Winter Haven, Florida -- Move over oranges, there may be a new fruit in town. Fifty years in the making, Florida researchers are breaking new ground by helping Bay area citrus growers produce the perfect peach. While it costs three times as much per acre to grow peaches than it does to grow citrus the hope is that the expense will pay off in the long run.
When most people think of peaches they probably think of vine-ripe sweet and juicy Georgia peaches, but Florida peaches are now an alternative. Some are being grown in Winter Haven, but it's not an easy process -- at least not yet.
Matthew Story's family is well known in the area for growing citrus. The Story Companies have been in the citrus business since the 1930s and they still own and maintain the original properties that were planted then.
Matt is the company's production manager. His family is experimenting with growing peaches now.
"You have to do a lot of thinning to get the size up you have to do a lot of pruning," he says.
Thinning out the peach trees means getting rid of 90% of the fruit on the tree to fatten up the other 10%. It's thinning that can't be done by machine either.
Brandon Rafool is a local attorney who is also a peach grower.
"There's a lot of hand labor and a lot of hand work to get the trees to these stages to get them growing right," he explains.
Rafool says to grow them right size really matters.
"We want a big peach. We want a 2-and-a-half-inch, 2-and-3/8-inch peach because that's what the consumer wants and that's another challenge."
The University of Florida graduate admits that his alma mater is coming up with solutions to the challenges though. Through trial and error over half a century, researchers there have been working to develop two types of peaches that can grow in Florida. The varieties are UF Best and UF Suns.
It's critical research too since the $9 billion industry Florida is known for all over the world is suffering due to citrus greening. It has growers producing their lowest harvest in decades.
"We don't think it's going to wipe out the citrus industry we hope and pray it's not going to wipe out the citrus industry but it's taken it's toll," Story says.
Rafool adds, "We have a good-sized peach. We have a great tasting peach. We're early. We're before everybody else. If you like peaches you can get them - pack them - preserve them - refrigerate them and use them throughout the year."
Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the Horticultural Sciences Department at the University of Florida says, "The cost of improving any tree's genetics is expensive. They take a lot of space, care and maintenance. To grow the hundreds or thousands of trees needed for a breeding program takes up hundreds of thousands of dollars per year in land, fertilizer, pest control, and other management. The new variety you get in the store could cost close to a million dollars to develop. However, these funds come back many-fold when the industry receives an improved variety."
Consumers can buy Florida peaches in early March all the way through June by looking for "Fresh from Florida" signs to make sure they are the local peaches. Rafool and Story say buyers can normally find them at Walmart.
Rafool says growers really want to spread the word about the availability of Florida peaches.
"Now we need to start putting some marketing out. That's what we're looking to do to get the Florida peach brand out there."
