Dolly Parton famously said, “We cannot direct the wind, but we can adjust the sails.”
As Florida’s citrus industry continues to struggle amid the citrus greening crisis, more producers are having to adjust their sails. As greening drags on, innovative companies like Ben Hill Griffin are exploring new opportunities to expand and diversify their businesses.
BHG opened more than 75 years ago, with humble beginnings as a 10-acre orange grove and small citrus packinghouse. Ben Hill Griffin Jr., the founder, had a passion for growing citrus that he passed down to his many future successors. While citrus is still the company’s primary focus, followed by cattle and fertilizer, the Ben Hill Griffin Nursery and Greenhouse has started to spread roots outside citrus.
To shore itself up against unpredictable environmental tides, the nursery and greenhouse are branching out to also grow flower products, vegetables, greens, and herbs. “Like most citrus companies,” says Nursery Manager David Nelson, “HLB has impacted our production of fruits as well as the industry in general, including citrus nurseries where trees for replants and new groves are produced.”
Read more at Central Florida AG News
