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The State of Citrus

It is a time like no other for Florida's citrus farmers.

Never before has the state's seminal industry—one that defined Florida
long before mouse ears or beach getaways—been beset by so
many pressures. Hurricanes, diseases, pests, development and
foreign competition are squeezing the citrus business.

The full tale can only be told through the eyes of the men
and women who nurture the trees, pick the fruit, haul it to
the plant, process it and promote those products.

Read about these characters in stories by Herald-Tribune
writers Tom Bayles and Thomas Becnel, and see them in
photos by Rob Mattson

It is a report years in the making that documents
"The State of Citrus."

Find stories, photos, maps and more for each chapter
Download audiobook versions of this series*
  *Chapter 14, a photo-essay, excluded.
Get PDF versions of each chapter to enjoy at your leisure. Listen to reporter Tom Bayles on WGCU's "Gulf Coast Live."
PHOTO GALLERIES
Chapter 24: A farmer's daughter turns to consulting
Chapter One: Citrus icon, Joe L. Davis Sr.
QUOTABLE
"You go up in that old citrus tower now and stand there and look and you may see one goddamn grove, but you see half a million houses and condos. I think the freezes did that more than the development pushing the trees out."

Joe L. Davis Sr., citrus farmer (Chapter 12)

"The economics of citrus affects the counties very much. It’s the big cash crop. We’ve got cows everywhere, but the cows don’t throw off any money. An acre of cows may throw off $300 but (an) acre of oranges will throw off $3,000. Citrus is really the driving force of DeSoto County."

Joe L. Davis Sr., citrus farmer (Chapter Nine)

"I think the growers in Florida have come to the realization that they’re there and we are going to have to deal with them. And they’re not going away."

Joe L. Davis Sr., citrus farmer (Chapter Seven)