David Sumner’s Book Traces the Rise, Fall, and Future of Florida’s Citrus Industry
by REBEKAH PIERCE
There are very few industries that are as deeply intertwined with the identity of a place as citrus is with Florida. When you think about Florida, that is, you think about oranges.
Unfortunately, that narrative may be changing.
Once a symbol of prosperity, resilience, and tradition, Florida citrus has seen unprecedented challenges over the past three decades, from devastating freezes to persistent diseases like citrus greening.
In “The Rise, Fall, and Future of Florida’s Citrus Industry,” author and fifth-generation Floridian Dr. David Sumner takes an expansive look at the timeline of Florida’s most iconic crop, including the ups, downs, and everything in between.
Inspired by his own family’s background in the industry, the book serves as Sumner’s personal “observation of its devastating decline within the last 30 years.”
Sumner explains that he grew up in what he calls the “Golden Era” of citrus, from 1950 to 1980.
“Everyone was making money,” he says. “It was very prosperous.”
Multiple freezes in the 1980s eventually destroyed his family’s 150 acres of trees. By then, Sumner had gone on to a career in journalism and, later, teaching, but he continued to watch the industry from a distance.
“We had the citrus canker disease from 1980 to 2000, then the citrus greening disease. I looked back and wanted to know what happened, why, and how,” Sumner says. These concerns formed the research questions for his book, with pure passion driving him to pursue them.
“I still have a great emotional attachment to Florida citrus.”
Now retired and living in Indiana, Sumner made three trips to Florida to conduct interviews and research into the citrus archives. He worked closely with Brenda Eubanks Burnette, the former Executive Director of the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame. “This book wouldn’t have happened without her,” Sumner says. “She basically opened her Rolodex and gave me names of lots of growers who I later interviewed.” All in all, Sumner conducted 53 interviews to ensure he had a solid grasp on the industry.
Though not a textbook, Sumner’s book is remarkably research-intensive.
“It’s a history, an economic history and a cultural history of citrus. I’ve included lots of stories and anecdotes,” he explains, mentioning that the book was equal parts a historical record and a call to action, meant to reach a wide audience.
“I’ve been a journalist all my career, and I’ve learned the skills to reach both audiences.” However, he’s careful to note, he left no stone unturned in his research, including more than 500 endnotes at the conclusion of the book.
“Everything has been fact checked and documented well.”
Despite being released only about a month ago, the book has already garnered praise. Dr. Scott Angle, the University of Florida senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources and leader of the UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS), says,“Sumner’s book reminds us how citrus has been and remains an iconic Florida industry. The epic nature of this story can’t be adequately communicated in sound bites and social media messaging. Sumner has done the research to tell a century-and-a-half-long story.”
This story is formed based on a patchwork of narratives from Florida citrus growers, with Sumner’s passion for the industry serving as the thread connecting them all.
“I was surprised to find that growers are so optimistic,” Sumner recalls.
“There’s been so much bad news in the industry in the last 30 years. The ones I’ve interviewed, a majority of them were second-, third-, fourth-generation citrus families. They have a lot of hope and optimism. They say the industry is never going to be the same, it will be smaller, but there will also be an industry.”
In the book, Sumner quotes Dan Richey, the president of Riverfront Packing Company in Vero Beach, as saying, “We as an industry have fought back and didn’t give up. Failure was never an option. The satisfaction we’ve weathered purely through massive challenges is tremendous. I feel proud of the people in this industry. We’re producing a very healthy product. We are not selling candy. We’re providing jobs and we’re maintaining a culture.”
Though not actively involved in agriculture, Sumner is still a top fan of the citrus industry. “I enjoy drinking orange juice,” he says with a chuckle, encouraging the public to do the same. “Per capita consumption has been declining since the 1970s.”
While the book has somber undertones owing to the significant decline of the Florida citrus industry, it’s not lacking in the optimism department. Sumner writes extensively about the bright spots in store. He explains that there are multiple specific solutions that are in the works for the citrus greening disease in particular, including large screens to prevent psyllid infestations, antibiotics, and even the creation of disease-resistant trees. This multipronged approach is what gives growers hope for the citrus industry’s eventual (and hopefully triumphant) return.
“The Rise, Fall, and Future of Florida’s Citrus Industry” is available for sale online via Sumner’s website – sumner-books.com – and the Barnes and Noble website.