The 82nd Annual Meeting of the Indian River Citrus League will be held at the Quail Valley River Club, 2345 Highway A1A, Vero Beach, FL on October 11, 2012 at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will feature Congressman Allen West as the guest speaker. Lunch, sponsored by Wells Fargo, will follow immediately.

You are cordially invited to attend and request your RSVP to the League office byemail to info@ircitrusleague.org or by calling772/562-2728 or by October 8, 2012.

Election of directors will be the first order of business so please be present promptly at 10:30 a.m. The Nominating Committee will present a slate of directors and alternate directors. Any League member may make additional nominations from the floor.

this issueP3USDAAnnouncesPurchase

P5-7UpdatingCitrusWebsites

P8AssociateMembers

www.ircitrusleague.org

The newsletter of theIndian River Citrus League

SEPTEMBER 2012

River Ramblings

Present directors and alternates are:

Directors AlternatesRusty Banack Sid BanackJ. Kevin Bynum Glen Barnes, Jr.Stan Carter Peter SpykeRobert Egan Lee BouldinW. Cody Estes Jim HuffJ. Emmett Evans, III Ronald EdwardsMichael Garavaglia James L. Rogers, IIIGriffin Greene Michael AdamsGeorge F. Hamner, Jr. Steve CassensR. Scott Hurley Tom HurleySherwood “Buddy” Johnson Tom HammondT. P. Kennedy Chad Durrell Scott Lambeth James BeckleyJohn L. Minton Dan CorriganGregory P. Nelson Rusty VarnDaniel R. Richey Mark HamiltonMichel Sallin Melanie ResslerJ. Brantley Schirard, Sr. J. Brantley Schirard, Jr.Daniel Scott Kevin JacobsRobert G. Sexton C. Randy Sexton, Jr.Trey Smith Ray SmithGeorge Streetman Kevin Streetman

League to Celebrate82nd Annual Meeting

INutriSmart

Increased soil organic matter content by 25% or more

Increased total soil nitrogen content by more than 18%

Improved soil water-holding capacity by more than 25%

Trials* have shown applications of patented OMRI-listed NutriSmart®-B "eco-fertilizer" on citrus groves:

Phone: (732) 888-8000 Email: info@lidochem.com

www.performancefertilizers.com

am

Replaced at least 25% of soil applied NPK producing equal or better yield and quality than G.S.P.

Want to be NutriSmart, too? Contact Performance Nutrition for more information. © 2012 LidoChem, Inc.NutriSmart is a registered Trademark of CK Life Sciences.

Performance Nutrition is a registered Trademark of LidoChem, Inc.

*Trial data is available upon request.

On August 9, 2012 USDA announced a major purchase of grapefruit juice utilizing Farm Bill funds designed to help American growers.

USDA Announcesmajor grapefruit juice purchase

According to economists at the University of Florida, the purchase of 606,800 cases or 592 truckloads of finished product will reduce inventory by six percent, and have a direct positive impact on the price growers receive during the 2012/13 season.

The League has aggressively pursued this large purchase to help grapefruit growers by reducing the building inventories of grapefruit juice. USDA agreed to the purchase after six months of communication with staff and numerous exchanges of data and information.

The IRCL and DEP worked cooperatively to revise the generic permit in time for the 2012 packing season.

On Thursday, August 16th the Indian River Citrus League’s yearlong push to simplify the rules for fresh fruit packing houses whose waste water is handled through a percolation pond came to fruition when the DEP Industrial Waste Section presented a revised Generic Permit For Discharges From Fresh Citrus Fruit Packinghouses To Percolation Ponds at a

Department of Environmental Protectionindustrial waste water section proves very helpful

workshop in Ft Pierce. In arriving at this new rule the DEP looked into the various parameters being monitored through individual permits and compared their long term data to the numerous background levels and came up with a permit that allows the houses to greatly reduce ground water and effluent monitoring while still protecting ground water. This is a huge plus for any effected shippers in that it not only simplifies their record keeping, but it also will reduce overall operational costs.

