TALLAHASSEE — The Florida citrus industry had a dire fall 2024, with the state’s orange crop forecast the smallest since 1929-30, according to the US Department of Agriculture.

In its latest citrus forecast, published Dec. 10, the USDA downgraded its 2024-25 total Florida orange production forecast to 12 million 90-lb boxes (540,000 tons), a decrease of 20% from its prior forecast in October. If realized, that would represent a 33% decline in total production from the 2023-24 season and the smallest crop since 8.95 million boxes in 1929-30.

Florida’s Valencia orange forecast was reduced to 7 million boxes, down from 9 million boxes in October and 11.2 million boxes in 2023-24. Florida’s non-Valencia crop is forecast to be 5 million boxes, down from 6 million boxes in October and 6.8 million boxes in 2023-24.

The USDA also downgraded the state’s grapefruit forecast by 14% from October and 33% from 2023-24. Florida’s tangerine and mandarin production forecast fell 13% from October and 22% from the previous season.

Two major hurricanes that made landfall in the state this fall had disastrous consequences for the Florida citrus harvest, destroying and damaging trees and maturing fruits. Florida oranges generally are harvested from October through June and are used mostly for processing (juice), compared to the California crop that goes mainly to the fresh orange market.

Hurricane Helene made landfall as a Category 4 storm Sept. 26 on Florida’s Big Bend, causing widespread damage to the state’s agricultural industry before sweeping north through Georgia and North Carolina and causing massive destruction there. Less than two weeks later, Category 3 Hurricane Milton made landfall Oct. 9 near Siesta Key.

Matt Joyner, CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, told the Florida Citrus Commission in late October that some orange groves directly in the storms’ paths may have suffered as much as 80% crop loss. The two storms together damaged more than 300,000 acres of citrus across Florida and were responsible for more than $5 billion in total crop and infrastructure losses in the state, according to Florida’s Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Overall, the 2024 hurricane season was the second costliest in US history, causing more than $190 billion in damage, according to Ohio State’s Scalia Laboratory for Atmospheric Analysis.

In other US growing regions, the USDA left unchanged from October its 2024-25 orange production forecasts for California and Texas, at 47.7 million 80-lb boxes (1,908,000 tons) and 850,000 85-lb boxes (36,000 tons), respectively. Total US orange production for 2024-25 was projected at 60.55 million boxes (2.484 million tons), down 5% from October and down 9% from 2023-24.