A
century ago children looked forward to getting an orange in their
Christmas stocking – a treat many enjoyed just once a year.  After
World War II the Florida citrus industry took off and many baby boomers
grew up starting their day with a glass of O.J.  Now the rarity that
became a commodity is threatened by a major epidemic.  WGCU’s Valerie
Alker reports.

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida will hold a rally in front of a Publix store in Lakeland on Sunday to protest what they say are poor wages and working conditions faced by farmworkers. WGCU’s John Davis reports.

A spokesperson for Florida's largest supermarket chain denies planting an employee to film a farm worker protest rally in Fort Myers. WGCU's Valerie Alker reports.

Florida
citrus growers are pushing hard to eradicate or control Citrus
Greening, a disease that renders fruit inedible and kills trees.  It’s
a major threat to the state’s more than 9 billion dollar citrus
industry.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

Citrus
growers expect to see better days ahead.  The U-S Department of
Agriculture has lifted its ban on the commercial shipping of citrus to
other citrus growing states, put in place over fears of spreading
citrus canker.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Members of the Coalition of Immokalee Workers and Interfaith Action of Southwest Florida are holding a vigil in Fort Myers Sunday, in recognition of poor working conditions and slave labor faced by farm workers in Florida. WGCU’s John Davis reports.

FEMA,
the Federal Emergency Management Agency will provide more than 8
million dollars to rebuild portions of the Immokalee State Farmer’s
Market destroyed by Hurricane Wilma four years ago.  WGCU’s John Davis
reports.

The
U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates a roughly 14 ½ percent decline
in the 2009-2010 Florida Citrus Crop.  But there’s an upside to those
numbers.  WGCU’s Valerie Alker reports.

Florida
citrus growers are crying “foul”.  Florida Citrus Mutual wants the
federal government to keep one Brazilian citrus grower from selling
cheap orange juice cheap in the U.S. - creating a tough financial
burden for Florida growers.  WGCU’s Luis Hernandez reports.

Between
disease, weather and economic woes Florida’s citrus industry is facing
a tough road ahead.  The state’s citrus acreage is at the lowest level
it’s been in 42 years.  WGUC’s Luis Hernandez reports.