Last year's Hurricane Milton has had a lasting impact on Florida's citrus industry, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture predicting a 33% drop in orange production in Florida this year, according to Spectrum 13 News. But farmers are finding new ways to adapt to changing business and environmental climates.
What's happening?
Citrus farmers in Florida have been facing a variety of problems for their crops over the past two decades, including greening disease (spread by insects) and encroaching land development, per CBS News. Add recent hurricanes like Milton and 2022's Ian, and farmers are looking for new ways to supplement their income.
That's the case for Tara Boshell at Showcase Citrus. The company has diversified its strategy in recent years to be both a farm and a destination for tourists, with dining options, exotic animal feeding, and agritourism.
"We've been diversified for 30-some-odd years. It's not just the citrus. It's going to be the agritourism venue, with the monster truck adventures, and then we have the farm animals and exotic animals," Boshell told Spectrum 13 News. "It's not worth giving up yet."
Why is low citrus production important?
According to CBS News, growers say it takes two years for groves to recover from major storms, and they were just beginning to recover from Hurricane Ian when Milton blew through the state. The increased frequency and intensity of hurricanes and tropical storms has been attributed to the changing climate, according to the Columbia Climate School.
"As the climate warms, more intense rainfall is expected, worsening existing flooding issues. There is a real need for infrastructure and urban planning initiatives to address this ongoing issue!" Dr. Mona Hemmati, a research scientist at Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, which is part of the Columbia Climate School, posted last year on X.
What's being done about low citrus production?
Boshell said her business is still focusing on farming as it continues its side hustles. Showcase Citrus is working with a program called CUPS, which stands for Citrus Under Protective Screen.
"We put up a greenhouse," Boshell said. "It's a screened greenhouse, and we are trying different varieties in that to keep the disease out and the healthy citrus in."
The Florida legislature also approved $40 million in the state budget to assist the citrus industry "through infrastructure, research, and expansion of propagation and replanting efforts," per the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services stated in a press release.
Join our free newsletter for good news and useful tips, and don't miss this cool list of easy ways to help yourself while helping the planet.
Cool Picks
