By Landee Kieschnick
TFB Communications Intern
It’s been a year full of optimism for many of the citrus growers in Texas. Despite the increase in costs due to pest and disease issues, citrus acreage in Texas is expected to increase from 27,000 acres this year to as much as 30,000 acres by next year, according to Dale Murden, grower and president of Texas Citrus Mutual.
“We’re about a 28,000-acre industry at the moment. Predominantly grapefruit, but our industry is a fresh fruit market. We try to grow as much as we can for the fresh market,” Murden, a former Texas Farm Bureau state director, said.
Most of the state’s citrus acreage is located in the lower Rio Grande Valley—Hidalgo, Cameron and Willacy counties.
Murden expects water to continue into the summer months. But a curveball that many citrus growers faced was the increased costs to manage pest and disease issues.
“The biggest issue we have right now is increased costs due to pest and disease issues, the Mexican Fruit Fly being one of them. We have to keep up with the regimented United States Department of Agriculture protocol for spraying to stay in compliance,” Murden said.
Another issue, Murden added, that needs attention is citrus greening. This causes each farmer to care differently for their trees.
With harvest underway from the first of October to what Murden expects could wrap up in April, reports show that about 60 percent of grapefruit are still remaining, which is ahead of last year, and 25 percent of early oranges remain.
“We can’t control the weather and we’re doing everything to keep pest and disease issues checked, but as long as the markets stay strong and healthy we should be okay. There’s just a lot we don’t control,” Murden said.