California-based LoBue Citrus completed a relatively successful season with its Heritage Reserve Navel Oranges that were only partially affected by the winter's frosts. 

LoBue sales and marketing vice president Noam Gatineau told www.freshfruitportal.com the company only lost some 10% of the orange crop instead of the industry average of around 30%, mainly due to the orchards' location.

"They're nestled upon a western edge of the Sequoia National Park where the temperatures tend to remain a little warmer, so there was a lot less damage to the Heritage Reserve program because of that," he said.

Gatineau went on to explain even very minor changes in geography can affect total crop yield for a season.

"If you were in the northern part of the valley I think it was a bit more severe than in the central and southern parts. It's really strange how the climate works," he said.

Other measures that LoBue takes to minimize frost damage include adjusting its irrigation management and using wind machines near the crops.

"The wind machine helps circulate the air around the orchard. So the cold air isn't stagnant - it moves around instead of staying in one place," Gatineau explained.

The frost damage to crops a few months ago led to there being a heavily reduced supply of citrus in the U.S. market this year, which LoBue was able to take advantage of with its higher production.

"I think all things considered it was a decent year. In regards to the loss that we incurred and the monies we obtained for the fruit, overall it was a decent year," Gatineau said.

LoBue normally produces around 500,000 40-pound boxes of its Heritage Navel Oranges from orchards covering some 600 acres. It claims the fruit has a superior quality due to the age of the trees, which range from 50 to 112 years old.

Gatineau said the upcoming years for the company looked positive and it aimed to continue expanding.

"The company's future is very bright. We have plantings that are not yet in production in all major citrus categories, so we're definitely going to grow," he said.

LoBue is celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, and currently produces a range of citrus varieties, including lemons, mandarins, and grapefruit.

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