Exploring Market Perceptions and Operational Impacts of Non-Gassed Early Season Green Citrus

Project Overview

FW25-016
Project Type: Farmer/Rancher
Funds awarded in 2025: $25,000.00
Projected End Date: 07/31/2026
Grant Recipient: Sunny Cal Agriculture, Inc.
Region: Western
State: California
Principal Investigator:
CJ Buxman
Email
Sunny Cal Agriculture, Inc.

Commodities

  • Fruits: citrus

Practices

  • Crop Production: postharvest treatment
  • Education and Training: on-farm/ranch research
  • Farm Business Management: market study

    Proposal summary:

    Sunny Cal Farms, a citrus grower in Central California, will explore producer and citrus buyer perceptions of “non-gassed” early season green citrus fruits and the impact to citrus producer’s revenues and operational efficiencies.  Most early season California citrus fruits are still green when ripe and do not change color after harvesting without going through a degreening, or “gassing” room first.  As a result, growers will gas or “de-green” harvested citrus to achieve the desired color for market. This process takes infrastructure, specialty knowledge, time and resources. Sunny Cal Farms intends to document the process and potential impacts of harvesting and marketing non-gassed early season citrus from their Central California farm, including an increase in efficiencies, reduction in resources, and heightened market viability. We will send samples of green citrus and gassed citrus to several local wholesalers and distributors for sampling and to collect perceptions of the fruit, as well as gather data on wholesaler and distributor perceptions of selling and marketing green citrus.  Project results will be shared with citrus wholesalers and citrus producers throughout California and the West Coast in a short format video to increase awareness of early season green citrus and the effects on operational efficiency. 

    Project objectives from proposal:

    Research Objectives:

    1. Understand Industry Perceptions of Early Season Green Citrus
    2. Evaluate Quality Metrics of Green Citrus Compared to Degreened Citrus
    3. Evaluate Economic Impact of Degreening Versus Non-Degreening
    4. Engage and Educate Industry Stakeholders on Green Citrus Quality

    Education Objectives:

    1. Create Short-Format Videos for Wholesalers Explaining Project Results and the Impact of Early Season Citrus Harvests for Producers 
    2. Create a Final Case Study to be Published in Newsletters, Emails, and Websites
    Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and should not be construed to represent any official USDA or U.S. Government determination or policy.