Texas loses ranking as top grapefruit producer due to brutal cold snap back in February

[LeftInTX]

Texas loses ranking as top grapefruit producer due to brutal cold snap back in February
Nine months following the historic February Freeze across Texas, the state's grapefruit industry is still reaping the detrimental impacts from the frigid weather.

The winter outbreak that had swept into the subtropical southeastern portion of the state on Valentine's Day ushered in icy conditions and extreme cold temperatures that damaged two different crops of grapefruit across the region. This season's crop of grapefruit, which had only been blooming at the time of the winter outbreak, is expected to provide less than a third of an average harvest.


Texas had been the number one provider of fresh grapefruit in the nation ahead of the outbreak, but the damage done to the groves has since dropped them down to third in the nation, Dale Murden, the president of Texas Citrus Mutual, a trade group that represents the interests of the state's citrus growers, told AccuWeather's National Reporter Bill Wadell.

Murden had also spoken with AccuWeather via email back during February. Also a grower, he had mentioned that when temperatures dip below 28 degrees and stay below that mark for five hours or longer, the fruit on the branches begins to freeze on the inside, damaging the crop. "Most everyone" saw temperatures drop to at least 21 degrees, he had added

https://www.yahoo.com/now/texas-loses-ranking-top-grapefruit-164200169.html

This news is a month old, but it explains why I couldn't find my wonderful Texas grapefruit at the grocery store today. I miss my 5 pound bags of Texas Sweet Scarletts

[Tomconroy]

1. Sheesh. I had major money riding on this one.

[doc03]

2. Didn't know they grew grapefruits there. A lot

of bull shit I knew.

[Paladin]

3. Take a break from the insults and learn all about the Rio Grande Valley.

It'll be good for you.

[LeftInTX]

4. Official State Fruit of Texas - The best and sweetest grapefruit too!

Grown in the Rio Grande Valley in Texas (Actually it's the Rio Grande delta area)

Grapefruit tastes sweetest when grown in hot, humid muggy weather and the Rio Grande Valley is the perfect climate. It has the hot nights of Florida, but also has hotter day time temps.

The Rio Red grapefruit is sweet and super easy to peel. I love'em. I miss'em.


https://www.texasmonthly.com/articles/better-off-red/

https://bexar-tx.tamu.edu/homehort/archives-of-weekly-articles-davids-plant-of-the-week/the-history-of-texas-grapefruit/

https://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/citrus/grapefruit.htm
https://www.eatlikenoone.com/why-the-best-grapefruit-comes-from-texas.htm

https://uscitrus.com/blogs/citrus-delight-blog/the-texas-grapefruit-story


https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/bs-xpm-2009-01-28-0901260037-story.html

https://www.wise-geek.com/what-is-a-texas-grapefruit.htm

[doc03]

5. I think of Texas it is cattle and oil. I never thought

they grew citrus but it's a big place. Texarkana is the only place I was ever at in Texas. Never thought of ranches in Florida but I have seen more cattle there than orange groves.

[LeftInTX]

6. US cattle ranching began in Florida...It was a Spanish thing and the Spanish were Florida first

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cattle_ranching_in_Spanish_Florida

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranch

You may be seeing dairy cows too. Florida is probably well suited for dairy. Cows need lots of water.

Texas is the largest cotton producer in the US
It is grown in the panhandle of all places.

https://www.statista.com/statistics/248776/top-10-us-states-for-cotton-production/

Wind is also a large commodity and the panhandle has the most wind. (I think Texas also produces the most wind energy)
Oil is dependent on geology.

It's funny to travel up to the panhandle and see oil wells and wind turbines in the same plot.