The theme of this year’s Citrus Expo seminar program, “Production basics to ensure the future,” will help growers continue to do what they do best — for years to come. The event takes place Aug. 15-16 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. As always, the seminars will offer multiple CEUs and CCAs. Visit the Citrus Expo website for more information on the event.
Planning is underway for the seminar programs at Citrus Expo, set for Aug. 15-16. Growers may preregister online now. Learn more about Expo, including how to preregister, in this report.
Growers John Strang and Joby Sherrod shared their experiences with recently planted advanced citrus production system groves
at Citrus Expo in August. In these interviews, one or both discuss the cost of the system, the likelihood it will be profitable, future plans, and more.
University of Florida economist Fritz Roka takes a broad look at citrus labor costs. He addresses the high cost of harvesting labor late this spring, the cost of regulatory compliance and the impact the immigration debate may have had on labor cost and availability, among other things.
Many Florida citrus growers and harvesters have long declared that the federal H-2A program, which allows the use of foreign workers in groves, is very difficult to use. Judy Wertz-Strickland expressed the opposite opinion when she spoke at the recent Citrus Expo.
Again this year we would like to thank members of the Florida FFA Association State Officer team for helping out here at Citrus Expo. I was able to talk with State President Charlie Brown about their experience in working here at Expo this year.
Lunch is being served here at day 2 of Citrus Expo as it’s steak day and folks are lined up to enjoy a great meal, prepared once again by Buddy Sullivan who is outside with his helpers preparing steaks for today’s meal.
If you are close by there is still plenty of time to stop by the Lee Civic Center here in Ft. Myers as the trade show is open until 2:00 this afternoon.
It’s another great crowd at the 20th anniversary of Citrus Expo here in Ft. Myers as folks are taking in both the seminars and trade show. And one booth growers have been stopping by is Syngenta, as their Agronomic Service Rep John Taylor told me they have a portfolio to fit growers needs.
The federal guest worker program H-2A has become a topic of great interest to Florida citrus growers who faced labor shortages last season. Two of the Citrus Expo seminar speakers on Wednesday discussed H-2A. Florida Fruit and Vegetable Association’s Labor Relations Director, Mike Carlton, explained the steps necessary to use the H-2A program. He also informed the crowd of several potential labor programs that are being proposed in Congress. Of the programs being debated, the Legal Agricultural Workforce Act of 2011 appears to be the best option for the citrus industry, he said. The Legal Agricultural Workforce Act would be administered by the Department of Agriculture, would not require worker housing, and would allow for a market-based wage. Read the rest of this entry »
Day two of the 2011 Citrus Expo gets underway this morning as registration opens at 7:30 with the trade show starting at 8:00. And one booth you’ll want to stop by is AgraQuest where you can get information about their product Serenade. I was able to talk with Sarah Reiter, their Director of Global Marketing, about what this product will do and what else they have for growers at their booth.
That beautiful John Deere gun safe has a new home as Wayne Lewis is the winner here at the 2011 Citrus Expo. Our thanks again to Everglades Farm Equipment for sponsoring this giveaway this year as every pre-registered grower was entered in this years drawing.
KeyPlex is a name you will see on banners hung throughout the 2011 Citrus Expo and also on the lanyards used for individual name badges at this years event. This premier sponsor has a product citrus growers are learning more about as I talked with KeyPlex CEO Gerald O’Connor about how it works.
Citrus Research and Development Foundation Program Manager Tom Turpen Wednesday told Citrus Expo attendees how the foundation makes research funding decisions in an effort to find solutions to HLB.
The availability of labor and its cost has been a hot topic for Florida citrus growers recently. University of Florida economist Fritz Roka focused on the cost of labor in his Citrus Expo presentation Wednesday.
Another one of the premier sponsors at this years Citrus Expo in Ft. Myers is Everglades Farm Equipment, as they have a variety of John Deere products here for growers to learn about. Their site manager, Mark Henderson, talked with me about what all they brought this year.
The trade show and seminars are all underway at the 20th anniversary edition of the Citrus Expo. And in the trade show Bayer CropScience, one of our premier sponsors, is talking with growers about a variety of products including a brand new one called Alion. I had a chance to talk with both Product Manager Jerome Kovar and Tech Service Rep Mike Edenfield about what it can do for citrus growers.
Pre-registered growers attending the 20th annual Citrus Expo today and tomorrow will be eligible to win this popular John Deere gun safe sponsored by Everglades Farm Equipment.
And another great prize that all attendees will want to sign up for is a River Grille Ceramic Grill with cart. Just take the ticket supplied in your name badge by the Cabela’s booth to enter.
Plus there will be various other giveaways during the two-day event. The trade show is open today from 8:00am until 4:00pm and Thursday from 8:00am until 2:00pm. The seminars start this morning at 9:30 all at the the Lee Civic in Ft. Myers.
