TAMPA, Fla. — The production of oranges in Florida has taken another dive, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

What You Need To Know

  •  All orange production in Florida is down 29%, according to the US Department of Agriculture

  •  Despite this decline, local growers say that doesn't necessarily impact all producers

  •  One grower says 95% of citrus production is for juices

  • A local producer says he has to focus time on telling people that despite these reports, his groves are doing just fine

  • RELATED: Orange growers struggling as recent storms devastate crops

In its December forecast report released Friday afternoon, the USDA said all orange production in the state has decreased by 29%, compared to its forecast released in October.

Even with this bleak report, some citrus farmers are saying their businesses are doing just fine.

The intoxicating aroma of citrus is prevalent in Archie Ritch's grove.

“I never get tired of eating oranges,” said Ritch, the president of Ridge Island Groves. “I can’t tell you how many oranges I eat every day.”

He’s been in the citrus business since 1992 and says recent storms have caused some disinformation to pop up.

“We get people that are surprised, ‘Oh, you still have oranges,’ because they thought the whole crop was destroyed from the hurricane,” Ritch said.

While farms down south dealt with a major loss from Hurricane Ian, Ridge Island only saw about a 15 to 20% loss, and were able to rebound quickly.

“You can’t beat them,” Ritch said. “You can’t beat Florida oranges.”

But what’s tougher to beat is the idea that production at his groves are slowing down. Ritch says he has to inform people that his place is doing just fine, despite Friday’s USDA report.

“It’s very difficult,” Ritch said.

Because he says it doesn’t necessarily affect places like Ridge Island.

“Ninety-five percent of the citrus grown in the state of Florida is grown for juice,” Ritch said. “The reason being is the fruit has more juice, so it's more economical to grow the fruit for juice.”

But at his grove, he only sells fresh table fruits, which, he says, only represents about 5% of the citrus grown in Florida.

“So, 5% of the crop is a very small percentage,” Ritch said. “And we still have plenty — plenty of fresh citrus for the table fruit to go around in Florida.”

Right now, he has about 50 acres growing citrus and said much of the fruit  should be ready for sale next month. In the meantime, he’s focused on fulfilling orders to ship oranges and tangerines to people across the country wanting a bit of citrusy sweetness for the holidays.

“There’s going to be some happy people over the next few days,” Ritch said.

The USDA citrus report also says grapefruit and tangerine production is down in Florida, though only by 10% and 14% respectively.