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Sarasota herald tribune12/15/2023 “It’s just within the last couple, three years that we’re realizing it’s not going to be here. “We raised two boys and put them through college off the little bit of grove that we had and caretaking other people’s groves – these small little blocks of groves all around Alva which no longer exist,” he said. “It’s a sad situation (but) you have to look back on the good times,” he said. Guest opinion: Florida agriculture reflects on its past ‘You have to look back on the good times’īut Alva’s Frank Green is not complaining. In 2018: Florida citrus forecast down from last month, but growers remain hopeful A few moments from now, the glow will finally fade away.” “Florida citrus has a had a 50-year-long sunset, and we are seeing the absolute last faint glimmer of twilight. “I imagine we’re going to wind up with cows on it." For citrus, though, "The economics of it just don't work.” “In Alva, we’ve taken out roughly 200 acres,” English said, “and we still probably have roughly 75 acres,” which eventually will be cleared as well, he says. Like Green, his family operation is scraping once fruitful trees from their land and burning them. If they come up with something, we may decide to plant some more, but right now, I don’t think that’s an option.” “That’s all just an additional cost, and those things aren’t cheap (so) we’ve just chosen to wait and see. “I don’t know that they’re infecting us with their optimism,” said Joe English. Getting growers to adopt unproven, expensive fixes can be a tough sell. “Over the last 15 years, we’ve spent close to $1 billion in research, and we’re certainly closer than we were and we’re probably living with it a little better, but it’s still not enough.” “It’s not that money’s not being spent for research or we’re not trying,” Simmons said.
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