Texas citrus growers are entering harvest season with a meaningfully larger crop than last year, with Texas Citrus Mutual President Dale Murden projecting output up roughly 15% to more than 5 million fresh cartons. The increase is largely driven by younger trees coming into production. About 70% of Texas citrus is grapefruit and the remainder is oranges, with orange harvest expected to begin in early October and grapefruit following in mid-to-late October. The season typically runs through the end of May.
Quality is described as exceptional, with particularly strong Brix levels on grapefruit. The one challenge is fruit sizing, which has been affected by drought and extreme summer heat, though Murden is optimistic that cooler and wetter fall weather will help size develop. Pricing is expected to hold near last year's levels or trend slightly higher. Murden noted that demand strength will also depend on the timing and volume of competing imports.
For buyers building Texas grapefruit and orange programs, the 15% volume increase provides more room to work with than last season, and quality signals are positive. The sizing uncertainty is worth flagging in early purchasing conversations, as sizing affects both pack configuration and retail pricing strategies.