Florida citrus crop off to early start, promising bigger crop, larger fruit
Florida citrus crop off to early start, promising bigger crop, larger fruit
A large spring bloom and heavy summer rains should lead to a bigger Florida citrus crop this season, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Even better, growers have reported larger fruit sizes in early season varieties, welcome news after two seasons of smaller than average fruit.
Not only is Florida looking at promoting a bigger crop and larger fruit, perfect 2011 weather conditions have resulted in an early crop. Most citrus operations began harvesting in mid-October, two weeks ahead of typical seasons.