Southeast AgNET

In this report, some insight and information on Citrus Expo scheduled for August 20 & 21, 2008 at Lee Civic Center in Ft. Myers. There are reasons Citrus Expo attracts ten times the number of real citrus growers in comparison to any other industry event. It’s two days of intensive grower seminars, and a sold out trade show with more than 150 exhibiting companies, making it THE place to be for serious citrus growers, production managers and grove business decision-makers. Pre-register now to make your arrival easiest and to help us plan for the crowd. And please leave your farmworker crews at home. This event is free for growers, production managers and other decision-makers involved in citrus production and industry. If you are a vendor or company representative who chooses not to sponsor or exhibit at Citrus Expo, you’re still welcome but you need to purchase a one- or two-day attendance pass. Find pre-registration, seminar and total program information at www.CitrusExpo.net. And click on the Report to hear more about it. Report (1:30 mp3)
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August 20 & 21 Lee Civic Center Ft Myers is the date this year for the World’s Premier Citrus Expo, still free for citrus growers and unquestionably the best attended citrus grower seminar and trade show event anywhere. Citrus Expo planning is entering its home stretch and only a few exhibit spaces remain available. Exhibitors should visit the website and contact us with reservation information soon if they plan to attend. Commercial vendors wanting to attend but not exhibit are also welcome, either as a sponsor at any level, or by purchasing a one- or two-day admission pass. CLICK HERE to go directly to the admissions information section of the website.
PRE-REGISTRATION IS OPEN AND ACTIVE ON LINE! Pre-registered growers will be entered to win a drawing for the John Deere Gun Safe sponsored by Everglades Farm Equipment again this year. You must be present to win of course, and PRE-REGISTRATION will get you in the door quick and easy. Find the DETAILS OF THE SEMINAR PROGRAM and a lot more information about the TRADE SHOW and other Citrus Expo events can be found at www.CitrusExpo.net.

Citrus growers planning to attend Citrus Expo 2008 August 20 & 21, 2008 at Lee Civic Center Ft Myers will want to pre-register to be eligible for the GUN SAFE DRAWING sponsored by EVERGLADES FARM EQUIPMENT! This year’s theme “Seeking Profitability Through Interim Innovations” is on target, thanks to input from growers and grower groups statewide. Two days of seminars will offer growers the very latest on numerous research projects focused on the industry’s biggest challenge, HLB, or “citrus greening”. Brochures will go in the mail soon, but why wait, pre-register now and be ahead of the game. CLICK HERE NOW to pre-register for Citrus Expo 2008! And hear more details in these two reports. Report (1:00 mp3) Report (2:00 mp3)

In this report, dates and details of two summer gatherings for citrus growers. First will be Florida Citrus Mutual’s Annual Conference June 11 - 13 at the Hyatt Regency Coconut Point Resort and Spa in Bonita Springs, FL. Then in August the “World’s Premiere Citrus Expo” August 20 and 21, 2008 at Lee Civic Center, Ft Myers, FL. Find all the details on Citrus Expo at www.CitrusExpo.net. Report (2:00 mp3)

Here is the very latest information on Citrus Expo 2008 Exhibitors & Sponsors (pdf file) and the Trade Show Floorplan.

The Steering Committee is also about to publish a long list of seminar topics to distribute around the industry for discussion. Please see a Steering Committee member in your area if you would like to have input on the 2008 Citrus Expo seminar programs.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – January 28, 2008
CITRUS EXPO EXHIBITOR SIGN UP AT RECORD PACE – PROGRAM PLANNING BEGINS!
Exhibitor reservations for the 17th annual Citrus Expo August 20 & 21, 2008 at Lee Civic Center Ft. Myers are well ahead of schedule even before initial exhibitor brochures have been distributed. More than half of the available exhibit spaces have been reserved months earlier than at anytime in history.
Meanwhile, Citrus Expo Steering Committee members are seeking grower input (see end of this post for list of committee members) Read the rest of this entry »

Citrus Expo The Florida Dept of Citrus (FDOC) booth at Citrus Expo this year was set up to provide growers with information.  In the first report, FDOC marketing efforts and the science behind them is explored.  In the second report, what is ‘in store’ for retail marketing of Florida citrus products for the coming year.
 FDOC Provides Growers with Information  Report (2:00 mp3)
 FDOC Targeting Retailers Report (1:45 mp3)

If you’ve been looking for Citrus Expo updates this week, sorry about the time lag. Fact is, we’ve had little time to post the news.  A record breaking crowd of more than 1750 people were on Expo grounds the first day, with day two attracting about 1,100, including growers, speakers and 150 exhibitors.  It’s been busy.  Broadcasts from Expo earlier this week, now posted below, include discussions of recent crop forecasts and USDA’s official crop forecast upcoming, and news from the New Varieties Development and Management Corporation (NVDMC). In other posts yet to come, Citrus Department updates from Citrus Expo and more. 
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)

