Citrus Research and Education Center to celebrate 90th anniversary

November 6, 2007

In 1917, Woodrow Wilson was president, a new Model-T Ford cost $360, and Polk County citrus growers purchased land in Lake Alfred to build what was to become the University of Florida’s Citrus Research and Education Center (CREC).

Originally, only a few University of Florida scientists were assigned to the Lake Alfred site, which was then called the Citrus Experiment Station. Now, 90 years later, the CREC employs 250 people and is the largest facility in the world devoted to a single commodity. The center also serves as home to the scientific research staff of the Florida Department of Citrus.

On Nov. 7, UF will celebrate the center’s past while anticipating the future. Festivities will begin at 11 a.m., beginning with a dedication of the new Citrus Pathology Building and a rededication of the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. Citrus Hall.

The Citrus Pathology Building contains advanced laboratory facilities for daily research, and houses four scientists who focus their work on the two biggest challenges facing the citrus industry today – a bacterial infection known as citrus canker and a fatal disease called citrus greening.

“The new building is state of the art,” said Dr. Ron Brlansky, a professor and plant pathologist at the CREC. “It allows us to do our detection and other work under excellent conditions.”

After the 2004 hurricanes took their toll, the CREC’s conference center, the Ben Hill Griffin, Jr. Citrus Hall, has undergone extensive renovation and will be rededicated. Funded solely on citrus industry donations, the Citrus Hall contains the world’s largest citrus library, a teaching lab and electron microscope. The hall can accommodate up to 350 guests and each year hosts a wide array of events which are not limited to the citrus industry.

The CREC is the oldest and largest off-campus experiment station in UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences. CREC is credited with developing the technology for making frozen concentrate orange juice, which was patented in 1948. This helped Florida orange juice become one of the world’s favorite beverages.”

“The Citrus Research and Education Center is a great example of how IFAS personnel work hand-in-hand with industry to benefit the $9 billion citrus industry, the state’s economy, and entire state,” said Jimmy Cheek, UF senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources. “The University of Florida is proud that CREC is marking 90 years of hard work and success.”