The first report tells what’s happening on the first day of Citrus Expo today; the second report previews Thursday activities, especially the seminar program.
The 2011 Citrus Expo offically kicks off tomorrow but set-up day is underway.
The Lee Civic Center in Ft. Myers is the setting for this years event as various industry folks are on hand today preparing their booth spaces for the show as registration opens at 7:00 Wednesday morning.
And even though the rain has been falling for the past hour, equipment and more continues to move in for the 20th anniversary of the Citrus Expo this Wednesday and Thursday in Ft. Myers.
Today, vendors are setting up displays in preparation for Citrus Expo, which runs Wednesday and Thursday at Lee Civic Center near Fort Myers; the first report provides an overview.
On Aug. 18 at 9:40 a.m., Gary Briscoe of Barron Collier will speak on “What is being applied, how is it being applied and the results” as part of the Grower Perspective section of the Citrus Expo seminar program. Briscoe joins Bryan Belcher of Davis Citrus Management, who will also speak on this topic.
Citrus Expo takes place this Wednesday and Thursday at Lee Civic Center near Fort Myers. This report provides a brief overview and tells where to find complete information about Citrus Expo.
The University of Florida’s Fritz Roka in the first of these reports addresses the need for psyllid control to manage HLB, then discusses the cost of nutritionals used to keep HLB-infected trees productive.
In the second report, he suggests that growers compare nutritional product ingredients to get the most bang for their buck, and says research increasingly offers hope that growers can live with HLB and even be profitable.
The theme of this year’s Citrus Expo seminar program, “Production basics to ensure the future,” will help growers continue to do what they do best — for years to come. The event takes place Aug. 15-16 at the Lee Civic Center in North Fort Myers. As always, the seminars will offer multiple CEUs and CCAs. Visit the Citrus Expo website for more information on the event.
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Again this year we would like to thank members of the Florida FFA Association State Officer team for helping out here at Citrus Expo. I was able to talk with State President Charlie Brown about their experience in working here at Expo this year. 
Lunch is being served here at day 2 of Citrus Expo as it’s steak day and folks are lined up to enjoy a great meal, prepared once again by Buddy Sullivan who is outside with his helpers preparing steaks for today’s meal. 
It’s another great crowd at the 20th anniversary of Citrus Expo here in Ft. Myers as folks are taking in both the seminars and trade show. And one booth growers have been stopping by is Syngenta, as their Agronomic Service Rep John Taylor told me they have a portfolio to fit growers needs. 
Day two of the 2011 Citrus Expo gets underway this morning as registration opens at 7:30 with the trade show starting at 8:00. And one booth you’ll want to stop by is AgraQuest where you can get information about their product Serenade. I was able to talk with Sarah Reiter, their Director of Global Marketing, about what this product will do and what else they have for growers at their booth. 
That beautiful John Deere gun safe has a new home as Wayne Lewis is the winner here at the 2011 Citrus Expo. Our thanks again to Everglades Farm Equipment for sponsoring this giveaway this year as every pre-registered grower was entered in this years drawing. 
KeyPlex is a name you will see on banners hung throughout the 2011 Citrus Expo and also on the lanyards used for individual name badges at this years event. This premier sponsor has a product citrus growers are learning more about as I talked with KeyPlex CEO Gerald O’Connor about how it works. 
Another one of the premier sponsors at this years Citrus Expo in Ft. Myers is Everglades Farm Equipment, as they have a variety of John Deere products here for growers to learn about. Their site manager, Mark Henderson, talked with me about what all they brought this year. 
The trade show and seminars are all underway at the 20th anniversary edition of the Citrus Expo. And in the trade show Bayer CropScience, one of our premier sponsors, is talking with growers about a variety of products including a brand new one called Alion. I had a chance to talk with both Product Manager Jerome Kovar and Tech Service Rep Mike Edenfield about what it can do for citrus growers. 
Pre-registered growers attending the 20th annual Citrus Expo today and tomorrow will be eligible to win this popular John Deere gun safe sponsored by Everglades Farm Equipment. 
And another great prize that all attendees will want to sign up for is a River Grille Ceramic Grill with cart. Just take the ticket supplied in your name badge by the Cabela’s booth to enter. 
The 2011 Citrus Expo offically kicks off tomorrow but set-up day is underway. 
The Lee Civic Center in Ft. Myers is the setting for this years event as various industry folks are on hand today preparing their booth spaces for the show as registration opens at 7:00 Wednesday morning. 
And even though the rain has been falling for the past hour, equipment and more continues to move in for the 20th anniversary of the Citrus Expo this Wednesday and Thursday in Ft. Myers. 
