With citrus growers fleeing Florida amid disease, hard freezes and increasingly damaging storms fueled by the changing climate, a Polk County farmer chose to swap out his orange trees for a grove of avocados.
Farmer Mitch McLellan almost two years ago when he became the first to get the green light to grow the fruit in the central part of the state.
His grove was wiped out by citrus greening disease, which has claimed 60% of the citrus crop throughout Florida. That’s when he decided that instead of throwing in the towel, he’d swap out his crop.
Nearly two years later, his property is full of thriving avocado trees. McLellan said it will take a few more years for them to reach their full potential, but he’s already seeing results.
“These little trees here are just a year and 10 months old. They produced about 1,500 pounds of avocados last year,” McLellan said. “I’ve got 700 trees. Each tree should produce anywhere between 3.5 to 4.5 bushels, which a bushel weighs 55 pounds.”
The farmer hopes his experimental crop will help other struggling citrus growers in the region.
“As a farmer you gamble on any product, crop you put in the ground. I knew it was a gamble going in, and everybody down south knew it was a gamble going in, so far though, it paid off,” McLellan said.
McLellan expects his avocado grove to reach its full production capabilities in 2028.