Citrus Grower Sees Success with Cover Crops

Abstract

Ed James has citrus in his veins. He has been working and thriving in the citrus business since he was a teenager — from hoeing orange trees to owning a caretaking business that serviced thousands of acres. After deciding to give up on his grove, he began pushing out all his trees. His plan was to plant cover crops and get the soil ready for watermelons or other row crops. However, the front-end loader broke down midway through tree removal. He decided to just leave those trees until he could fix the loader. He planted cover crops down the rows to keep the plan moving. Now he is on a mission to educate citrus growers on the advantages of both the use of cover crops and creating a healthy soil biology. He uses his own grove to teach growers the benefits of cover crops, and others are now trying it out.