UF/IFAS Experts Outline Hurricane Prep, Recovery for Citrus Growers

Like all farmers, Florida’s citrus producers must prepare for the worst before a hurricane strikes. That’s why Fernando Alferez co-wrote a manual that gives growers tips on how to get their citrus farm ready for – and recover from — the potentially dangerous storms. 

It’s not just coastal counties, where ]the storms hit first, that are right in the path of destruction. Even inland areas, where much Florida citrus grows, are vulnerable.

“Hurricanes are very big systems, and their impacts often extend hundreds of miles away from the eye,” said Alferez, an assistant professor of horticultural sciences at the UF/IFAS Southwest Florida Research and Education Center. “One would tend to think that Southwest Florida is most prone to hurricane damage and think about Irma in 2017 or Wilma in 2005. Those were devastating for the southwest part of Florida.”

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