Also discussed at the workshop, was the fact that packing houses that use a spray field rather than a percolation pond for waste water cleansing already have a General Rule which requires no monitoring that has been in place for some time; but according to

DEP, most of the packing houses with spray fields are not taking advantage of the rule.

Packinghouse with current percolation pond permits will be able to convert directly to the new generic permit with minimal effort sometime in early September. Packinghouses using spray field should be able to convert to the General Permit immediately with very little trouble.

DEP personnel encouraged houses affected by either permit to request a Notice of Intent form to change over to the newer simpler permit as soon as a packing house could.Many thanks to League member George Hamner, Jr., who worked closely with the department to help secure these changes.

www.ircitrusleague.org page 3

MICRONUTRIENTS FOR CITRUS

CITRUS MIX BLOOM SPRAYAP(ADVANCED PERFORMANCE)

CHEMICAL DYNAMICS, INC.Our Business Is To Help You Grow

Chemica lDynamics .com800-228-4950

Order Today...

Your ad could be here.

For information please contactKaren at

Phone: 772-562-2728Email: info@ircitrusleague.org

The League is happy to announce an improved format of its newsletter, The River Ramblings. Beginning with its September issue, you will notice a new look as well as more advertising opportunities.

Our newsletter reaches our 900 grower members (hard copy and electronically), packinghouses, associate members and affiliated business that make up the Indian River citrus growing district.

Our publication schedule is September through June and will be distributed via standard mail and electronically. Also, the newsletter will be posted on our website of www.ircitrusleague.org

If interested, please give Karen a call at theIndian River Citrus League at 772/562-2728

or email at info@ircitrusleague.org for more details.

AdvertisingOpportunities

Updating Citrus Websites for 2012: Part 1by Steven Rogers

Citrus Packinghouse Electricity Sales Tax Exemption ReminderThe Indian River Citrus League and the Florida Citrus Packers during this past legislative session were successful in securing a citrus packinghouse electricity sales tax exemption. The law will become effective January 1, 2013. Those seeking information for application for the new exemption of electricity used in packinghouses, please see the link below. This exemption should provide a substantial savings for all Indian River packinghouse. http://dor.myflorida.com/dor/tips/tip12a01-07.html

Good web communication is important in Florida citrus because we have many different messages for many different people. There are two main parts to web communication: content and design. Content is the information that people read--words, facts and figures. Design, on the other hand, relates to the look and feel of your site. Good design is what attracts people to your content.

As you know, it’s important to keep your website current and make it accessible to your visitors. This can be a bit of a challenge today, when web usage habits change so often. For example, there’s a lot of movement toward new systems like Google+, cloud computing and social media. Mobile content is pretty much a necessity today, as fewer people rely solely on desktop computers for their web activities.

Where does the citrus industry fit into all this? Are we that different from the rest of the Internet world in that we have little need for such systems? More likely, the opportunities are there, but growers have not yet fully embraced what some new web technologies have to offer. Consider an information-sharing website, operated by Ree Drummond, which was later converted to e-commerce: thepioneerwoman.com. Ree's site (now valued well into seven figures), started out as a simple blog to share information about life on a Midwest cattle ranch. In six years, her site grew into a media conglomerate that includes books, television shows and even a movie in the works. The interesting aspect about Ree’s site is that those opportunities were not discovered until after she had been blogging for a year or so. Many people feel they don't need a website, but Ree's success shows that there are plenty of unturned stones for web business opportunities in the agricultural industry. As happens often with successful web ventures, some opportunities might not become obvious until after you have some sort of presence on the web.