Citrus Expo brings citrus growers and industry leaders from all around Florida and around the world to Ft Myers, FL this week. Wednesday night, a Gulf Citrus Growers’ Association banquet in downtown Ft Myers will feature Congressman Tim Mahoney. Hear more in these reports.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)
Sponsoring this news posting: and
Find information at USDA’s Website About the Citrus Health Response Program

Citrus Expo has smashed all pre-registration records of its 16 year history with well over 600 growers pre-registering for this year’s event Wednesday and Thursday at Lee Civic Center in Ft Myers. Commercial citrus growers are still welcome to attend and register at the door, and hundreds more are expected to do so. The seminar hall has been enlarged with theatre seating arranged for a larger crowd, and more than 150 exhibitors will pack the trade show. Registration is free for commercial citrus growers, grove managers, owners and industry leaders, doors open at 8:00 a.m. both days of the show.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)
Sponsoring this news posting: and
Find information at USDA’s Website About the Citrus Health Response Program

Citrus Expo 2007 expects to host the largest crowd of commercial citrus growers EVER in its 16-year history. Two days of intensive seminars will focus on ‘greening’ and ‘canker’ updates and information from around the world, and the trade show is sold out with what is also believed to be the largest exhibitor turnout ever, with more than 150 companies to be on display. Hear more details in these reports, and in the second report below, hear about new technology from Syngenta that will make grove scouting recordkeeping far easier.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)
Sponsoring this news posting: and
Find information at USDA’s Website About the Citrus Health Response Program

Citrus Expo is a private industry two-day seminar and trade show program for commercial citrus growers, grove owners, managers and industry leaders. It is set for Wednesday and Thursday, August 22 & 23, 2007 in Ft Myers. Hear more general details in report one posted below. In the second report, Dr Bill Castle at University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center in Lake Alfred says day two of the seminars should have some valuable production tips regarding future grove designs and production systems applications.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)
Sponsoring this news posting: and
Pre-register for Seminars and Trade Show attendance at
Find information at USDA’s Website About the Citrus Health Response Program

One of the bigger issues still looming over citrus and vegetable industries is the availability of sufficient farm labor when farmers need it the most. Regardless of what Congress may or may not do about immigration laws, H2A programs will continue to allow farmers to access foreign labor. Although the program is complex, H2A-USA is a company set up to help farmers simplify the process a great deal. In these reports President/CEO Mike Nobles explains why his customers like the service, and why he believes the H2A program will be around for a long time to come. Nobles and several of his H2A-USA team will be on hand at Citrus Expo to meet with growers and answer questions.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Report (2:00 mp3)
Pre-register for Seminars and Trade Show attendance at

An expert in H2A Labor access for agricultural producers says lots of farmers are confused about how H2A workers CAN in fact work in the same fields as traditional workers without equal pay requirements. Mike Nobles is President and CEO of H2A-USA, a firm that cuts through the confusion of H2A rules to help farmers get the labor they need, when they need it. Hear his comments about the FACTS of this issue in this report, and meet Nobles and the rest of the H2A-USA team at Citrus Expo in Ft. Myers August 22 & 23.
Report (2:00 mp3)
Pre-register for Seminars and Trade Show attendance at

This year there are many new exhibitors who have joined the show. One exciting new addition is Cabela’s Outdoor Outfitters who has joined the Expo as a Platinum Exhibitor. With their closest retail store to Florida located in northern Georgia, Cabela’s has joined our show to promote their online store www.Cabelas.com. Make plans to visit Cabela’s at booth #502, and check out what they have to offer for all of your outdoor needs!

The 16th Annual Citrus Expo is set for Wednesday and Thursday August 22 & 23, Lee Civic Center Ft Myers. This is not a farmworker event. Citrus Expo is a private event for the serious grower, production manager, leader, executive and decision maker in the citrus industry. The Expo Steering Committee recently met to fine tune the most in-depth seminar and trade show program available in the citrus community. Trade show exhibits are well ahead of last year. Seminars include greening experts from several countries flying in to join numerous others on the two day program. Hear more details in this report and visit the website to pre-register! Pre-registered growers will be entered in a drawing for a gun safe donated by Everglades Farm Equipment.
Report (2:00 mp3)

There seems to be some concern and misconception among some who have become accustomed to free exhibit space at Citrus Expo, about the new “Comp” exhibit policy for 2007. The details of this new policy along with lots of other information can be found at the Citrus Expo website . Please get the facts at the website. For those who want a few more thoughts on the matter, read on… Read the rest of this entry »

Planning and resevations for the world’s largest citrus grower seminar and trade show are way ahead of last year. A year ago exhibitor brochures had just gone in the mail, but now at the end of March 2007 well over half the exhibit spaces are already booked for the August 22&23, 2007 Citrus Expo!

