Essay: The Importance Of Growing Up In Florida

When you think of Florida what pops in your head first? For some it is the sunshine, the beaches or maybe even Disney. For some it is oranges. Growing up in Florida I always saw rows of orange groves, and in the spring came a strong smell of orange blossoms. I loved driving the seven hours home from college and seeing all of the trees with fruit on them. During certain times of the year I also got to witness the oranges being harvested and transported. With recent news of the cold fronts bearing down on Florida (including snow for the northern part of the state), I was curious about what that would mean for a Florida icon. According to a recent news article by CNBC the cold fronts are having a negative effect on the orange crop this year.

For orange trees location of resources, tradition, and environmental factors are major factors in producing oranges. Florida is known for its sunshine, humidity, mild winters, and higher amounts of rain. Orange trees like to grow in subtropical climates, so Florida has the resources and the environment to sustain a large crop. Tradition also comes into play because oranges are a Florida icon. Not only is orange juice the state beverage, orange blossoms are the state flower. Oranges and orange juice can be mainly produced in Florida because they can be stored and transported for long distances (even internationally), unlike laying hen farms which are scattered around the country to easily transport eggs to consumers. Another state that has a high amount of citrus farming is California. Most juicing oranges come from Florida, and most oranges for consumption as fresh fruit come from California. Again resources, location of consumers, and environmental factors affect the location of production. Although California doesn’t have the same amount of humidity and precipitation, California certainly has lots of sunshine, and mild winters in parts of the state. This article does raise a couple questions: What will this year’s harvest mean for the price of orange juice? What will this mean for small cities