Storms Follow Bugs as Florida Orange Crop at 29-Year Low
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After a disease-spreading bug wreaked havoc on Florida citrus groves this year, growers like Maury Boyd are seeing a new threat from the weatherman that would mean “pure hell” for orange-juice supplies.
As many as six hurricanes are forecast to develop in the Atlantic from now until November, increasing the risk of losses to Florida’s 2015 harvest, after citrus greening disease made this year’s orange crop the smallest in 24 years. Florida is the world’s largest grower after Brazil and the target for more hurricanes than any other U.S. state over the past century.