Florida’s citrus industry is a cornerstone of the Sunshine State. Its legacy has been passed down through hardworking Florida families for more than a century. Among the Centennial Citrus Growers who have helped to build and sustain this industry is the Barben Family – owners of The Barben Fruit Company in Avon Park. For more than 100 years, the Hartt-Barben family has embodied the resilience, innovation, and dedication that define Florida’s citrus industry.
As a member of Florida Citrus Mutual and a fourth-generation grower who continues to manage his family’s operation alongside his brothers, Billy and John Barben, Bobby Barben reflects on honoring the Hartt-Barben family legacy and highlights their efforts to sustain and strengthen the industry in the years ahead.
- How did your family get involved in the citrus industry?
My great-grandfather, S.Y. Hartt – my mother’s grandfather – moved to Florida in May 1919. By September 1920, he started preparing 200 acres of land on the south shores of Lake Letta to grow citrus.
My father, who grew up farming in Pennsylvania, was a World War II pilot. After returning from the war, he married my mother and went on to attend law school. Then, at some point in the 1940s, my grandfather, Earl Hartt, convinced my father to move to Florida and manage the citrus groves.
Today, farming remains more than our family’s livelihood – it’s our way of life. Every day, my brothers and I just get up and farm like our family has for more than a century. When you do that day after day, the next thing you know, you’ve been doing it for 100 years.
- What are some challenges Florida’s citrus industry has faced over the years and worked to overcome?
Citrus growers in Florida have long faced various challenges, from market oversupply in the 1930s and 1940s to the pest and disease pressures over the decades. Among these, I’d say that pest and disease remain one of the industry’s most significant challenges today. In the mid-20th century, burrowing nematodes, citrus blight forced growers to replant trees in some instances.
Today, citrus greening is the most devastating threat – it’s damaging tree roots and limiting productivity. Coupled with diaprepes, you have the worst of both worlds. It’s become increasingly difficult to grow the quantity of fruit to meet the demand. Just as growers have in the past, we are working to replant groves to restore vitality. The biggest challenge we’re working to overcome now is restoring fruit quantity and maintaining the highest standard of quality production.
- What is your why for working in Florida’s citrus industry all these years?
We’re farmers. We don’t want to sell our land and spend the rest of our lives sitting by a fire. We’ve been farming forever and that’s what we want to continue to do. Citrus farmers like us want to make ends meet so we can continue operating year after year.
Besides the constant challenges of pests, diseases and hurricanes, much of what we face comes down to economics. We face high input costs to bring a crop to market. At the same time, life’s demands – your house needs a new roof and Mama needs a new car – make it hard to juggle everything when you don’t have much money coming into the business. Right now, the biggest hurdle of working in the citrus industry is the economic aspect of the situation. But we’re fortunate and we’re committed to doing this year after year.
- How have the advancements in technology, especially with citrus greening, impacted the way citrus groves are managed compared to, say, a hundred years ago?
Technology is making Florida citrus operations more efficient. Computer-equipped tractors adjust fertilizer and spraying based on various factors such as tree size. Some growers are using drones and autonomous sprayers. Meanwhile, other growers, like us, have not yet adopted full automation. Not all mechanization lends itself to citrus harvesting at this time. At some point, I’m sure we will. It’s just that initial downstroke that’s so difficult for us to overcome.
We continue to rely on traditional growing practices, even planting the same types of trees my grandfather used to grow, while trialing new short-term treatments and therapies to combat citrus greening. Ultimately, our industry’s focus remains on keeping existing trees productive and seeking innovative solutions that eliminate the need for ongoing treatments.
- Why is it important to continue championing Florida’s citrus industry?
For me, it’s because citrus is a family legacy. My son is the fifth generation, and I hope there will be a sixth generation to continue Barben Fruit Company. It’s something our family has always done and we’ve always loved. I don’t know that we’ll ever get back to the glory days – or if we even need to – but I do want to see Florida’s citrus industry survive for the next generation.
This feature is part of Florida Citrus Mutual’s Centennial Citrus Growers series, which
recognizes multigenerational families that continue to shape the future of Florida citrus.