent quality, setting up strong promotional opportunities heading into the holidays,” Howard says.

Sunkist Cali mandarins will begin harvest in mid-November, with promotional volumes available in early December. Cara cara navels and blood oranges will join the lineup in December.

Sunkist is expanding its retail-ready packaging offerings, especially for premium specialty varieties like cara cara navels, Howard says.

“Our 2- and 3-pound bag formats continue to show strong growth and remain a key driver for both value and convenience in the produce department,” she says.

And Sunkist is building on strong brand momentum with refreshed in-store merchandising and consumer-facing creative that is part of its Sunny Days campaign, Howard says.

“These updated assets help drive citrus trial and conversion by combining bold visuals with variety-specific messaging,”
she says.

The co-op also is introducing an 8-pound, limited-edition, pink-ribbon bag under its Power with the Pink Orange program as part of its partnership with the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

Sunkist announced earlier this year that Santa Paula, Calif.-based Limoneira Co., one of Sunkist’s founding members, would rejoin the organization Nov. 1.

“Limoneira’s addition to the Sunkist program enhances our ability to deliver consistent, high-quality citrus across North America,” Howard says.

Cecelia Packing

Orange Cove, Calif.-based Cecelia Packing Corp. is working on a new grapefruit label, says salesman Dominic DeNatale. It should be available early next year, when the star ruby grapefruit deal kicks off.

“We have some young trees that we planted a few years ago that are just getting into production,” he says.

The company’s grapefruit program was well received after its launch last year, and it plans to ramp up production over the next few seasons, DeNatale says. The firm also offers minneola tangelos and navel, valencia, cara cara and blood oranges.

Packing for navel oranges was scheduled to get underway Nov. 3.

“We’re looking at a really nice crop with very little disease pressure and a nice mix of sizing,” DeNatale says.

The company is particularly proud of its Sky Valley navel heirloom program with trees from the 1930s, he says.

“The old rootstock produces a great eating piece of fruit that some of our customers really love,” DeNatale says. “It’s low acid, high Brix, really sweet and has a great-tasting profile.”

They’re available from around Christmastime until early April.

DeNatale expects a stronger navel orange market this year than last.

“The market took a crash last year because of all the small fruit,” he says. “I don’t foresee that being an issue for this season.”

The company is moving away from its golden nugget mandarin program because of a saturated market, he adds.

Bee Sweet Citrus

Bee Sweet Citrus Inc., Fowler, Calif., will offer a complete lineup of citrus varieties this season, says Randy Stucky, director of harvesting and grower relations.

“We’ve already started with lemons, grapefruit, Golden Gem grapefruit, pummelos and navel oranges,” he said in late October. “In November, we will begin harvesting satsuma mandarins, clementine mandarins, cara cara oranges and Royal Red oranges.”

Bee Sweet will ship minneola tangelos as well as tango and murcott mandarins after the first of the year.

A mild summer made for excellent growing conditions during August and September, Stucky says. The few rainstorms that occurred will help fruit size up.

Fruit size is up compared to last year, and quality will be good, he says.

Bee Sweet’s lemon volume is expected to be similar to last season, while overall volume of mandarins will decrease slightly.

“Despite fewer pieces per tree in navel oranges, size structure is larger, so we anticipate an increase in total volume,” he says.

Wonderful Citrus

The California citrus season and Texas red grapefruit season begin in the fall for Delano, Calif.-based Wonderful Citrus, says Zak Laffite, president.

California mandarin season for Wonderful Halos runs November through May, before the summer import program begins to achieve year-round availability, he says.

The company began its sixth season for Wonderful Seedless Lemons in July and will have year-round distribution nationwide with some of the biggest retailers in America, Laffite says, including Whole Foods, Walmart, Trader Joe’s and Kroger.

“Additionally, we offer a full portfolio of citrus, including navels, lemons, cara caras, minneolas, blood oranges and Texas oranges, grapefruit and limes,” he says.

CDFA Adds More Area in Orange, Riverside Counties to HLB Quarantine

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 20:56:00 GMT

The California Department of Agriculture says it has expanded the boundary of the state’s huanglongbing or HLB quarantine in Orange and Riverside counties. The state added the Capistrano Beach area of Orange County and the Murrieta area of Riverside County.

The new areas include grids 483 and 498 on the agency’s boundary map.

CDFA says this boundary expansion also includes the agency’s Asian Citrus Psyllid Bulk Citrus Regional Quarantine Zone 6 to reflect the new quarantine boundary.

