Citrus industry officials juiced about future despite challenges

Florida citrus and agriculture officials, even in the face of dispiriting challenges, continue to look at the industry’s predicament in a glass half-full kind of way.

The latest sour news: the May forecast from the U.S. Department of Agriculture showed a 1% drop from the April outlook in orange and grapefruit output, according to a statement from the Florida Department of Citrus. The state’s growers are now on pace to fill 44.95 million 90-pound boxes of oranges — off 34.7% from the prior growing season, according to the News Service of Florida. That would be the lowest production of oranges in Florida since the 1942-1943 season.