This year’s Florida orange crop might be the smallest in 95 years!

Florida’s current orange crop is facing historically low numbers.

According to USDA ERS’s Catharine Weber, “Forecast for 2024-2025 marketing year is 522,000 tons, down 35% from last season. If realized, this Florida orange crop would be the smallest in 95 years.”

This is, of course, a huge concern for prices as Florida oranges have historically played a big role in meeting market demand.

“Florida oranges continue to play a major role in the U.S. orange juice industry, accounting for about 50% of oranges used in domestic production last season. Historically, Florida oranges have dominated the U.S. Florida orange juice industry, with Florida oranges accounting for around 90% of domestic orange juice production as recently as the 2016-2017 season.”

Weber says that with so few oranges in production this year, USDA ERS expects orange juice imports to rise higher this year than in years past.

Related Stories
Dr. Kelly Bruns from the Nebraska College of Technical Agriculture discusses how the college prepares students for careers in agriculture.
RFD NEWS Correspondent Frank McCaffrey was in Mission, Texas, where state and federal officials addressed growers and producers at a round table event hosted at a citrus grower’s facility. He shows us how welcome news was all around.
New Holland VP Ryan Schaefer shares insights into the brand’s legacy and innovations that support U.S. cattle producers.
Federal assistance has helped, but the most recent row-crop losses remain on producers’ balance sheets.
OOIDA’s Lewie Pugh discusses the EPA’s new Right to Repair guidance and other regulatory developments impacting the trucking and agriculture industries.