Chairman Johnson: You Know Fall Has Arrived When Florida Citrus is Ripe for Harvest

Highlights from the recent FCC Meeting that directly affect the industry this season.

Time is a funny thing that impacts people differently. Take this time last year as an example. Depending on who you talk to, While most places north of here mark the autumn season by the changing color of the leaves, Floridians mark the beginning of fall another way . . . by the harvesting of our state's heritage fruit - Florida Citrus. It's one of my favorite times of year, and for a good reason. We've worked hard all year for it, and now, Florida Citrus is ripe for the picking.

Besides the "let's get to work" attitude felt among growers and in the groves, there's also a sense of determination and optimism. The recent FCC Meeting, which was held on October 22, was a reflection of those sentiments. We had a full house with all of our 11-member commission present either in-person or digitally, and quite a few of our industry partners in attendance, either to present or to contribute as our Florida Department of Citrus committees brought valuable updates and recommendations before the commission.

Just in case you missed it, here are four highlights from the FCC Meeting that have a direct impact on Florida Citrus this season:

• Two emergency rules for the maturity standards of Florida Oranges and Florida Grapefruit designated for the processing sector were reviewed and passed. These emergency rules will allow for processors to consider and possibly accept fruit within the temporarily revised parameters and timeframes mentioned, but it's also important to note that it doesn't require processors to accept them. To view the emergency rules, visit our grower site.
• Our Global Marketing committee gave an extensive update on all the programs currently underway, and some important items of note include that the team has already achieved more than 45% of the fiscal year's attributed sales goal for Florida Orange Juice. For the fresh programs, planning for the partnership with Florida Grapefruit and the Grapefruit League is underway, and the creative for fresh Florida Oranges is centered around the fact that no other citrus in the world is as juicy or flavorful. The FDOC team also announced that a workshop will be held this coming January with fresh packers and growers to lay the groundwork for next year's fresh Florida orange and grapefruit programs. Last, but not least, the gift fruit shipping and international programs are getting kicked into high gear with the harvest season.
• Dr. Zansler shared some insightful knowledge on how promotions are impacting demand for orange juice. Without going to deep into the data, I'll just say the research shows that the more consumers are aware of the health benefits of orange juice, the more price tolerant they are and willing to pay current prices, which is critical during times of supply challenges and while we focus on replanting to relieve those supply constraints.
• The 2025-26 Program for Expedited Propagation will focus on a collaboration with CRAFT with the goal of hopefully taking care of some of the licensing fees that will come into play for the new CRISPR rootstocks. Dr. Walsh shared that more details on that would be presented at the next FCC Meeting.

As a reminder, we do not typically hold FCC Meetings in November, so our next FCC Meeting is set for Wednesday, December 17, 9:00 a.m. at our Bartow headquarters.

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.