Chairman Johnson: Good Stewards of Our Land and Our Time

While the industry focuses on replanting, the FDOC focuses on keeping Florida Citrus front-and-center in the minds of consumers.

The first Triangle after the dog days of summer signals that it won't be long before the harvest season is here. So far, the summer has been full of good news for our growers: beneficial rain for our groves; the latest cycle of CRAFT opening up for applications; U.S. Agriculture Secretary Rollins' signing of the 2025 Block Grant as well as the announcement of the USDA's Supplemental Disaster Relief Program; the FDA's Proposed Ruling to amend the standard of identity for pasteurized orange juice and more.

Before the next Triangle comes out, our FDOC team will be releasing the Annual Report for the 2024-25 year, which documents the financial report for year-ending June 30, 2025 as well as the combined efforts of marketing Florida Orange Juice, Florida Grapefruit Juice, Florida Citrus and Gift Fruit programs. You'll be able to review this report in full on our industry website.

The True Original campaign- which focused on further positioning Florida Orange Juice as The Original Wellness Drink™ in the minds of consumers looking for functional beverages that deliver health, value and natural ingredients- was a success, to say the least. With that said, I'm looking forward to what's ahead, because we already have vital pieces in play to keep building on the success of the last 12 months.

Part of this success is a direct result of the FDOC marketing team's efforts to deliver key messaging to the most relevant audience- an audience I've mentioned in previous columns that we've dubbed "The Modern Juice Consumer." Our Global Marketing team summarizes the audience this way: "A more focused target, this audience is defined more by mindset and functional beverage need states versus traditional demographics, which is demonstrated through digital and purchase behaviors."

The proof that's in the pudding from the Annual Report calls to mind a quote from Henry Ford (who happened to be a citrus grower) that our FDOC Executive Director Shannon Shepp also harkened to during the most recent Legislative Session to express the importance of keeping our wholesome citrus and 100% juices top-of-mind for consumers: "Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time."

As we look ahead to the coming season, we understand that we can't stop our watch to save time. In fact, one could argue that time is like land. If you're a good steward of it- if you manage it wisely- it will be good right back to you. No one knows that better than a citrus grower in the fight against citrus greening. We need resources, we need sustainable solutions, we need to replant with the latest tolerant varieties, and we need to use every ounce of time we have to keep our products front-and-center in the minds of consumers. Why? Because we know that using our time wisely now will result in a more bountiful harvest in years to come; and when that time comes (because it will), the demand must be there to meet it.

Steve Johnson is Chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission, which oversees the Florida Department of Citrus. He is the owner and general manager of Johnson Harvesting, Inc., based in Wauchula, FL.