At The Conference: Welcome to Florida Agriculture
12/03/2024
During the 2024 ASAC Annual Conference in Ft. Myers, Florida we were greeted by Andy Neuhofer of the Florida Farm Bureau. Florida produces over 300 different commodity crops and some of those crops are raised in every county, with sales of over $270.1 billion in revenue.
One of the largest crops in Florida is watermelons, with the largest watermelon grower in the country located there. The number of citrus acres has declined significantly since the year 2000. There were over 800,000 acres of citrus at that time, and by comparison, there are about 250,000 acres now. Several factors have led to this decrease, including Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening, which is a bacterial disease that affects citrus trees and is one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world. This has decimated many citrus groves since it arrived in 2006, and efforts are underway to treat and prevent the effects of HLB.
A major concern for agriculture in Florida is the significant number of new residents that arrive daily, requiring the development of additional housing and the businesses that support them. Solar power fields are also taking significant acreage from productive farmland.
In addition to these challenges, Florida agriculture is suffering from a lack of labor, increasing environmental regulations, and weather events such as hurricanes that eliminate crops that take years to recover.
Progress is being made in developing new citrus varieties that are resistant to HLB which are not derived from GMO-based genetics.
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This article is the opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of anyone else. Mention of specific people or items in the article is not an endorsement of the individual, the company or the organization from which it originates.
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Don Tyler
ASAC Board Member
Tyler & Associates
During the 2024 ASAC Annual Conference in Ft. Myers, Florida we were greeted by Andy Neuhofer of the Florida Farm Bureau. Florida produces over 300 different commodity crops and some of those crops are raised in every county, with sales of over $270.1 billion in revenue.
One of the largest crops in Florida is watermelons, with the largest watermelon grower in the country located there. The number of citrus acres has declined significantly since the year 2000. There were over 800,000 acres of citrus at that time, and by comparison, there are about 250,000 acres now. Several factors have led to this decrease, including Huanglongbing (HLB) disease, also known as citrus greening, which is a bacterial disease that affects citrus trees and is one of the most serious citrus diseases in the world. This has decimated many citrus groves since it arrived in 2006, and efforts are underway to treat and prevent the effects of HLB.
A major concern for agriculture in Florida is the significant number of new residents that arrive daily, requiring the development of additional housing and the businesses that support them. Solar power fields are also taking significant acreage from productive farmland.
In addition to these challenges, Florida agriculture is suffering from a lack of labor, increasing environmental regulations, and weather events such as hurricanes that eliminate crops that take years to recover.
Progress is being made in developing new citrus varieties that are resistant to HLB which are not derived from GMO-based genetics.
= = = = = =
This article is the opinion and perspective of the author and may or may not be consistent with those of anyone else. Mention of specific people or items in the article is not an endorsement of the individual, the company or the organization from which it originates.
= = = = =
Don Tyler
ASAC Board Member
Tyler & Associates
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