Tougher growing conditions putting the squeeze on citrus farmers

AccuWeather

Everything from potent citrus diseases to hurricanes have made growing conditions tougher for farmers in the southeast U.S., AccuWeather's Leslie Hudson reports.

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00:00Trevor Murphy's granddad started this 200 acre orange grove.

00:06The box total is a little bit more than we had in the 1920s, so we've almost gone back 100 years in our production.

00:14Today, Trevor, like many family farmers, is facing plenty of challenges in keeping his citrus farm open.

00:21You've got families that have been involved in the industry for generations

00:26and having to make decisions on what exactly are they going to do with their future.

00:32Citrus greening is an aggressive bacteria carried by an invasive fruit fly.

00:37But weather extremes like hurricanes, late season freezes, or flooding events are also taking a toll on the fruit industry.

00:45Consumers are also drinking less orange juice, so major citrus growers are folding up their operations.

00:51And the smaller ones are struggling to stay afloat.

00:55The acreage in the state continues to decrease.

00:59You know, the footprint continues to decrease as well.

01:02Now the tree here is about 60 years old, so it has withstood generations of storms and disease.

01:08The goal is to try and get more trees like this that can withstand weather extremes and all kinds of diseases.

01:15Researchers at the University of Florida have been looking at ways to stop the citrus greening disease.

01:20So even a small hurricane right now or a small amount of wind damage can still have a catastrophic effect on farmers.

01:28Farmers are trying different strategies to combat the disease, plus changes in irrigation and fertilizer use,

01:35all in the hopes of keeping Florida citrus alive and growing.

01:39In Sebring, Florida, I'm Leslie Hudson for AccuWeather.

01:42For AccuWeather.

01:43For AccuWeather.

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