February 2001

Editor:
J. J. Ferguson
Extension Horticulturist
Horticultural Sciences Department
University of Florida
PO Box 110690
Gainesville, FL 32611-0690
JJFN@GNV.IFAS.UFL.EDU

Newsletter Index

IN THIS ISSUE . . . . .

• Upcoming Events
• Rootstocks for Valencia on the Ridge
• Citrus Processing: A Complete Guide
• Now Available from IFAS/Extension Bookstores
• Preparation of Directory of Growers
• What is the Organic Farming Listserve?
• Florida Organic Certifying Agencies

Rootstocks for Valencia on the Ridge

Field Day at Bentley Lynchburg Block, Winter Haven, 10:30 am, March 15, 2001.

Swingle and Carrizo have been the favored rootstocks for new plantings of Valencia the past 12 years. Many other rootstocks are being discussed as possible alternatives. If you are concerned about selecting the BEST rootstock for use in new plantings and replants, then you need to attend this field day! Valencia trees on 21 rootstocks and planted in 1991 have been studied by USDA through the first six harvest seasons in this replicated cooperative trial with Bentley Brothers in Polk County. The trial is close spaced (8 x 18 ft) and on Candler fine sand soil (pH 6.4-7.0). Come see for yourself how Swingle, Carrizo, Sun Chu Sha, Sour orange, Gou Tou, Sunki, Vangasay lemon, some promising new hybrids (including US-812), and others compare while the seventh crop is still on the tree. Some of the differences in tree size, health, crop, and fruit quality are huge!

The hosts are Kim Bowman, Steve Futch, Bo Griffin, and the IFAS Rootstock Extension Team. The site is located just north of Highway 92 between Lake Alfred and Auburndale. Turn north from Highway 92 (across from the airport) onto Lynchburg Road and go about a half mile. Please park along Lynchburg Road on the right and walk through the canker wash station before entering the grove. Special thanks to Chemical Containers, Inc. for providing the wash station. Plan to arrive between 10 and 10:30 a.m. See you there!

Citrus Processing: A Complete Guide

Second Edition. Dan A. Kimball. 1999. Aspen Publishers, Inc. Gaithersburg, Maryland. 450 p. ISBN 0-8342-1258-7. $95.00. A 15% discount can be obtained by citing this reference number: CPM0201. Direct orders to Christine Gilstrap, Aspen Publishers 200 Orchard Ridge Drive, Gaithersburg, MD, 20878. Christine.gilstrap@aspenpubl.com; ph:(301)417-7585; fax:(301)417-7650

After a confluence of technological developments stimulated the development of the citrus juice processing industry after the second world war, frozen canned orange juice (FCOJ) became a shopping-cart staple. FCOJ subsequently spurred rapid growth of the US citrus industry, with Florida and California currently producing approximately 70 and 25% respectively of the US citrus crop. About 95% of Florida citrus is processed, compared with 25% of California’s crop.

Falling within the purview of food scientists, the technical and biochemical aspects of citrus processing have been described by Steven Nagy and others in a two-volume text, "Citrus Science and Technology," published in 1977 and most recently by Robert Braddock in the "Handbook of Citrus by-Products Processing Technology," (1999) and Dan Kimball’s 1999 updating of his 1991 publication, "Citrus Processing : A Complete Guide." While Braddock’s book was oriented towards industrial and academic scientists with an emphasis on citrus by-products, Kimbal targets audiences, "learning from the ground up," including laboratories, the company boardroom, and the managerial office. At the heart of the book are chapters on "Processing Methods, Equipment and Engineering," "Quality Control," "Analyses of Brix, Soluble Solids, Acids, Oils, and Pulp" and "Analyses of Other Citrus Juice Characteristics." Also included in the chapter on quality control is a discussion on statistical procedures for quality control of processed juice. The chapter on "Analyses of Citrus Microbiology" is especially relevant, given the current emphasis on food safety, as are sections on processing contamination, adulteration, FDA inspections and contracted sanitation audits to prepare for such inspections. Computer applications like programmable logic controllers that can use graphics to depict and control processing plant equipment and radio frequency transaction managers that can be used to transmit data to a distant computer are also discussed, along with other software applications, local area networks and internet links.

Sixteen color plates, black and white photographs, numerous illustrations and figures, detailed tables, lab procedures, cleanly boxed separately from text, and accompanying equations make this carefully planned and written text a valuable reference. Additional literature is cited at the end of each chapter, and when discussing specific topics like Brix analyses in one chapter, references are made to relevant topics in other chapters. Although a list of illustrations, figures and tables is not provided after the table of contents, they can be accessed through the extensive index.

Citrus anatomy, biology, taxonomy, and distribution are addressed in the first few chapters. However, information is not always current. ‘Ruby’ is mentioned as a Florida blood orange whereas ‘Cara Cara’ is now the most common such cultivar; ‘Washington’ navel oranges produce poorly in Florida, "leaving Florida to other local navel varieties," yet only ‘Washington’ navels are listed in a table as the main navel cultivar in Florida; the term "rootstalks" = rhizomes? are used instead of the "rootstocks."

