GIFFORD, Fla. — Area citrus growers say they made it through the cold snap without any major damage, but they have plenty of other issues to tackle to stay afloat.
"The quality of this crop is excellent — both internal and external," said Dan Richey, president of Riverfront Packing Company in Gifford.
His company's grapefruit is headed around the world to global markets.
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The cold temperatures over the weekend brought a tricky few nights for Richey, who spent hours in his groves, watching the mercury drop.
"We had a very heavy frost (Monday), so the last two mornings have been a little stressful," Richey said.
Fortunately, it didn't stay at 28 degrees or below for four hours, which would have caused big problems.
"When ice gets in the fruit, the vessels that hold the juice break and the juice runs out and the fruit dries out," Richey said.
It wasn't just the larger packinghouses who were crossing their fingers over the weekend.
Third-generation grower Louis Schacht of Schacht Groves said his trees have been under attack now for at least 15 years.
"Every year, ever since greening really came into the state, it's proved to be a bigger challenge," Schacht said.
Citrus greening stunts growth and sometimes makes the fruit inedible.
Growers have been fighting an uphill battle since it first appeared in Florida.
The USDA crop forecast says Florida will produce about 44.5 million boxes of oranges this growing season — the fewest since World War II.
"The mature trees that were mature before greening entered the state are starting to age out, and there’s just not enough new planting," Schacht said.
Richey's operation has planted 600 new acres of citrus, and the young trees are more susceptible to cold.
"We were very close to damage but we dodged that bullet," Richey said
These growers are both optimistic that because their industry has been under such stress, those that remain will be able to squeeze out a profit.
