Florida’s orange growers have a tough road ahead. Hurricane Helene and Milton took a toll on groves in the state, sending orange juice futures soaring.
Florida Citrus Mutual says Hurricane Milton directly hit Florida’s citrus groves. They say it is still too early to know the exact damage, but say harvest was already underway when the storm hit. The high winds came just as fruits were at their heaviest, making them more susceptible to the storm’s wrath.
This all comes as Florida orange growers battle some of the worst decades in history. Data from USDA shows a massive drop-off from the early 2000’s, which is when citrus greening became a problem for growers there.
USDA estimates Florida’s orange production fell more than 90 percent over the last 20 years.
