Florida's orange production dropped drastically in recent decades
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Florida's orange crop has dropped by 95% in just 30 years — a decline that's forced citrus farmers to change how they grow and sell the fruit, WLRN reported.
Why it matters: A decade ago, Florida was the country's top citrus producer, but it has since fallen behind California, according to the USDA.
- The decline has resulted in less than half the number of full-time jobs the industry sustained just two decades ago.
- Today, the industry generates about $7 billion annually and supports around 30,000 jobs, per the outlet.
The big picture: While diets and fruit juice consumption have changed in recent decades, citrus farmers attribute the drastic decline more so to disaster, disease and development.
Zoom in: The industry has been dealing with citrus greening disease, which was first noticed in groves about 20 years ago.
- The bug, caused by a bacterial infection, causes the fruit to turn green and taste less sweet than its bright orange counterparts.
- To keep the microscopic bugs out, farmers have been investing in antibiotics for trees and screen houses, which cost upwards of $40,000 per acre to build, per WRLN.
Meanwhile, this year's cold weather spell cost the industry nearly $700 million, and recent hurricanes have dealt a hefty blow.
- Agricultural losses caused by Hurricane Milton in 2024, for example, exceeded $190 million, the University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences estimated.
Zoom out: In previous years, farmers would sell wholesale to major corporations like Tropicana.
- Today, many sell their crop on their own and at a premium for doing so locally, a Central Florida citrus farmer told WLRN.
What we're watching: Some farmers are concerned about the "loss of knowledge" that comes with a shrinking industry.
- "There's no one to pass [the information] on to because there's no industry left to support a younger generation to get a job," the farmer said.