Citrus is an endangered species — Florida has already lost half its orange groves. In Part 2 of this episode, we’ll meet a Frenchman who’s devoted his life to saving the Florida grapefruit industry. You’ll also see hundreds of acres of trees growing under cover in screened-in closure (like a giant back porch the size of several football fields).
They’re all fighting against citrus greening, a lethal disease that came here from China 20 years ago. The bug has also made it to Brazil. China and Brazil are less impacted by greening than Florida — because in those countries, when a grove dies off, the powers that be simply grab more land and replant.
In the U.S. — and especially in a prime real estate state like Florida — that’s not an option. Florida growers have a choice: Stand and fight, quit, or adapt. We’ll introduce you to people who’ve taken every one of those paths.
