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
U.S. aquaculture may gain competitive ground as harmful subsidies are phased out abroad, but producers should monitor shifts in import supply chains and trade enforcement closely.
Producers may need to prepare for margin pressure in livestock feeding, while dairy farmers could benefit from stronger product demand.
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke L. Rollins today issued a new memorandum to modernize and strengthen America’s wildfire prevention and response system.
National Sorghum Producers CEO Tim Lust said farmers face a challenging year with strong supply, murky trade conditions, and uncertain access to their largest market: China.
Rather than making “cuts” to SNAP, as has been claimed, the One Big Beautiful Bill merely modifies the program’s funding structure.