USDA: Florida orange crop down 36% after two hurricanes

  • Orange trees branches and the fruit rots on the ground on Oct. 12, 2022, at Roy Petteway’s Citrus and Cattle Farm in Zolfo Springs after they were knocked down from the effects of Hurricane Ian. (CHRIS O’MEARA/AP File)
    Orange trees branches and the fruit rots on the ground on Oct. 12, 2022, at Roy Petteway’s Citrus and Cattle Farm in Zolfo Springs after they were knocked down from the effects of Hurricane Ian. (CHRIS O’MEARA/AP File)

    ST. PETERSBURG — Production of oranges in Florida this season is forecast to be down 36% from earlier estimates, in part a reflection of twin hurricanes that battered growing regions, according to U.S…