Florida Orange Crop Expected to Be Small
From Associated Press
Florida will have the smallest orange crop in a decade after a series of hurricanes blew fruit off trees and flooded groves in the state, a federal forecast shows.
The state’s grapefruit crop will be down by nearly two-thirds from last season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said. Florida produces 75% of the nation’s citrus.
The diminished crops probably will increase prices growers earn for their fruit but have little effect on the price of fresh oranges, because most of Florida’s oranges are turned into juice. Juice drinkers too will be cushioned from price increases because of a large inventory held by processors last season.
