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Hastings, Florida | I live in north central Florida, and we have a very few groves around here. Used to be thousands of acres,with several packing houses in this area. Each severe freeze, the kind that damage the trees themselves, make grove owners more determined to not let Mother Nature get the best of them, and they shift the growing further south in the state.There is a tremendous competition from South American O.J.,it is shipped to U.S. by the tanker ship load, so not much incentive to establish new acreage. It takes years to develop a producing grove, and alot of capital.When a grove is damaged beyond repair,if the trees are entirely removed, the property tax can be tremendous.Without something growing on it, it is considered prime real estate by the tax man. So, the owners leave a few trees on the property to claim it as agricultural land, until a land developer comes along . It is referred to as "planting Yankees" when the homes are built on farmland. | |
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Florida Citrus Acreage
