General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsAny farmers or growers here?
Reason I ask is that I have just retired after over 30 years as an aircraft mechanic.
I've relocated to Florida to help my mother out with her tropical fruit grove after father's passing and am rapidly learning that this business is actually very complex.
We have a gardening forum and an outdoor forum.
Just curious as to whether any ag sector members are out there.
TexasProgresive
(12,157 posts)But most people tend to think of agriculture as a career for simple minded folks. It is all so very complex. There is planting, pruning, culling, feeding, watching the markets, deciding how much to sell to future markets and how much to keep for sale at harvest. It just goes on and on. And then there's what the weather does to you or for you.
aikoaiko
(34,183 posts)I've come to understand that the small, independent farmer is a small business operation with the most volatile markets and crazy unpredictable external threats.
My kin are very successful but they diversified and grow everything from cotton, pecans, corn, peanuts, soy, and depending on the markets some occasional exotic, trendy items. Part of their strategy is to follow the trends and market predictions, but everyone else is too so they also plant things contrary to what everyone else is doing to capture smaller niche markets.
The Velveteen Ocelot
(115,823 posts)We don't live there, but we have a crop share arrangement with a very good farmer who manages it. It's a remarkably complex (and risky) business - you have to know a lot about botany, weather, agronomy, soils, how to forward-contract your crops, etc. If you actually do the work on the farm you also have to be able to repair just about anything. And working with farm machinery can be really dangerous. I have a lot of respect for farmers.
Unfortunately a lot of farmers in the midwest are (or were) Trump voters, and they might come to regret that. It looks like his proposed budget would screw them, too, by cutting or eliminating support for crop insurance (essential in areas that get strong summer thunderstorms and hail, which can seriously damage or even destroy a whole crop when it's too late to replant) and by gutting the Department of Agriculture, which does valuable scientific research on plant pests and diseases.
yellowcanine
(35,701 posts)I do know there is a serious disease of citrus in Florida called "greening disease." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Citrus_greening_disease
In general, citrus requires a lot of spraying. I would contact Florida Extension and see what they might have available to help you.
csziggy
(34,137 posts)But my Dad did all the management. Now the last groves are owned by my sisters and I and we have a management company that does all of that.
Because of citrus greening the company has suggested we consider planting some other crop if/when our groves get the greening, maybe blueberries. So far we've been lucky but the citrus trees are not as profitable as they used to be.
As suggested, talk to you local agricultural extension office. They have lots of information on all kinds of things. They can also put you in touch with (paid) professionals that can help with a lot of the work.
If you have citrus, check into the Citrus industry magazine - http://citrusindustry.net/ . They have a free newsletter but their magazine will keep you up to date on the newest information.