This article is for those that already have a website and are thinking about updating it to a newer version. Maybe you want to start using some of the

continued on page 6

www.ircitrusleague.org page 5

new online platforms for expanding business ideas.There are several considerations to think about as you start updating. We'll talk about all of them in the coming months, but we'll focus on the first two today:

1. Define your website's purpose2. Decide on a design approach3. Update your core technology4. Update your visual media5. Make your content short and sweet

1. Define your website's purpose There are three main purposes for a website: 1) e-commerce; 2) education and information sharing; or 3) corporate business management. E-commerce sites are where products are sold and financial transactions are executed. Educational sites are often, but not necessarily, managed by a school or non-profit. An individual citrus grower who wants to inform consumers about the grower perspective, for example, could also operate an educational site. A corporate management site could be one in which a large grower wants to set up a web presence to help with internal logistics and communication. Your purpose might change after you get your website going, but it’s important to have a starting point as this helps you organize your information to make it easier to access. It helps to write your purpose down into a simple sentence.

“The purpose of my website is to sell unique citrus products using a modern, hip approach to marketing”.

“The purpose of my website is to show one new photograph of a greening symptom each week and then describe more about it on my new blog.”

“The purpose of my website is to provide an access point where my supply-chain customers can get more information about how we source our products”.

2. Decide on a design approach The next step is to decide on an overall theme for your website. Richard Seymour at Design in Business Week 2002, said that design is "making things better for people". This means that the aesthetics of your website should be appealing. Simplicity should be your overarching goal. This is easier said than done, because it takes a certain skill set to develop a simple and compelling website that'll be visited again and again. Coming up with keywords (nostalgic, futuristic, metallic, earthy, etc.) can help you describe the feel of your site. It also helps to look at other websites for ideas on how to make yours work better. All these suggestions help you visualize what you're trying to create. From here, you may want to outline some basic drawings (called mockups) that you can use as templates for making your design a reality.

Hopefully, this article inspires growers to think about starting or updating a website about citrus. One of the advantages of having more Florida growers on the web is that it elevates Florida products in online search results. By taking advantage of a little coordination between citrus website owners, this gives you the ability to gain a great deal of control over the messages that are marketed to the public about Florida citrus. The practical value of this type of coordination should be obvious. Next month, we'll talk about some visual features and other elements of your website that can help you provide a site that's attractive and easy to manage.

Author disclaimer The information in this article is provided "as is". The author and publisher of this article disclaim any loss or liability, either directly or indirectly as a consequence of applying the information presented herein, or in regard to the use and application of said information for any purpose whatsoever.

No guarantee is given, either expressed or implied, in regard to the merchantability, accuracy, or acceptability of the

information.

Updating Citrus Websites continued

Getting Involved.membership opportunities

Our Associate Membership provides

opportunities to network with existing

customers and potential customers by providing

opportunities to sponsor events scheduled

throughout the year. Their partnership with our

organization is important to us. If interested

in joining our organization, please contact the

League office for further details.

7925 20th Street, Vero Beach, FL 32966www.ircitrusleague.org

PRSRT STDUS POSTAGE

PAIDLAKELAND FL

PERMIT NO 5504

associate members

AgFirst Farm Credit BankAglime SalesAgroSource, Inc.BankUnitedBrown & Brown InsuranceBrown International Corp.Carden & Associates, Inc.Carter & Associates, Inc.Chemical Containers, Inc.Chemical Dynamics, Inc.CoBankComplete Electric, Inc.Diamond R. Fertilizer Co., Inc.Ecostat, Inc.Everglades Farm EquipmentFarm Credit of South Florida, ACAFerrellgasFl-Tech, Inc.Florida Coast Equipment, Inc.Florida Grower MagazineGowan USAHESCOJBT FoodTechLidoChem, Inc.Magna-Bonn II, LLCMBV Engineering, Inc.Morgan, Jacoby, Thurn, Boyle & Assoc.Natural Industries, Inc.Oro AgriPalmdale Oil CompanyPrudential Agricultural InvestmentsRabo AgriFinanceSoutheastern Aerial Crop ServiceSSI PetroleumStallings Crop Insurance CompanySunniland AircraftSyngentaTree T PeeTropicana Products, Inc.Wellmark InternationalWells Fargo

Harvesting Your OpportunitiesLending, Leasing and Crop Insurance for Citrus Growers

T H e r e ’ s j u s T n O C O m pa r I s O n

When it comes to choosing

a lender for your citrus

operation, none compare

to Farm Credit. You have a

demanding business. You

need to have knowledge of

a wide range of subjects,

from propagation and

marketing to pest control

and business management.

