Texas Citrus Shipments Run at Less Than Half Last Season's Pace

By Grace Kim

Rio Grande Valley growers had shipped 80,445 40-pound cartons of fresh citrus as of Oct. 24 this season — down from 219,613 cartons at the same point last year, according to Juan Anciso, Ph.D., vegetable specialist and associate head of the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. The 2026-2027 Texas citrus harvest is underway, but an extremely hot, dry summer kept grapefruit and oranges from sizing up.

Anciso, who is also a professor in the Texas A&M Department of Horticultural Sciences at the AgriLife Research and Extension Center at Weslaco, said growers have started harvesting grapefruit, early oranges and navel oranges. Shipments of both grapefruit and early oranges bound for fresh fruit aisles are running at less than half of last year's pace. The totals exclude fruit going to juice.

"It's kind of complex, but I would say the primary culprit is the drought," Anciso said. "We were very dry this summer, so fruit sizes in oranges, even early oranges, and of course grapefruits, haven't sized up."

The Rio Grande Valley saw virtually no rain in June, July and August, and endured extended consecutive days above 100 degrees. Meaningful rains did not arrive until September and October.

What does the yield outlook look like?

Despite the slow start, trees are carrying more fruit than last season. The first crop estimate from the Texas Valley Citrus Committee projects grapefruit production about 10% above last season and early oranges about 50% higher. Late oranges, such as Valencias, are expected to come in about the same.

"The crop loads look good, but the fruit on the trees just hasn't sized up," Anciso said.

There is time for that to change. The Texas citrus harvest typically runs from October into May and sometimes early June, depending on how much fruit remains.

Pest pressure has been light this season, Anciso said, with producers staying ahead of citrus rust mite infestations. Melanose, a fungal disease, remains a problem — especially in groves still carrying dead trees and wood left by Winter Storm Uri in 2021. The fungus lives on dead wood, and rain splashes it onto fruit, leaving blemishes that keep it out of the fresh market. That fruit can still be juiced.

How are prices and costs shaping up?

Florida's citrus declines from citrus greening have opened broader markets for Texas oranges, though the effect on grapefruit has been smaller, Anciso said. Tight national orange supplies have pushed prices higher; he has heard of wholesale prices of $38 for a 40-pound carton. Grapefruit prices are less clear due to lower demand, although Texas varieties like Rio Red draw consumers for their sweeter flavor.

Growers also face rising input costs, and today's prices may not hold. Prices may be high partly because few orchards are being harvested, and they could decline as more groves get picked.

"With those kinds of prices, you should come out ahead," Anciso said. "But if those prices tend to slide, then that's where you start getting into situations that, depending on the yield and input costs, profits could be challenging."

Irrigation water remains a concern. Fall rains improved reservoir conditions: inflows from the Pecos and Devils rivers lifted Amistad Reservoir from about 30% to more than 50% of capacity, while Falcon Reservoir sits at about 20%. Much of the moisture from this season's Pacific hurricanes tracked into New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado and Utah instead of the Rio Grande watershed, and the El Niño rains expected this fall have mostly gone to the desert Southwest so far.

"There's no doubt Texas is still in the citrus business," Anciso said. "It's just been a tough run of seasons for growers."

Elsewhere in Texas agriculture

AgriLife Extension district reporters logged a mixed week. Highlights:

• Panhandle: rain delayed harvests about two weeks; winter wheat 85% planted, 73% emerged.
• South Plains: over 1 inch of rain held up cotton, now about 42% harvested with bolls 87% open; one irrigated field yielded three-fourths of a bale per acre.
• Rolling Plains: cotton about 36% harvested; wheat 89% planted, 77% emerged.
• North: wheat 73% planted, 45% emerged; corn, sorghum and soybean harvest complete.
• East: feeder cattle 400 pounds and under finished $8-$12 per hundredweight higher; slaughter cows and bulls finished $3-$5 lower.
• Far West: cotton about 58% harvested; very good Pima yields reported near El Paso.
• West Central: cotton about 44% complete; commercial pecans bringing $2-$2.40 per pound.
• Southwest: up to 9 inches of rain in places; livestock prices held steady.
• South: 2-9 inches of rain; citrus harvest began and peanut harvest was delayed; cash cattle markets weakened a few cents.

With months of harvest left and crop loads above last season's, the season's economics will hinge on whether fruit sizes catch up before today's strong prices slide.