This follows recent quarantine expansions in the Riverside area of Riverside County , the San Clemente area of Orange and San Diego counties and the Perris area of Riverside County .

Bee Sweet Citrus Introduces New Packaging

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 13:17:14 GMT

Bee Sweet Citrus , a grower, packer and shipper, says it will kick off its new season by debuting a new booth, packaging and more at the International Fresh Produce Association’s Global Produce and Floral Show.

Bee Sweet Citrus says its California-grown grapefruit, Meyer lemons, lemons, Golden Gem grapefruit and pummelos are available as it transitions from summer imports to its domestic program.

“Last year, our team debuted our premium citrus line at IFPA’s fall show and received positive feedback from customers,” says Monique Mueller, director of communications for Bee Sweet Citrus. “This year, we’re pleased to announce that we’ve expanded our line to include Heirloom Navels, and its packaging will be on display at our booth.”

The company says its sales and upper management team will attend this year and will be available to discuss variety availability, seasonal marketing opportunities and more at its booth No. 1293.

DiSilva Fruit Predicts Exciting California Citrus Season

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 20:56:04 GMT

DiSilva Fruit, together with its Bright Bounty brand, says it is gearing up for another California citrus season, with both its organic and conventional programs set to begin in early November.

This season, Bright Bounty will highlight a range of specialty citrus varieties — including stem and leaf satsumas, cara cara navels, blood oranges, meyer lemons and melo gold grapefruit — alongside its core orange, mandarin and lemon programs.

Early reports from California growers and favorable growing conditions throughout the summer suggest a good crop, the company says. With harvests set to late October, DiSilva Fruit says it is optimistic about supply outlooks across all the citrus categories.

“We’re really looking forward to another strong California citrus season,” says Alden Guptill, sales manager at DiSilva Fruit. “Every year we see continued enthusiasm for specialty citrus, and we’re proud to bring that excitement to our customers through the Bright Bounty label. Whether organic or conventional, the focus remains on consistent quality and a great eating experience.”

Nelly Czajkowski, sales and organic category manager at DiSilva Fruit, adds, “Consumers continue to seek out fresh, vibrant citrus options, especially items that offer something unique — like the flavor profile of a cara cara or the color of a blood orange. Our Bright Bounty program is built around that sense of discovery and freshness. We’re also excited to support our retail partners with new display bins and point-of-sale materials that help tell the story at shelf.”

California Citrus Industry Faces Significant Trade Challenges

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:53:44 GMT

California’s citrus industry is facing unprecedented challenges, including strong headwinds on both the import and export side of the trade equation, where imports now exceed exports. Adding to these difficulties, are the rising cost of production, labor challenges and the threat of pests like huanglongbing (HLB) and the Asian citrus psyllid .

California Citrus Quality Council President Jim Cranney says the organization is focused on facilitating changes that will help move the industry forward and weather some of these challenges.

CCQC’s mission is to represent the California citrus industry in response to issues at the state, national and international levels, which means everything from quarantine matters to technical assistance to international compliance to understanding regulations with trading partners and assisting with reducing barriers to market access.

But recently, Cranney says the CCQC has been doing a lot of work, providing input and comments to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office, focused on the trade front.

“I came to California in 2008 as the new president at CCQC, and at that time it was all about exports. The industry was very outward looking,” Cranney says.

Much has changed in the 17 years since he took the helm at CCQC, including both increased competition on the domestic citrus market and, in some cases, crippling tariffs on the export side.

CCQC President Jim Cranney says, recently, the council has been doing a lot of work focused on the trade front.

(Photo courtesy of CCQC)

“Recently, we’ve seen more difficulties on the export side and a lot of imports coming into the U.S., so much so that, regrettably, I would say when we look at trade policy, we’re paying a lot of attention on the import side,” he says.

Family Farms Under Pressure

California lemon growers are increasingly facing competition from lower-priced imports to the U.S.

“Lemons from Argentina have been a big problem,” Cranney says. “APHIS granted market access to lemons coming in from Argentina, I think it was around 2016 or 2017, and from 2018 until this past year, we’ve seen an increase from approximately 8,000 metric tons to 93,000 metric tons in that short period of time. That’s been an enormous increase in supply, and quite honestly, there’s a big differential in our cost of production as compared to Argentina.”

“It’s very difficult for our industry to meet the kind of prices that are coming in from Argentina,” he adds.

In addition to higher labor costs compared to Argentina, California also has more stringent regulatory requirements, Cranney says.

