Texas citrus growers in the Rio Grande Valley are reporting a positive production outlook for the current season despite ongoing hot and dry conditions across the region. Texas Citrus Mutual President Dale Murden says growers are contending with multiple levels of drought and could use more rainfall as the crop moves through the final weeks of summer.
Murden says the industry is coming off a stronger year and expects that momentum to carry forward. “All said, last year’s crop was up about 13 per cent over the year before. We shipped a little over six million cartons, and I think we’re poised to have another increase this year. Not that rain wouldn’t be welcome, but all in all, the crop looks pretty good.”
Along with weather, labor continues to be a persistent concern for Texas citrus producers. Murden says existing programs are inadequate and the problem is growing. Several bills currently before Congress could address some of those shortfalls, and Murden is calling on lawmakers to reach agreement on at least one of them. “There have been several bills introduced that are all common sense fixes to some of the problems that we have. What we need is for Congress to just get together on it and pick one. I don’t care if it’s a D or an R.”