You need a lender who

understands the citrus

industry and knows how to

help you succeeed.

Our knowledge,

competitive rates and

flexible terms make us the

best choice for financing,

leasing and crop insurance

products for your citrus

operation.

n O b O d Y k n O w s T H e f I e L d b e T T e r

At Farm Credit, you’ll find leasing and crop insurance agents who understand the complex needs and demands of a successful citrus operation and are committed to your success. Whether it’s buying land or rehabilitating groves, we are ready to help you grow.

We’ve been supporting agriculture for nearly a century. Let us put our experience to work for you.

Farm Credit provides loans and leases for:

• Buying land• Developingorrenovatinggroves• Grovecaretaking• Equipment,machinery,cars,andtrucks• Refinancinganddebtconsolidation• Irrigation• Operatingexpenses

FarmCreditprovidesUSDAfederal crop insurance for:

• Citrusfruit•Citrusfruittrees• Otheradditionalcrops

Harvesting Your OpportunitiesLending, Leasing and Crop Insurance

FCFL-20172 | 0911

Alachua 386-462-4201 800-432-4156

Apopka 407-880-7883 800-560-1718

Arcadia 863-494-0500 800-432-4156

Brooksville 352-544-5553 866-544-5553

Homestead 305-248-608

Lakeland 863-682-4117 866-245-3637

Lake Wales 863-676-1447

Live Oak 386-362-2588 800-432-4156

Ocala 352-622-4188 800-432-4156

Okeechobee 863-763-6466

Marianna 850-526-4910 800-527-0647

Milton 850-623-0407 800-527-0647

Monticello 850-997-3545 800-527-0647

Palatka 386-328-2744 800-432-4156

Plant City 813-719-7341

West Palm Beach 561-965-9001

Tallahassee850-656-2920 800-527-0647

Trenton 352-463-2376 800-432-4156

Vero Beach 772-770-2535

Wauchula 863-773-3201 800-432-4156

866-824-5626 farmCreditflorida.com

scan this code to find a farm Credit office near you!

HH

H HHH

HH H

H

HH

HHH

HHH

HH

H

f L O r I d a fa r m C r e d I T O f f I C e s

I fought off citrus pests with Imidan

Citrus Psyllid · Apopka Weevil · Blue Green Weevil · Sri Lanka Weevil Little Leaf Notcher · Mealybug · Rust Mite

Reasons to love Imidan®:

• Excellent control of Citrus Psyllid

• Broad-spectrum control including Apopka weevil, Blue green weevil, Sri Lanka weevil, Little leaf notcher, Scale, Mealybug

• Citrus rust mite suppression

• Documented low toxicity to predatory mites

• Exceptional IPM partner

• Non-restricted use

All above mentioned uses are approved in Florida under EPA SLN No. FL-010006 and 2(ee) recommendations. Imidan® is a registered trademark of Gowan Company LLC. Imidan EPA Reg. No. 10163-169. Always read and follow label directions. AD13-Imidan_fl-ircl

Setting the Standard for Psyllid Control in Florida Citrus

For More Information: Bart Hoopingarner · (941) 737-7444

How to use Imidan:

Pests Controlled at 1- 2 lbs/acre• Citrus Psyllid• Mealybug• Rust Mite (suppression)• Scale

Pests Controlled at 1.5 - 2 lbs/acre• Apopka Weevil• Blue Green Weevil• Sri Lanka Weevil• Little Leaf Notcher

For Optimal Performance:

Buffer spray tank solution to a pH of 5.5 before adding Imidan.