Crop growth expected to go up 5 percent
PHOTO BY JAMES COULTER
Sen. Bill Nelson speaks of his accomplishments in Congress obtaining research funding to help combat the Citrus Greening Disease outbreak in Florida.
PHOTO BY JAMES COULTER
Citrus growers waiting in line for their breakfast.
PHOTO BY JAMES COULTER
Every year, members of the local citrus industry gather to enjoy breakfast while listening to the annual crop estimates from the USDA.
PHOTO BY JAMES COULTER
Guests congregating outside the barn waiting for the breakfast to begin.
PHOTO BY JAMES COULTER
As the estimates were announced over the radio, they were written on a whiteboard for all to see.
The citrus crop in Florida was predicted to grow by 5 percent in the coming year, farmers heard at the annual crop estimate breakfast Thursday.
The 2012 Florida Citrus Crop Estimate Breakfast was held about 14 miles from Bartow, down a secluded dirt path off of Marshall Road where nestled within the orange trees is Ray-Bob Groves.
