Florida’s citrus crop finished the 2025-26 season stronger than federal agriculture officials projected in April, though production remains well below levels recorded only a few years ago.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture raised its forecast for Florida orange production to 12.92 million boxes, up 6 percent from its April estimate of 12.2 million boxes. The revised total is also slightly higher than the 12.28 million boxes produced during the 2024-25 season.
Most of the increase came from Valencia oranges, which are commonly used for juice. USDA raised its Valencia forecast by 650,000 boxes, from 7.5 million to 8.15 million. Non-Valencia production increased more modestly, from 4.7 million to 4.77 million boxes.
The agency also increased its Florida grapefruit forecast from 1.25 million to 1.35 million boxes. Tangerine and mandarin production rose from 450,000 to 460,000 boxes, while the lemon forecast remained unchanged at 900,000 boxes.
Despite the upward revisions, Florida’s citrus industry continues to operate at a fraction of its previous scale. Orange production remains about 28 percent below the 18.06 million boxes harvested during the 2023-24 season.
USDA data also show a steep decline in the number of productive trees. Florida’s estimated number of bearing Valencia trees has fallen from nearly 28.7 million in 2021-22 to about 14 million this season. Bearing early- and midseason orange trees declined from 17.2 million to 6.7 million during the same period.