Citrus, vegetables had a good 2012 in Florida, according to new state agriculture statistics - Daily Journal

Some interesting factoids about a sector of the economy we take for granted many times. Did you know the following? Click title for link to full article.

According to the report, Florida:
—Is first in the nation in the value of production of oranges, grapefruit, fresh market snap beans, cucumbers for fresh market, cucumbers for pickles, squash, sweet corn, fresh market tomatoes, sugarcane for sugar and watermelons.
—Ranks second to California in the total value of fresh market vegetable production, with $1.1 billion worth of veggies produced.
—Ranks seventh in the nation for agricultural exports; the state exported $4 billion worth of commodities. Fresh and frozen meat, along with vegetables, were the top products sent to other countries.
Yet citrus is still the state's leading crop. The value of the state's orange crop continued to rise, with $1.5 billion in sales, up from $1.3 billion the previous year. Citrus growers gave Florida 66 percent of the total U.S. market share — and about 95 percent of the state's orange crop is used for juice.
Total citrus acreage is down 2 percent from the previous survey and the lowest since 1966. Florida has lost trees due to citrus greening, which is spread by an insect and causes trees to produce green, disfigured and bitter fruits. Once a tree is infected, it dies in a couple years and cannot be saved.