Florida freeze deepens orange-crop risk as weather gets colder
Tuesday, 12 January 2010
NEW YORK, Jan 11 (Bloomberg): Orange groves in Florida face their biggest damage threat since the state's freezing weather began more than a week ago as temperatures drop to record lows in some areas.
Florida, the world's biggest orange grower after Brazil, may lose 6 per cent to 10 per cent of its crop as temperatures plunge, said Alan Reppert, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc in State College, Pennsylvania. Orange-juice futures rose to a two-year high on January 8 on concern that the cold will reduce output already expected to be the lowest in three years.
Temperatures in Orlando may fall overnight to a record 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3.9 Celsius), and Tampa's forecast is for 26 degrees, the lowest ever for that date, AccuWeather said Sunday. Both cities reached lows of 29 degrees the previous night. Oranges can be damaged when temperatures fall below 28 degrees for several hours or more.
"We've got the coldest weather yet coming," said Dave Crumbly, the vice president of agricultural services in Lake Wales for Florida's Natural Growers, a cooperative of producers that farm more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of citrus trees.
Florida, the world's biggest orange grower after Brazil, may lose 6 per cent to 10 per cent of its crop as temperatures plunge, said Alan Reppert, a senior meteorologist at AccuWeather Inc in State College, Pennsylvania. Orange-juice futures rose to a two-year high on January 8 on concern that the cold will reduce output already expected to be the lowest in three years.
Temperatures in Orlando may fall overnight to a record 25 degrees Fahrenheit (minus 3.9 Celsius), and Tampa's forecast is for 26 degrees, the lowest ever for that date, AccuWeather said Sunday. Both cities reached lows of 29 degrees the previous night. Oranges can be damaged when temperatures fall below 28 degrees for several hours or more.
"We've got the coldest weather yet coming," said Dave Crumbly, the vice president of agricultural services in Lake Wales for Florida's Natural Growers, a cooperative of producers that farm more than 50,000 acres (20,000 hectares) of citrus trees.