For the third time this season, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has lowered its orange crop estimate for Florida.
The agency now expects Florida growers to harvest 158 million boxes of oranges during the 2008-09 season, down from its original forecast of 166 million boxes. Last season, growers harvested 170 million boxes.
The season runs from October through June. Each box weighs about 90 pounds.
Smaller fruit contributed to the reduced estimate, not the freezing temperatures that blanketed the region in late January and early February, the USDA said. Florida's orange crop suffered "little or no" freeze damage, according to the USDA report, which was released today.
But Michael Sparks, chief executive of Florida Citrus Mutual, a growers' organization, said field reports indicate that some fruit was damaged by the recent freezes.
"As a result, we would anticipate better grower returns for the late crop than what we experienced for the early crop," Sparks said.
In addition to smaller fruit, more fruit were dropping off trees, the USDA said.
The agency said it would continue to assess the impact of the freezes in late January and early February.
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