Grower seminars will feature top canker and greening experts from around the globe to join UF/IFAS top guns for one of the strongest grower programs ever to address these cutting edge topics in an up-to-the-minute format. Day two will feature what growers need to know about planting new groves in the future, including up-to-date status reports from the citrus nursery industry. It’s a seminar for serious citrus growers planned by citrus growers who want and need pointed information to help answer the most pressing citrus production questions of our time.

Citrus EXPO Invites and Welcomes for Free Admission & Lunch Both Days: Growers, Grove Owners, Production Managers & Decision-Makers involved in the production of citrus fruit. Advance grower registration will open on-line June 1, 2007.

Citrus Expo Targets and Highlights Exhibitor and Sponsorship Support from Businesses and Individuals selling to or doing business with citrus growers. Exhibitor information and other Expo details are available online. Visit the Citrus Expo Website pages for rates, reservation, floorplan and other details.

The 2007 Citrus Expo is only 6 months away, and the planning process is coming together well! Exhibitors are signing up for the tradeshow, and members of the Citrus Expo Planning Committee are working to create a seminar program that citrus growers won’t want to miss. The next seminar planning committee meeting is scheduled for March 5th. If you have any suggestions on topics you would like to here at this years Expo, please share your ideas by sending an email to office@southeastagnet.com
Log on to the Citrus Expo Website for information on becoming an exhibitor or sponsor, or to view the most current list of those companies already involved.

FL Dept of Citrus Director of Domestic Marketing Leigh Killeen discusses the effectiveness of working directly with major retailers, showing them how to make more money by stocking FL Orange Juice and citrus products more effectively and efficiently.   Report (2:00 wma)

Teresa Stewart is the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) coordinator for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service in Florida.  Exhibiting at Citrus Expo recently, Teresa says NRCS encourages growers to sign up for funding help to establish windbreaks in groves, to help stem spread of citrus canker.  Report (2:00 wma)

All of the photos I took at Citrus Expo have been loaded into an online Flickr Photo Album. I thinks there’s about 245 of them. Using the link below, you can look at them individually or watch them as a slideshow on your computer. I hope you enjoy them.

2006 Citrus Expo Photo Album

Juice Sponsor at the 2006 Citrus Expo was Florida’s Natural Growers.

Dave Crumbly (seated on the right) talked with me about their company and a new product they recently introduced.  Report (2:00 wma)

Learn more about Florida’s Natural Growers, a grower owned cooperative.

Lutgert Insurance Company was another of the many exhibitors at the annual Citrus Expo, but they were also one of our Platinum Sponsors.

I talked with Jay Roth about the types of insurance they offer.  Report (1:50 wma)

Traffic at the 2006 Citrus Expo was great this year, something Benny McLean with McClean Ag Chem Inc. was happy to see.

They were one of our Platinum Sponsors this year and I talked with Benny about what all they have to offer citrus growers.  Report (2:00 wma)

Most everyone at this year’s Citrus Expo really enjoyed the Beast Feast Lunch, which was sponsored in part by Magna Bon.

During the expo I had a chance to talk with Frank Miele of Magna Bon about not only the beast feast, but also about their products.  Report (2:20 wma)

There’s a new promotion which is a team effort between the Tampa Bay Bucaneers, Hess, and the Florida Department of Citrus that many growers learned about at the 2006 Citrus Expo.

Gary Cooper caught with with FDOC’s Leigh Killeen find out more about it. Report (2:00 wma)

Bayer Crop Science was one of the Platinum sponsors of the 2006 Citrus Expo as David Owens is shown chatting with a couple of growers at the booth.

I was able to grab David in between talking with all those who stopped by his booth for a quick interview.  Report (2:30 wma)

Learn more about the products from Bayer Crop Science at their website

One of our exhibitors and sponsors here at Citrus Expo is Stallings Crop Insurance.

Randall Weiseman spoke with Jeff Albritton (pictured on right) earlier today. Jeff talks about what he’s been speaking to growers about including new insurance products.

Listen to Randall’s interview with Jeff here: Jeff Albritton Interview (2 min WMA)

John Aldous is here with Everglades Farm Equipment, an exhibitor and sponsor of Citrus Expo.

Randall Weiseman caught up to John earlier today. John talks about the products they have on display for citrus growers here in their booth.

Listen to Randall’s interview with John here: John Aldous Interview (2 min WMA)