Florida's orange juice industry squeezed by disease, hurricanes as orange crop hits 95-year low
Florida's crop for the 2024-2025 season is predicted to be the smallest since before World War II, with orange juice consumption plummeting more than 50% since 2000, according to new data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The most recent forecast for the season is 522,000 tons, which is down 35% from last season's total of 808,000 tons due to weather events and ongoing citrus disease.
"Citrus greening is still an existential threat to Florida's orange juice production," according to Bill Castle, Florida citrus expert. "We're losing trees faster than we can replant them."
In October, Hurricane Milton tore through the Florida peninsula and destroyed millions of dollars of prime citrus-producing land. The storm blew fruit off branches and damaged trees.
"Regardless of how this season overall ends up, regardless of what the ultimate loss of fruit is in this season, it'll be a multi-year process for these trees to get back to pre-hurricane production. That's how trees react to stress, and it's very difficult than row crops that you plow under at the end of year," Matt Joyner, executive vice president and chief executive officer of Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest citrus growers' trade association, told UPI in October.
Brazilian growers are seeing their citrus production rise this year with improved rainfall since October, which has created more global competition.
While the orange juice industry in the United States faces an uncertain future, citrus prices at grocery stores have started to drop as market forces help to ease pressure.
Overall, juice brands have watched earnings fall with industry leader Tropicana saying it has "experienced depreciation in its value due to the evolving market and declining demand for orange juice."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
UPI
2 hours ago
- UPI
Tesla to pay $243M for deadly 2019 Florida Keys accident
Aug. 1 (UPI) -- Tesla must pay $243 million for a 2019 accident that killed a pedestrian and badly injured another in the Florida Keys, a federal jury decided on Friday. The accident occurred at a T-intersection after sundown in the Florida Keys in 2019 when the Tesla did not stop and rammed a parked SUV. The collision killed Naibel Benavides Leon, 20, as she stood next to the SUV. Her boyfriend, Dillon Angulo, was injured. The Miami jury granted a $43 million award for compensatory damages for pain and suffering and another $200 million for punitive damages arising from the vehicular accident that occurred in the Florida Keys, NBC News reported. Attorneys for the plaintiffs successfully argued Tesla officials overestimated the capabilities of the autopilot program in the Tesla Model S sedan that the defendant was driving. The jury determined the plaintiff's pain and suffering merited a total of $129 million in compensatory damages, but Tesla only pays a third of that amount. The jury assigned one-third of the blame to Tesla and two-thirds to the driver, who said he was distracted while reaching for his cell phone when the accident occurred. The motorist was sued separately from Tesla and was not a party to the federal lawsuit that the jury decided on Friday. U.S. District Court of Southern Florida Judge Beth Bloom accepted the jury's verdict and said she will order Tesla to pay the judgment. The jury of eight found Tesla was partly liable because the vehicle's autopilot system did not brake in time to prevent the deadly accident. Officials for Elon Musk-owned and publicly traded electric vehicle manufacturer Tesla said they will appeal the jury's verdict. "Today's verdict is wrong and only works to set back automotive safety and jeopardize Tesla's and the entire industry's efforts to develop and implement life-saving technology," they said in a prepared statement. "We plan to appeal given the substantial errors of law and irregularities at trial."
Axios
3 hours ago
- Axios
Tariffs are coming for your breakfast — but not your OJ
New tariffs are poised to make your breakfast a bit pricier, especially your morning cup of coffee — but your orange juice caught a break. Why it matters: Your morning staples are caught in the crossfire of global trade politics. The new tariff rates — the highest in nearly a century — will cost the average family about $2,400 this year, according to the Yale Budget Lab's latest analysis. The big picture: American consumers have been navigating sticky inflation for food prices, and breakfast costs have been a sore point. Coffee prices have been volatile due to crop issues in Brazil, while chocolate has soared on cocoa shortages. A new wave of tariff hikes targeting certain European and Latin American imports is expected to push prices higher. Coffee and chocolate prices By the numbers: Brazilian coffee will face a 50% tariff, up from 10%. Even a modest 10% tariff on Brazilian coffee could raise U.S. retail prices 6–8% within 90 days, Francisco Martin-Rayo, CEO and co-founder of Helios AI, tells Axios. Swiss chocolate and coffee are being hit with a 39% tariff, up from the 31% tariff on Switzerland exports announced in April. This could affect Nespresso, as parent company Nestlé says every capsule sold in the world is produced in one of three factories in Switzerland. Rising tariffs to hit fruit and vegetable prices Zoom in: Martin-Rayo said his firm is tracking price shocks across the produce aisle — from tomatoes and mangoes to avocados — where tariffs compound climate disruptions. The biggest consumer price impacts are expected to hit fresh fruits, including bananas and vegetables, as well as processed imports like canned tomatoes, he said. "In some cases, we're projecting 10–15% retail price hikes within a single quarter," he said. Why orange juice got an exemption The intrigue: Orange juice from Brazil was exempted from tariffs, even though oranges are grown in Florida and California. Chris Brigati, chief investment officer at San Antonio-based investment firm SWBC, told Axios the reason for the exemption "remains unclear," especially given Brazil's coffee was hit with a 50% tariff. "Perhaps Trump wanted to limit the potential pain to higher prices from tariffs, as supply shock impacts are likely to occur," Brigati said. Zoom out: U.S. production has plunged to the lowest level in 88 years due to " unfavorable weather and continuing disease problems," USDA data shows, noting citrus greening has been battering Florida crops. Imports now account for 90% of the U.S. orange juice supply — with half coming from Brazil, which dominates global production under brands like Tropicana, Minute Maid and Simply Orange.
UPI
5 hours ago
- UPI
Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons requests trade
1 of 5 | Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons is entering the final year of his rookie contract. File Photo by Ian Halperin/UPI | License Photo Aug. 1 (UPI) -- All-Pro pass rusher Micah Parsons requested a trade from the Dallas Cowboys, he announced Friday on social media. Parsons is set to make $24 million in 2025. The star linebacker posted a lengthy note about the request on his X account just hours after reports surfaced about a potential split between the star pass rusher and NFC East franchise. "Yes, I wanted to be here," Parsons wrote. "I did everything I could to show that I wanted to be a Cowboy and wear the star on my helmet. I wanted to play in front of the best fans in sports and make this America's team once again. The team my pops and I grew up cheering for way up in Harrisburg, Pa. "Unfortunately, i no longer want to be here." Parsons, 26, joined the Cowboys as the No. 12 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft and quickly turned himself into one of the best defensive players in the league. He earned Pro Bowl selections in each of his first four seasons. He also was named the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year and was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 and 2022. The star outside linebacker, who totaled 52.5 sacks through the first 63 appearances of his NFL career, said Friday that he attempted to re-sign with the Cowboys over the last several off-seasons, but a deal never materialized. He said he met with Cowboys owner Jerry Jones in March and engaged in a "back and forth" about an extension. Parsons did not believe that was a formal negotiation and said he informed Jones that his agent would reach out. Parsons claimed that the Cowboys then told his agent that a deal was "pretty much already done." He said his agent told the team that wasn't the case and the Cowboys "decided to go silent" in regard to future negotiations. "Not one demand has been made by my agent about money, years or anything else," Parsons wrote. "Still, I stayed quiet, but again, after repeated shots at myself and all the narrative, I have made a tough decision. "I no longer want to play for the Dallas Cowboys. My trade request has been submitted to [chief operating officer and co-owner] Stephen Jones personally."