“The Environmental Protection Agency’s Endangered Species Act? You can multiply that by 10 with requirements that are necessary in the state of California,” he says. “The regulatory costs for producers here are tremendous, so we feel the playing field is unfair for California citrus producers.”

While the CCQC continues to advocate for the industry, Cranney says it can only do the best it can to meet lower prices in the marketplace.

“Returns back to growers have been lower, and it’s been a very difficult situation for lemon growers,” he says.

For some California citrus growers, the situation is reaching a tipping point.

“Farms are under pressure,” he says. “Some of these are family farms that have been in the family for generations, and you can imagine it’s not an easy decision for these farming operations to just say, ‘We’re going to give up now.’ A lot of this is happening in places in California, where development is a real possibility and there’s potential in the next two to three years, if this continues, we’ll start to see farms coming out of production and just going into shopping malls.”

Cranney says CCQC has been bringing its message of an unlevel playing field to the U.S. Trade Representative’s office.

“We have been saying that we’re not so much upset that Argentina has access to the U.S. market, but we expect them to operate in a more responsible way in terms of marketing their fruit in the U.S.,” he says. “We haven’t gone to the level of documenting dumping on their part, but if you look at market conditions, it’s also very difficult for them to be selling at cost of production.

“We have questions about how rational it is for producers in Argentina to be dumping product into the U.S. market, when they’re not making money either,” he adds. “Our industry’s opinion is that the U.S. government should put a limit on the amount [of lemons] coming in from Argentina to protect the industry from predatory behavior on the part of Argentine interest, and we’ve been advocating for the industry along those lines with USTR.”

A lot of this is happening in places in California, where development is a real possibility and there’s potential in the next two to three years, if this continues, we’ll start to see farms coming out of production and just going into shopping malls.

Jim Cranney, president of California Citrus Quality Council

While the U.S. government has imposed 10% tariffs on products from Argentina imported into the U.S., Cranney says it’s not likely to have measurable impact.

“Ten percent isn’t likely to make a huge difference,” he says. “It will deter and restrict some imports coming in, we’ll have to wait and see by how much, but probably we need a tariff quite a bit higher than 10% to really get to the level where there’s not real disruption in the marketplace.”

Opportunities and Challenges in China

When it comes to exports, California citrus has long eyed China as a market with tremendous potential for growth.

“If you look at what has happened in China over the last 10 to 15 years, they’ve had one of the largest migrations of people in rural areas to cities in human history,” Cranney says.

China’s urban population in 2024 was approximately 943.5 million, according to Statista. To put that in perspective, the population of New York City was 8.5 million in 2025.

“When you look at it in those terms, and you’re a produce supplier or food producer, you don’t have to think too long and hard to know that demand is going to increase substantially when you have people coming out of rural areas and into a city where they can’t produce their own food,” he says. “Because of that, China has always been viewed by the industry as a really interesting top growth market.”

While the California citrus industry had been exporting to China, Cranney says that with the trade disruptions from about 2018 to around 2020, California citrus saw its exports decrease to the country by 28% to 30%.

“China took retaliatory measures and increased tariffs substantially,” he says. “And since then, we’ve been operating with tariffs that are in a neighborhood of about 46%.”

Steep tariffs have made California far less competitive in China’s citrus market, where suppliers from other countries have a large advantage as far as price.

“That has been an ongoing problem because China hasn’t really reduced those retaliatory tariffs,” says Cranney, who adds that COVID-19 further exacerbated the situation with supply chain disruptions and shipping delays that are less than ideal with a perishable product.

“It’s been a challenge for the industry to overcome those difficulties, and there’s still a lot of residual problems from COVID in the supply chain that have not been completely resolved,” he says. “We’re still faced with delays that make it difficult to make customers happy halfway around the world.”

If China would lower tariffs, giving California citrus growers greater access, Cranney says, “it is a very promising market.”

“But if we can’t, then we feel like we’re stuck in the same boat as many other types of producers going into China,” he says. “We hear a lot about soybeans, for instance. China has always been a very big market for soybean producers, and we also hear about different government programs or bailouts, if you will, that will compensate those growers for loss of market and financial difficulties.

“We would just expect that California citrus growers also would be included in any type of market assistance programs along those lines, including purchases that the government may make for [federally funded] food programs or other types of government programs that can utilize citrus from California.”

Cranney says that as CCQC and the citrus industry continue to navigate these difficulties, there is some good news on the horizon.

“It looks like we have a good crop coming up this year, with probably a little bit larger size fruit,” he says. “Some markets like larger fruit, and that is a bright spot for the industry.”