BARTOW, Fla. \u2013 A report issued Tuesday by the\u00a0National Agricultural Statistics Service<\/a>\u00a0of the U.S. Department of Agriculture projected a slight decrease in the size of this season\u2019s Florida Orange crop, down less than 1 percent from the prior forecast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The\u00a0March forecast<\/a>\u00a0estimated\u00a0Florida orange production for the 2014-15 season at 102 million boxes \u2013 keeping this year\u2019s forecast slightly below the 2013-2014 season yield.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida grapefruit production\u00a0was\u00a0projected to remain consistent with prior forecasts at 15 million boxes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCitrus greening continues to have a huge impact on our industry,\u201d said Doug Ackerman, executive director of the Florida Department of Citrus. \u201cBut, there is also reason for hope. Growers in some parts of the state continue to report positive yields \u2013 proof that the hard work and dedication of our industry is making a difference. Together, with targeted research support, we will defeat this disease.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year\u2019s federal\u00a0Farm Bill<\/a>\u00a0is currently funding 22 greening research projects for a total of $30 million. The funding is part of $125 million dedicated to greening research over five years. Adam Putnam, Florida\u2019s Commissioner of Agriculture, is seeking\u00a0$18 million<\/a>\u00a0from the state budget to further support the battle against greening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The FDOC planned its budget for the current season on a yield of 100 million boxes. The Department\u2019s programs continue \u201cfull speed ahead,\u201d according to Ackerman.<\/p>\n\n\n\n About the Florida Department of Citrus<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The Florida Department of Citrus is an executive agency of Florida government charged with the marketing, research and regulation of the Florida citrus industry.\u00a0 Its activities are funded by a tax paid by growers on each box of citrus that moves through commercial channels.\u00a0 The industry employs nearly 62,000 people, provides an annual economic impact of nearly $10.7\u00a0billion to the state, and contributes hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenues that help support Florida\u2019s schools, roads and health care services. For more information about the Florida Department of Citrus, please visit\u00a0<\/em>FloridaCitrus.org<\/em><\/a>.<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The latest forecast projected Florida Oranges at 102 million boxes, kept Florida Grapefruit at 15 million boxes. BARTOW, Fla. \u2013 A report issued Tuesday by the\u00a0National Agricultural Statistics Service\u00a0of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":238,"template":"","fdoc_news_item_category":[101],"fdoc_citrus_type":[107,108],"fdoc_health_category":[],"class_list":["post-4183","fdoc-news-item","type-fdoc-news-item","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","fdoc_news_item_category-orange-production","fdoc_citrus_type-orange","fdoc_citrus_type-orange-juice"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t