Orange You Glad You’re Not a Florida Citrus Farmer?

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By Javier Clarkson (the other one, but with more pulp)

Florida and California: two states, one fruit, and a rivalry juicier than a freshly squeezed navel. But while California’s oranges are living their best Hollywood lives, Florida’s industry looks like it’s been left out in the sun a bit too long. But first a word from our sponsor:

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Florida: The Not-So-Sunshine State for Oranges

Let’s not sugarcoat it-Florida’s orange industry is in the kind of trouble that makes a reality TV meltdown look tame. This year, the USDA predicts Florida will harvest just 11.6 million boxes of oranges, the lowest since Calvin Coolidge was president and the only “streaming” was from a leaky roof17. That’s a 35% drop from last year and a staggering 90% plunge from the glory days of 2007-08, when the state pumped out 170 million boxes like it was going out of style45.

What happened? Enter citrus greening, or Huanglongbing (HLB), a disease that’s about as welcome as a mosquito at a picnic. Spread by the Asian citrus psyllid-an insect so tiny you’d miss it unless it was holding a protest sign-HLB slowly kills trees, shrivels fruit, and leaves groves looking like a botanical ghost town456. Add hurricanes, freezes, and a dash of real estate development, and you’ve got a recipe for disaster37.

Jim Snively, a fourth-generation citrus grower, remembers when his company, Southern Gardens Citrus, farmed 21,000 acres. Now? Just 1,000 acres, and the juice-processing plant closed in 20192. If resilience were an Olympic sport, Florida’s growers would win gold, but even the toughest farmer can’t outmuscle bacteria and bad weather forever.

California: The Fresh Prince of Citrus

Meanwhile, California’s oranges are living the dream. With less disease, fewer hurricanes, and a focus on fresh fruit, the Golden State is now the U.S. orange king. While Florida’s oranges are mostly juiced (and, let’s be honest, juiced out), California’s are picked, polished, and shipped fresh to stores and export markets.

But don’t get too smug, Californians. Citrus greening is creeping westward, and the industry is nervously eyeing every psyllid like it’s the villain in a horror movie5. For now, though, California’s groves are holding strong, and the state is raking in profits while Florida’s farmers are left clutching their empty crates.

The Domino Effect

It’s not just farmers feeling the squeeze. Florida’s citrus industry supports over 32,000 jobs and pumps nearly $7 billion into the state’s economy5. With production in freefall, everyone from pickers to juice processors to the local diner serving “fresh Florida OJ” is at risk. Some towns are so dependent on oranges, their high school mascots are probably just a big, sad fruit.

And if you’re thinking, “Well, I’ll just drink Brazilian juice,” think again. Brazil’s having its own issues with drought and flooding, so global orange juice prices are up 27% in a year, and your morning glass of OJ might soon cost more than your coffee5.

Fighting Back, One Tree at a Time

Is there hope? Maybe. Florida’s putting millions into research, hoping to breed HLB-resistant trees or at least keep the disease at bay long enough to save what’s left8. Scientists are even training dogs to sniff out sick trees-because when you’re losing to bacteria, it’s time to call in the big (furry) guns56.

But for now, the state’s orange groves are a shadow of their former selves. The trees are shorter, the fruit is scarcer, and the only thing growing faster than the price of juice is the sense of nostalgia for the good old days6.

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