As the summer draws to a close, Florida’s citrus industry is preparing for the upcoming harvest season. Recent months have brought positive developments for growers, including favorable rainfall, the opening of the latest CRAFT cycle for applications, and federal support through U.S. Agriculture Secretary Rollins’ signing of the 2025 Block Grant and the USDA’s Supplemental Disaster Relief Program. The FDA has also proposed changes to regulations concerning pasteurized orange juice.
The Florida Department of Citrus (FDOC) plans to release its Annual Report for 2024-25 before the next issue of its industry publication. This report will cover financial results up to June 30, 2025, and review marketing efforts for Florida Orange Juice, Grapefruit Juice, Citrus, and Gift Fruit programs. The full report will be available on the department’s website.
Reflecting on recent campaigns, FDOC Chairman Steve Johnson highlighted the success of “The True Original” campaign, which aimed to position Florida Orange Juice as “The Original Wellness Drink.” Johnson credited much of this achievement to targeted marketing efforts directed at what FDOC calls “The Modern Juice Consumer.” According to FDOC’s Global Marketing team: “A more focused target, this audience is defined more by mindset and functional beverage need states versus traditional demographics, which is demonstrated through digital and purchase behaviors.”
Johnson referenced a quote from Henry Ford that was also used by FDOC Executive Director Shannon Shepp during a recent legislative session: “Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping your watch to save time.”
Looking ahead, Johnson emphasized the importance of resource management in combating challenges such as citrus greening. He stated that using time wisely now will help ensure future harvests meet consumer demand: “Because we know that using our time wisely now will result in a more bountiful harvest in years to come; and when that time comes (because it will), the demand must be there to meet it.”
Steve Johnson serves as Chairman of the Florida Citrus Commission and owns Johnson Harvesting, Inc., based in Wauchula.
