POLK COUNTY, Fla. — The only thing greater than a child’s joy in discovery is a parent’s pleasure in witnessing it. 

And in a house where oranges serve as toys and orange juice reigns supreme, one Florida farmer is seeing her family’s work in the citrus industry through new eyes — those of her toddler son, Lee.

“I think how lucky I am to get to be a part of this and grow oranges that bring people together, working hard to keep Florida what it is and what it’s known for,” said Morgan McKenna Porter. “I’ve always grown up with a passion for Florida citrus and want to make sure it has a future.”

That future is McKenna Porter — as well as her cousin, Riley McKenna — the fifth generation of the McKenna Brothers, Inc. The company manages some 2,500 acres of citrus from Polk County to further south to Highlands and Hardee counties, delivering to a wide variety of packing plants, without delving into processing oranges on its own.

And for McKenna Porter, returning to the fold after a career in agriculture sales was a pandemic-era decision. The University of Florida alum grew up in the same groves, riding around with her father and uncle, and sipping on carved out oranges or “juicers.”

The groves embodied the work of generations, and the dreams of each respective farmer who toiled to turn a profit.

But they were also a source of despair, as freezes dashed farmers' futures and robbed them of retirement.

Thus, for McKenna Porter, the path back to the family farm was not straightforward, as the pressure to succeed in an industry plagued first by freezes, then hurricanes — and now a persistent disease called citrus greening or HLB — remains palpable.

RESETTING THE CROP: NOW ROUTINE

This past hurricane season, trees weakened by greening were rife for Hurricane Milton’s forces, as the storm's eye traveled right over the family’s Polk County farm. After the storm cleared out and crews checked in, it was soon time for a process that has become more and more rote: the tagging of dead trees with red ribbons for removal.

By mid April, as the harvesting process was just winding down, some scattered piles of twisted trees remained in the grove, their red tags faded after months in the sun. 

But nearby, white, bagged trees stood in careful rows as promise. Resets, McKenna Porter explained, taking place of the old, diseased trees.

These individual protective covers shield the young trees from the spread of greening by the psyllid, a tiny insect that feeds upon its leaves, then transmits HLB to other healthy trees.

“The fun task is putting this in the rearview mirror and getting to look at the resets. That’s the future,” the farmer said. “It used to be easy to grow oranges in Florida. Now it is not easy.”

OUTLOOK: OPTIMISTIC

Yet, while many farms often sell patches of land in order to double down on healthier, more productive soils, McKenna Porter is adamant that throwing in the towel, or selling out to a developer who might wipe the land in favor of housing, is not in the cards.

It is that optimistic view of the future, propelled by constant research to combat greening, which the farmer said keeps her dedicated to the family’s groves, often joking her title is “Etc.” 

In addition, McKenna Porter explained, her faith is fortified by frequent collaboration with research institute UF/IFAS, which plays a significant role in helping the citrus industry test, validate and improve practices.

“We read the research, help influence and steer the research,” she said. “I think it’s still an industry and it will be, because there’s young growers saying, ‘Continue the research, we need it.’”

So now, as the new mother totes around her son on a side-by-side, the grooved wheels spinning up clouds of dust as sprinklers keep the citrus crops cool, she can’t help but reminisce about her own childhood in the groves.

Even if Lee doesn’t want to be a citrus farmer, McKenna Porter mused, it’s alright by her, so long as there’s still green space for animals to roam and crops to grow.

“I think now more than ever, it means keeping this piece of dirt we’re standing on right now in citrus,” she said, continuing, “I don’t ever want there to be a day that the family coming down to see Disney, beaches, just doesn’t get to see one orange tree. I’m going to be part of the reason they have postcards with orange trees on them.”