My mother loved to tell the story of getting an orange on Christmas in her stocking and what a big deal it was to her as a child. That was 70 years ago. Today I have a choice of many varieties in my local grocery store. However the news this week is that we won’t be seeing as many Florida oranges this year.
The Packer, a website covering the produce industry, reports that the USDA forecasts a smaller citrus crop this year, down one percent. That doesn’t sound like a lot but The Packer reports it’s the most doomful forecast since 1970.
If you need help with stories about food or agriculture:
- The Packer is a good site for current news, trends and story ideas
- The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), a government agency provides helpful statistics
- Search by state at NASS allows you to drill down to your area for information about agriculture. (see pull down menu at bottom of gray box on the left)