If you’ve spent any time in Florida, you know hurricanes are a fact of life. If you’ve spent any
time in publishing, you know deadlines and the ability to pivot on a dime are also a fact of life.
So when you put the two together, you have my life and that of my colleagues here at Central Florida Ag News.
This is our annual Citrus Forecast Edition, where we talk to growers and others in the citrus industry to get an idea of how they are feeling going into the upcoming season. It’s usually a pretty good indicator of any common challenges as well as some insight into how things are shaping up.
So that’s what we did for this edition. And because we love to stay on top of deadlines, we
wrapped up our reporting on a Friday afternoon back on October 4. Then over that weekend, a storm came whizzing from the Pacific and into the Gulf of Mexico, where it exploded into a Category 5 hurricane. Now we’re hustling to get this edition sent to the press before Central Florida takes a hit from a storm that is breaking records but hopefully not our spirit.
That said, by the time our magazine comes out, the outlook for the season could be even darker.
You’ve heard me offer non-stop praise for Florida’s farmers and ranchers for their resilience and
ability to adapt and innovate. And yet another hurricane doesn’t change that one bit. We’ve come through storms before, battle-torn but determined, and we’ll do it again.
May the Lord keep you and your loved ones safe.
