Citrus growers in Texas's Rio Grande Valley are reporting significant fruit sizing problems as the harvest gets underway, following a summer that saw McAllen record 101 days at or above 100°F — a new record, surpassing the previous mark of 97 days set in 2023. Field Operations Manager Michael Flowers at Lone Star Citrus says heat stress and insufficient soil moisture have combined to stunt fruit development, leaving a notable share of fruit too small to harvest profitably.
Smaller fruit means less harvestable volume per acre, and growers are using sizing rings in orchards to manually assess readiness before sending crews in. The labor implication is real: Flowers noted that a smaller crop is expected to reduce demand for harvest workers, compounding economic pressure on an already stretched regional agricultural workforce. Meteorologists note that brief rainfall events don't restore soil moisture deficits quickly enough to matter for the current crop.
This adds another layer to an already constrained domestic citrus picture. Combined with Florida's 23% orange forecast decline and California transitioning between varieties, Texas grapefruit sizing trouble further tightens the winter citrus supply outlook. Buyers building holiday grapefruit promotions or relying on Texas volume should be monitoring sizing reports closely over the next several weeks.