The 2014-2015 Florida orange crop is estimated to be 96.4 million boxes, according to a May 12 report by USDA. This is 5.6 million boxes less than estimates earlier this year and 8 million boxes less than last year’s production.

Early-mid varieties increased slightly to 47.4 million boxes, while Valencia oranges dipped 6 million boxes to 49 million.

Florida citrus growers hit peak production with their 1997-1998 production year, producing 244 million boxes. Since then, Florida citrus production has declined 60 percent, due largely to the disease called citrus greening.

“There is no doubt about it we are certainly in challenging times. This decrease is not a surprise from what we’ve been hearing out in the field,” said Michael W. Sparks, executive VP/CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual. “I would expect this kind of drop to put upward pressure on grower returns and that’s a silver lining.

“The good news is we continue to produce the best citrus in the world even faced with the current pest and disease pressure.”

The USDA makes its initial estimate in October of each year and revises it monthly as the crop takes shape until the end of the season in July.

The USDA’s estimate of the 2014-2015 Florida grapefruit crop dropped to 12.9 million boxes from 13 million. Specialty citrus stayed at 3 million boxes. The yield for frozen concentrate orange juice (FCOJ) dipped to 1.49 gallons per 90-pound box.