Citrus Growers Hopeful As Harvest Begins

    “So far, what we are seeing is promising.”
    The citrus picking season is underway in North Lake County, with area growers ramping up for a season that has shown early signs of positivity. Faryna Grove Care's Kris Sutton this week provided an early-season update this week.
    Sutton said navels, the first variety to be picked each season, are off to a good start.
    “So far, for only two blocks, we’re up,” Sutton said, after having seen a greater yield so far. In fact, tree weight growth has been substantial.
    “We are around 25% up. If it will stay that way, it’s too soon to tell.”
    Sutton feels tree health is helping with yields, and samples tasted on Monday show fruit flavor is also improved over some recent years.
    “The trees look better to me. I think they are starting to fight off greening a little bit. I don’t think I see the greening impact like it was.”
    In the early years of citrus greening a decade ago, citrus trees died quickly from the impact of the bacterium that impacts trees' ability to draw nutrition from the ground. Today, the remaining trees seem to have stabilized, at least a bit.
    “They seem healthier this year,” Sutton said of the trees that are among the estimated 600 acres the firm oversees.
    Keeping existing trees alive is key to the future of the industry here, as few new trees are being planted by growers. While Sutton said prices remain stable, costs are still high to produce fruit, and margins are tight. In addition, land values have risen at a quick rate.
    “People are selling their land because land values are up so much,” said Sutton.
    The pressure of housing development is just the latest challenge facing those hoping to keep the once-dominant citrus industry alive in Lake County. For those looking to stay in the citrus industry, a year of growing yields and healthier trees would be just what the doctor ordered.