FROSTPROOF, Fla. (WFLA) — With citrus growers fleeing Florida amid disease, hard freezes and increasingly damaging storms fueled by the changing climate , a Polk County farmer chose to swap out his orange trees for a grove of avocados.
WFLA first spoke to farmer Mitch McLellan almost two years ago when he became the first to get the green light to grow the fruit in the central part of the state.
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His grove was wiped out by citrus greening disease, which has claimed 60% of the citrus crop throughout Florida. That’s when he decided that instead of throwing in the towel, he’d swap out his crop.
Nearly two years later, his property is full of thriving avocado trees. McLellan said it will take a few more years for them to reach their full potential, but he’s already seeing results…