He’s not convinced that human-induced global warming is to blame for the weather changes he’s seeing, but there is certainly change in the land his family has owned for generations in Zolfo Springs, Florida.
“I’m 36, and I’ve weathered three once-in-a-lifetime storms.” he said.
But after six generations in Florida, he won’t give up. “We don’t know how to fail. There’s a reason why there’s an orange on our license plates.”
Florida grows citrus primarily for juice, so there shouldn’t be a major impact on consumer prices for fruit, says Ray Royce of Highlands County Citrus Growers. But every time there’s a storm that damages crops, it’s an extra blow to US-produced fruit.
“Replacement juice will be brought in from Brazil and Mexico,” he said. “At some point it’s cheaper for processors to ship it. All the juice you’re drinking now is a mixed product of domestic and offshore juice.”
“There’s not enough grass to eat and it’s become too expensive to buy feed. We cleared a lot this year because of the drought,” said David Anderson, an animal husbandry specialist at Texas A&M University.
