Daniel Cooper

Contributor at Citrus Industry Magazine

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Articles

Managing Aggressive Weeds in Citrus

4 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

Ramdas Kanissery gave advice for growers in a May 20 virtual presentation about managing aggressive weeds in citrus. Kanissery is a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences associate professor of horticultural sciences at the Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. A summary of his recommendations follows. Regular grove monitoring helps catch weed escapes from herbicide programs.
Nearly $23 Million Awarded for HLB Research

4 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA/NIFA) announced May 28 it has invested nearly $23 million in 14 HLB projects in 2025. The projects seek to find solutions to combat and prevent HLB in citrus. The projects are part of the Emergency Citrus Disease Research and Extension Program. The University of Florida is the only organization to receive multiple awards; it received eight.
Precision Ag for Louisiana Citrus

5 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

Anna Timmerman, a horticulture agent for the Louisiana State University (LSU) AgCenter, had to think swiftly to deal with a salt wedge that was rising up the Mississippi River. She was particularly worried how the saltwater would affect Plaquemines Parish citrus producers. “I had to learn very quickly — what to do and what to recommend in terms of salinity,” Timmerman said. “Our water table is saline, too.”Timmerman has been named the new citrus point of contact for the LSU AgCenter.
Injection Month Affects Fruit Size, Juice Quality and OTC Residues

5 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

By Ute Albrecht, Gabriel Pugina, Caroline Tardivo, Jasmine de Freitas and Deived de CarvalhoThe month during which oxytetracycline (OTC) injections are performed can have a considerable impact on fruit size, juice quality and OTC fruit residues.
Management Methods for Alternate Bearing

6 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

Practices that might help with alternate bearing were recently addressed in a report by Mary Sutton, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and citrus Extension specialist. Alternate bearing, a common problem in many mandarin varieties, is the tendency of a tree to produce a heavy crop one year followed by a light crop the subsequent year. A slightly edited version of Sutton’s report follows. Unfortunately, there is very little that can be done to increase the crop load in an off-year.
Dealing With Disease: Canker, Black Spot and More

6 days ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

As the rainy season in Florida is set to begin, we caught up with Megan Dewdney to discuss citrus canker and other disease issues. Dewdney is a plant pathologist with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. A: Dewdney: Citrus canker is common everywhere through the major citrus-growing areas. Most groves have the disease at least at a low level. We have been very fortunate in the last few seasons with dry springs.
Labor Concerns Addressed at Florida Ag Conference

1 week ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

Growers spend a substantial amount of money every year to employ a labor force for their crops. Labor is the main issue that John Walt Boatright deals with as director of government affairs at the American Farm Bureau Federation. “No matter where we go and no matter who we talk to in farm country, labor continues to be the focal point,” Boatright said. Labor is a point of contention because of its high costs.
Innovation and Sustainability: Lessons from Californiafor Georgia Citrus

1 week ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

By Lindy SavelleIn mid-April, members of the Georgia Citrus Association (GCA) traveled to California’s Central Valley to study the systems, innovations and strategies that have made the state a powerhouse in citrus production. Our goal was clear: to bring back ideas, solutions and inspiration that can help shape the future of Georgia’s growing citrus industry.
Mind Your Melon Event Provides Sneak Peek of Survey Data

1 week ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

Mind Your Melon recently hosted an event at Southern Hill Farms in Clermont, Florida, to share some insights on a mental health survey and to inform attendees about future plans for the program. Marshal and Taylor Sewell founded Mind Your Melon to raise awareness of mental health issues among farmers and others involved in agriculture. Marshal’s father took his life in 2007 after a strawberry crop failure on the family farm in Plant City, Florida.
Keeping Florida Feral Hog Trapping Farmer-Friendly

1 week ago | citrusindustry.net | Daniel Cooper

In late 2021, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) published proposed changes to their trapping regulations. Many of the changes would have proven detrimental to farmers’ and ranchers’ ability to control feral hogs and other nuisance wildlife. After extensive public comment received from Florida Farm Bureau Federation (FFBF) and others, the FWC postponed its planned trapping regulations update.