As 2025 winds down, Michael Rogers, director of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), took time to recognize Chris Oswalt during the December All In For Citrus podcast.

Oswalt is retiring from his post as a citrus Extension agent, which he’s held for nearly 30 years. He served Polk and Hillsborough counties.

“I quickly got connected with Chris when I first came to CREC in 2004,” Rogers said. “He was a big help to me, especially earlier in my career. He has helped get many new faculty pointed in the right direction when they come on board. He is down to earth and grounded in reality, and growers trust him because of that. We wish him well in retirement.”

Rogers also took the occasion to remind growers to engage with the citrus agents in Florida because they can be a valuable resource. Find your citrus agent here.

“If you’ve not had an agent out to your operation, invite them to come out,” Rogers said. “Get them involved and visiting you in the field. It will help the agents develop their programs and serve you better.”

One of the citrus agents, Edwin Gutierrez, also joins the podcast to discuss ways to prepare groves for winter and potential freeze events. He covers DeSoto, Hardee and Manatee counties.

Some of his key points include making sure trees are as healthy as possible going into winter because a healthy tree will withstand a freeze better. He also advises growers to check their irrigation systems regularly to ensure they are operating properly. Irrigation is the main line of defense to protect trees during a freeze.

Muhammad Shahid, UF/IFAS assistant professor at the North Florida Research and Education Center, addresses winter preparations for the cold-hardy region. Freezes are far more regular occurrences in that area.

Shahid discusses his research with silicon, which appears to boost citrus trees’ resistance to freezes. He also tells how a new mandarin variety, nicknamed Greenie, may have found a home in the cold-hardy region.

The podcast is partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.

The November All In For Citrus podcast takes a trip around the globe. Faculty from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) join the show to describe citrus production in regions outside of the United States.

Michael Rogers, director of the UF/IFAS Citrus Research and Education Center, gives an update on citrus in the Caribbean and how UF/IFAS scientists collaborate with colleagues in those countries to advance citrus production knowledge.

The podcast also provides updates on citrus production in South America, Brazil, the Indian subcontinent, Israel, Africa and the Mediterranean. One of the key takeaway messages from the episode is that sharing knowledge with other production regions benefits all citrus growers globally. UF/IFAS scientists say that, in most cases, U.S. citrus producers can gain beneficial knowledge by following what is happening in other parts of the world.

Flavia Zambon, UF/IFAS assistant professor, gives an update on citrus in her home country of Brazil. The world’s largest citrus producer has begun to feel the bite of HLB more acutely in recent years. In addition, an ongoing drought in Brazil is challenging citrus production.

Tripti Vashisth, UF/IFAS associate professor, discusses citrus production on the Indian subcontinent. Interestingly, growers in that part of the world have been dealing with HLB for more than 100 years but have remained relatively productive. Vashisth said that is due in part to the region’s better soils and production practices.

The podcast is a partnership between UF/IFAS and AgNet Media.

The October All In For Citrus podcast features citrus under protective screen (CUPS). Over the past decade, the practice has grown in popularity due to its ability to exclude the Asian citrus psyllid and huanglongbing (HLB) disease. Roughly 1,500 acres of citrus are grown under screen in Florida with more acreage under development.

Lauren Diepenbrock, associate professor of entomology at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC), addresses pest management in CUPS. While CUPS successfully keeps out the psyllid, other pests are small enough to breach the mesh netting. Those pests include chilli thrips, lebbeck mealybug and mites.

Diepenbrock discusses her research on how these pests enter, survive and multiply in CUPS and the latest knowledge on managing the pests. She also provides information on strategies like introducing beneficial insects in the structures to manage the pests.

Megan Dewdney, UF/IFAS associate professor of plant pathology at the CREC, joins the discussion to talk about disease management in CUPS. She says greasy spot and citrus canker have been the most problematic diseases in the system.

Jerry Mixon, a CUPS grower in Central Florida, shares why he tried the CUPS approach and what his experience has been like so far. Mixon says he was impressed with the yields and very high-quality fruit CUPS can produce. He also had experience building similar structures (to exclude birds) when he and his family grew blueberries.

Mixon mostly grows grapefruit in his CUPS but is evaluating other varieties in collaboration with UF/IFAS. He has also worked with Diepenbrock and Dewdney on pest and disease trials in his structures.