Although focusing on those who "design, build and run" processing plants, the author’s avowed holistic approach could perhaps have included more information on current marketing trends and returns; on the 30%-and-growing market share of not- from-concentrate (NFC) orange juice, a pasteurized, single-strength juice stored aseptically until marketed, usually within a year; the impact of newly-minted National Organic Standards on processing requirements for organic juice, the fastest growing sector in retail markets in Europe and North America.

"Citrus Processing: A Complete Guide" is a valuable, inclusive reference and training text, a laboratory manual for citrus processing, and a management guide, with insightful suggestions on improving and updating plant operations.

Jim Ferguson

Now Available from IFAS/Extension Bookstores

Management Practices for Young Citrus Trees in Florida

by Jim Ferguson and Fred Davies

Published by IFAS Communication Services

Over four million young citrus trees, both new planting and replacement trees, continue to be planted in Florida every year. While worldwide prices and oversupply of some cultivars may affect acreage planted in the future, young tree care is still a critical phase of growth development for Florida growers. In Management Practices for Young Citrus Trees in Florida, Jim Ferguson and Fred Davies discuss the major production practices and problems associated with growing young citrus trees in commercial groves during the first three years after planting. The discussion includes tree selection and planting; irrigation; fertilization; cold protection; and weed, pest and disease control, with emphasis placed on the most current economical and environmentally sound production practices. The price of the publication is $5.00. For more information, call IFAS Publications at (352) 392-1764 or click here to fill in or print an order form.

Preparation of Directory of Growers

Gary Brinen is 2001 Agricultural Directory of Growers Who Sell Directly to Growers Who Sell Directly to Consumers. It is a directory that lists vegetable, fruit, ornamental plant, honey, livestock, egg, hay, peanut, etc., producers are well as producers of services like tilling and tractor work. Whether you were in the 2000 Directory or not, call 352-955-2402 (voice) or 352-955-2406 (hearing impaired - tdd/tyy) by Friday, March 9, 2001, if you want to be listed in the 2001 Directory. You may also contact us by email at Alachua@mail.ifas.ufl.edu.

There is no charge and we distribute directories all over North-Central Florida. We also refer a lot of people over the phone using the directory. If you have questions, please contact Gary Brinen at 352-955-2402 or ghb@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu .

Gary Brinen, Alachua County Cooperative Extension Service

What is the Organic Farming Listserve?

The Organic Farming Listserve is a way for Florida organic farmers and others interested in organic farming to communicate with each other, share information and send/receive announcements of general interest. Essentially it is an email list in which all messages to the listserve address are sent to everyone who has indicated they wish to be added to the list. Anyone can add/delete themselves to the list and any member of the list can post messages to the list for everyone else to read.

Hopefully, this listserve can improve statewide communication about organic farming questions, problems and resources. Give it a try!

How do I subscribe?

To subscribe to the listserve, you must have an email account and access to electronic mail.

1) Log in to your email account and invoke mail.
2) To subscribe to the Organic Farming Listserve mailing list, send an email message to: mailserv@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu 
3) Type the following message as the message text: sub organic
4) Send the mail message.
5) You will receive an email confirmation of your subscription to the list like this:

The address: jjfn@mail.ifas.ufl.edu  has been added to the organic mailing list by Jim Ferguson

6) To send a message to the listserve, the address is organic@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu
7) To remove your email address name from the organic listserve, send the following command:
"unsub organic" to mailserv@gnv.ifas.ufl.edu

Florida Organic Certifying Agencies

Organic Certifying Agents

The Florida Department of Agriculture licenses agencies ($500.00/year) to act as Organic Certifying Agents after review by the Organic Food Advisory Council. This list is maintained by the Bureau of Compliance Monitoring (Contact Van Madden; (850)487-3863; As of 11/8/99 only two agencies were licensed, down from six in previous years.

The first step in becoming a certified organic grower is to contact one of the below listed agencies for information about certifying fees and certification standards, which usually are sold as a manual. While there may be some difference among the standards of different organic certifying agencies, these standards are generally the same. National Organic standards have been under discussion since the passage of the Organic Farming and Food Bill in 1990, but no definite date has been set for the completion of this process. If you’re certified by one of the below agencies, you will probably also maintain certification when the national standards are approved. (List update 2/20/01)

Florida Certified Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc.
1810 Northwest 6th Street, Suite F
Gainesville, FL 32609

Organic Crop Improvement Association
1001 Y Street, Suite B
Lincoln, NE  68508-1172
Phone: 402-477-2323
Fax: 402-477-4325
http://www.ocia.on.ca/

Oregon Tilth Certified Organic
1860 Hawthorne Avenue NE, Suite 200
Salem, OR  97303
Phone: 503-378-0690
Fax: 503-378-0809
http://www.tilth.org/

Quality Assurance International
12526 High Bluff Drive, Suite 300
San Diego, CA  92130
Phone: 858-792-3531
Fax: 858-792-8665

American Organic Growers and Consumers, Inc.
1706 South Kings Avenue
Brandon, FL  33511-6216

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This page is maintained by Susie Futch and was last updated on February 20, 2001.