‘It could come back’: The technique giving Florida citrus industry renewed hope about future crops
TAMPA, Fla. - Oranges were once a dominate cash crop in Florida, but diseases, freezes and hurricanes have battered the citrus industry.
Every day orange groves are being turned into new housing developments. But, Brad Turner believes he has a new way to grow oranges that isn't really all that new.
"No, this is the way my great-grandfather and grandfather grew oranges," Brad said. "They just didn't know why it worked and how it worked."
Several years ago, Brad, who grew up growing citrus, founded Sand to Soil Services, a consulting business that helps growers rebound from hard times.
Florida groves produced more than 300 million boxes of oranges as recently as 1998. Brad's father, George Turner, grew citrus for decades and he saw the decline.
"Fifteen years ago, we were doing 245 million boxes. Today, they do 20 million. They can't survive," he said.
There were killer freezes in the 1980s, diseases like Canker and Greening and massive storms like Hurricanes Irma and Ian. One forecast called for just 16 million boxes of oranges from Florida in the 2022-2023 season.
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But, Brad said there's reason for hope thanks to the new (and old) way he's teaching his clients. He points to a 15-acre grove near Inverness, and the lush ground cover beneath the trees gives a clue to his method.
"It's a little hard to get your head around letting weeds grow more than you used to, and using different types of fertilizers," said Brad.
It's called "Regenerative Growing." Cover plants placed beneath the trees help enrich the soil to achieve greater biological diversity.
Brad said it makes the trees healthier and more resistant to disease.
"I'm not anti-chemical, fertilizer or anything," he said. "I still use all of those things, but having an understanding of the causes and how to fix that."
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Brad admitted the citrus industry may never be what it once was, but he hasn't given up hope.
"I'm working with growers now where things look really, really good," he said.
Many growers and packing houses have gone out of business, but Brad has hope for a new day for the citrus industry.
"Where people have good production and everyone can make a living," he said. "I think it could come back."
His hope is that Florida Oranges don't become a memory and the methods used by his forefathers bring healthier, happier days to the groves.