Changing how we see Citrus
Brad Turner’s career as a citrus grower and caretaker in West Central Florida wasn’t too much out of the ordinary. He was well versed in which synthetic fertilizers he needed to get the maximum number of boxes per acre, which fungicides worked best to kill whatever fungal pressure he was facing, and how much insecticide he needed to kill the current wave of pests. What he didn’t realize was that his conventional program was slowly and steadily sucking the life out of his trees and soil. By 2016, the healthy groves he remembered as a kid were gone and no amount of chemicals were going to bring them back. Not only that, but the costs for all those chemical inputs combined with lower production from ailing trees had put him out of business. Having seen those healthy, profitable groves as a kid, he knew there had to be a better way to grow citrus.
Brad went on an educational journey to look for answers. He found that there was more to growing citrus than simply a chemistry-first approach. While chemistry is obviously an important component to growing citrus, he opened his mind to the concepts of soil health and soil biology. He decided to put his money where his newfound mouth was and purchased a small five-acre plot of land to develop his own experimental citrus tree trial.
On his plot, he implemented regenerative management techniques to build soil health, increase the diversity and resilience of his microbiology, grow truly healthy trees, and invest in his long term soil asset. He planted over 40 varieties and treated them with biological inoculants, planted “trunk to trunk” multi-species cover crops and attracted beneficial insects and pollinators. These practices encouraged a more diverse and resilient soil microbial community, built up soil organic matter, improved his natural nutrient cycling, created more soil structure, promoted beneficial insects to outcompete the pests, increased water holding capacity, and - most importantly - grew more vibrant trees with better tasting fruit.
Some of the profitability and soil health metrics Brad has seen improve on his place include:
A reduction from $1500-$2500 per acre conventional input costs to $750 per acre regenerative inputs (50-70% cost savings)
More diverse and vibrant soil microbial community (natural nutrient cycling)
Minimal need for insecticides or fungicides (beneficials keep disease and pests in check)
Reduction of soil erosion (increase in soil structure and water infiltration)
A 1% increase in Humus levels greatly increasing water holding capacity (water cost savings)
Higher Brix readings on fruit (more nutrient density)
Citrus that tastes good (premiums in consumer market)
Elimination of chemical fertility runoff (environmental net positive groves)
Brad has been able to realize these benefits on his small diverse plot without relying on synthetic fertilizers, fungicides, or insecticides. But how does this regenerative program work for much larger-scale producers? It begins with opening up your mind to the idea that there is more to growing citrus than chemical inputs and chemical pesticides. There is an enormous workforce of microbial, insect, and plant labor that is more than willing to help make your operation more profitable. The key is testing - do both chemistry and biology tests on your soil to see what your trees may or may not need. As Brad would say, “They won’t lie to ya!” These regenerative farming practices can and are being easily replicated at all levels of scale.
Taking a deep dive into your input and management program with testing will help you see a clear picture of your current soil health and help you get further down the path to where you need to be. You can cut out the current pesticides that are causing the most visceral damage to your biology. Those pests are doing damage and targeting your groves because they are not resilient and the beneficial insects that keep them in check have all been killed. The key is to manage in a way that promotes life and soil health. You can also replace your salt heavy conventional NPK, which stunts the ability of the microbiology to help you when applied at the current conventional rates, by planting cover crops, applying biological inoculates, using compost, and adding protein-based nitrogen sources when necessary.
As ranching soil champion Don Campbell would say, “If you want to make small changes, change the way you do things. If you want to make major changes, change the way you see things.” If Brad could go back in time and start his 40+ year career in citrus all over again, he would never make the same conventional and costly mistakes again. Once you begin managing for soil life and change the way you see things, you’ll never want to go back to the conventional way of doing things. Brad can’t go back 40 years, but he can help others start seeing things differently today and make major changes that will ensure a healthy, profitable, and vibrant citrus industry in 2060 and beyond.
