BARTOW, Fla \u2013 On a noon conference call today, the National Agricultural Statistics Service <\/a>of the U.S. Department of Agriculture released its annual forecast [PDF]<\/a> for the 2014-2015 citrus crop, which featured an increase in earlier, unofficial\u00a0projections for Florida\u2019s signature orange crop for the coming season.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0Florida Department of Citrus issued the following statement from executive director Doug Ackerman:<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe forecast released today is one more reason for the optimism we have seen throughout the summer in the faces of our growers. The numbers are encouraging but not surprising. In the face of enormous challenges, Florida\u2019s citrus industry has continued to set an example of courage, optimism and resilience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We still have a lot of work to do, but we know that the Florida Citrus industry has always prevailed through difficult times, because of the innovation and hard work our growers bring to the groves every single day. And for generations, Americans have rewarded that investment by making Florida Orange Juice the nation\u2019s most popular fruit juice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We head into the coming season with high spirits and the same relentless focus that we have had throughout the industry\u2019s darkest days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m excited by the team we\u2019ve put together here at the Department of Citrus, the guidance we\u2019re getting from the Florida Citrus Commission, the buy-in we\u2019re getting from our industry partners and the direction we\u2019re headed. We are very proud of the programs Florida Citrus will be rolling out throughout the season, each of which is designed to strengthen our relationships with the folks who already love Florida Orange Juice and to give new friends a chance to fall in love with the best-tasting juice on the planet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s another great day to be a fan of Florida Orange Juice.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n