The citrus industry, which once contributed at least $9 billion annually to Florida’s GDP, has been in significant decline for the past two decades due to a variety of factors.
Florida developed as a state right alongside its citrus industry, beginning over 500 years ago when citrus was first introduced by Spanish settlers and explorers. At its peak, the citrus industry was responsible for over 62,000 jobs in the state, a number that has plummeted to just 33,000 today.
In the 1997–98 season, Florida produced 244 million boxes of oranges. By the 2024–25 season, that number had plummeted to just 12 million; a staggering 95 percent decline.
The leading factor driving the change is citrus greening, a lethal disease that kills trees within years of being infected. It was first detected in Florida in the mid-2000s.
Citrus greening, also known as huanglongbing (HLB), is a devastating plant disease caused by a bacterium spread by the Asian citrus psyllid, a tiny insect that feeds on citrus tree leaves. The disease blocks nutrient flow within the tree, causing leaves to yellow, fruits to become misshapen and bitter, and eventually leads to tree death. There is currently no cure, and once infected, trees must often be removed.
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Florida lawmakers have poured millions of dollars into researching the disease in an attempt to save the industry; however, efforts to date have all been in vain.
Earlier this year, Alico Inc. once a major citrus producer in the state, announced it would be shutting down operations after this growing season due to a combination of hurricane impacts and citrus greening.
The company reported a 73 percent decline in citrus production over the past decade, citing the compounded effects of hurricanes in 2017, 2022, and 2024, along with the ongoing devastation caused by citrus greening. “These challenges have led Alico to conclude that growing citrus is no longer economically viable for us in Florida,” John Kiernan, the company’s president and CEO, told the Associated Press (AP) in January.
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Ecological degradation and climate impacts
Near the beginning of the century, when HLB first emerged in Florida, it was able to take hold more effectively due to decades of ecological degradation.
Research shows that the transition from traditional practices like cover cropping and biological pest control to intensive chemical management has had a profound impact on soil health in Florida’s citrus groves. As growers increasingly relied on synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, the natural balance of the soil degraded, leading to reduced microbial activity, nutrient loss, and long-term declines in grove resilience and productivity.
Compounding the problem, HLB also decreases the abundance of many soil microbes involved in nutrient cycling. Infected trees typically present with severe deficiencies in manganese, zinc, iron, phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, and boron.
These micronutrients are essential for a trees’ defensive mechanisms, and lower levels of them allow HLB to more readily take hold.
Hurricanes have also taken their toll on the industry.
Most recently, in 2022, Hurricane Ian impacted approximately 375,000 acres of citrus groves resulting in upwards of $675 million in damages and Hurricane Milton in 2024 dealt a deadly blow, negatively affecting around 70 percent of the most productive citrus acreage in Florida.
The 2004 hurricane season saw four major storms impact crop size and spread citrus canker to previously unimpacted areas.
Citrus canker is a highly contagious bacterial disease that causes lesions on citrus leaves, stems, and fruit. It leads to premature fruit drop, blemished produce, and reduced yields. Spread by wind, rain, and contaminated tools, the disease poses a serious threat to citrus crops and has led to widespread tree removals in efforts to contain outbreaks.
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The world’s dominate orange producer
Florida, once the world’s leading orange producer, has since lost that title to Brazil. However, the same intensive agricultural practices that contributed to Florida’s citrus decline are now threatening Brazil’s citrus groves as well.
According to the most recent data from Fundecitrus, a nonprofit organization based in São Paulo, Brazil, dedicated to safeguarding and advancing the citrus industry, the average incidence of HLB in Brazil’s Citrus Belt has hit 44.35 percent, affecting an astounding 90.36 million trees.
Like Florida’s citrus industry, Brazil’s citrus industry has relied too heavily on glyphosate, a broad-spectrum herbicide used to kill weeds and unwanted grasses. It’s the active ingredient in weed killers like Roundup.
Research shows that excessive use destroys tree micronutrients and can even result in a decrease in tree trunk diameters.
Growers fall into a deadly and destructive cycle. As herbicide resistance increases in their crops, they need to apply increasingly more glyphosate for the same result, further degrading soil health and micronutrient availability.
Environmental factors are also threatening Brazil’s citrus industry, including drought and extreme heat events, including one event that saw temperatures exceed 35°C (95°F) for 11 consecutive days in key citrus regions.
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The good news
While a full resurgence of Florida’s citrus industry remains unlikely in the near future, some growers have begun implementing operational changes that are showing signs of progress.
Edward James, a Florida citrus producer, had been struggling with HLB like many others. At one point almost all of his trees were dead due to the disease.
However, he now tends to a number of almost normal trees with excellent citrus yields. And, in an even more promising development, his input costs have dropped to a third of what is typical in citrus.
He doesn’t use insecticides or herbicides but instead uses cover crops.
Cover crops in citrus farming are non-cash plants—like legumes or grasses—grown between tree rows to improve soil health. They help prevent erosion, retain moisture, suppress weeds, boost soil fertility, and support beneficial insects, making them a sustainable alternative to bare or chemically treated ground.
Using this method boosts the amount of micronutrients in the soil and helps promote tree health and citrus production, and researchers have taken notice.
A recent study suggests that different mixtures of cover crops like legumes and nonlegumes increase soil carbon by 25 percent, improving soil fertility. The study also found that cover crops contribute vital micronutrients naturally to the soil and allow producers to avoid chemical management.
The practice appears to be taking hold. There have been more peer-reviewed publications concerning cover crops over the past four years than during the previous six decades.
