Florida Citrus Growers Switch to Organic

CENTRAL FLORIDA:
More Citrus Growers Make the Switch to Organic

From Florida Trend: Matt McLean, founder and chief executive of Uncle Matt's Fresh, the organic-produce side of Uncle Matt's Organic citrus-juice business in Lake County, said Wednesday the number of organic growers and the amount of acreage dedicated to organic citrus and managed by the family-owned company is rising at a healthy pace. Organic means using natural fertilizer and fewer chemicals, as well as taking other steps to revert to older, slower and less-productive ways of growing crops. The company, which manages more than 1,000 acres of citrus groves that include 15 family-owned farms, is growing as more conventional groves move to organic, McLean said. By some estimates, less than 1% of all citrus in Florida is organic. [Source: Orlando Sentinel]

***Be interesting to see how long this family enterprise holds out against the big players. For an amazing kinetic chart of how multinationals are gobbling up the organic market, go here.

- Gail Shepherd