Here’s a snapshot of orange production in Florida—one of the state’s most iconic crops and historically one of the largest orange-producing regions in the world: 🍊 1. Florida’s Current Orange Production (Recent Years) In the 2023–24 season, Florida produced about 18 million 90-pound boxes of oranges, a 14 % increase from the prior year, and oranges made up about 89 % of the state’s citrus production. In the 2024–25 season, orange production dropped sharply to roughly 12.2 million boxes, down about 32 % from the previous year. Forecasts for the 2025–26 season projected production around 12 million boxes, potentially reaching a new record low. 📉 2. Long-Term Decline in Orange Production Florida’s orange production has fallen dramatically over the past two decades: In the early 2000s, the state produced well over 150 million boxes of oranges annually. By recent seasons, production has dropped more than 90 % compared with early 2000s levels. Bearing acreage—the land planted with producing orange trees—has similarly shrunk from over 800,000 acres around 2000 to much lower levels today (about 200,000+ acres in recent reports). 🌍 3. Florida’s Role in U.S. & Global Orange Supply Historically, Florida was the dominant orange producer in the United States, particularly for orange juice. In recent years, California has overtaken Florida as the largest citrus producer in the U.S., especially for fresh-market fruit. Florida still contributes a meaningful share of U.S. citrus—around 17 % of total U.S. citrus production in recent seasons—but that’s down sharply from past dominance. 🚜 4. Why Production Has Fallen Florida’s orange industry faces several long-term challenges: Citrus greening disease (HLB): A devastating bacterial disease with no cure that drastically reduces yields and tree longevity. Extreme weather: Hurricanes and freezes regularly damage groves. Land use change: Urban development and rising land values have converted many groves into housing or other uses. Shrinking acreage: Total citrus grove land—and specifically orange acreage—continues to decline. 🍊 5. Varieties & Use Florida oranges are used primarily for orange juice production, especially Valencia and other juicing varieties. Fresh-market (table) oranges also exist but make up a smaller share compared to juice oranges. --- In summary: Florida remains an important U.S. orange producer, especially for juice, but production has fallen sharply from historical highs due to disease, weather, and land pressures. While recent seasons have seen some fluctuations, production levels are much lower than decades past.