LAKELAND, Fla. (AP) — Florida's orange crop is expected to increase for the first time in seven years. 
 
 The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that 79 million boxes of oranges are expected during the coming season, a 76 percent increase from the 45 million produced last season. That crop was ravaged by Hurricane Irma and the industry is still suffering from citrus greening, a disease that kills trees. A box of oranges is 90 pounds (40 kilograms). 
 
 The forecast is only about a third the size of the typical Florida orange crop of the early 2000s. Almost all Florida oranges are sold to juice manufacturers. 
 
 The grapefruit crop is expected to grow 73 percent to 6.7 million boxes and the combined tangerine and tangelo crop is expected to jump 60 percent to 1.2 million boxes. 
 
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 Information from: The Ledger (Lakeland, Fla.), http://www.theledger.com 

 CLOSE Citrus grown in Florida primarily ends up in juice form on kitchen tables throughout the world. Wochit, Naples Daily News 
 
 Three sliced oranges on a dark gray surface. (Photo: Getty Images) 
 
 Forget about Hurricane Irma. 
 
 Florida's next orange crop looks good — another sign that the state's citrus growers are on the road to recovery from the serious damage caused by the powerful hurricane a little over a year ago. 
 
 In its initial forecast released Thursday, the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimated the crop at 79 million boxes, up 76 percent from last year. 
 
 In June: Florida citrus growers wrap up 'horrible' season blasted by Hurricane Irma 
 
 "I was expecting it to be much lower than that. Very good," said Mongi Zekri, multicounty citrus agent for the University of Florida/IFAS in Southwest Florida. 
 
 He noted that hurricane season isn't over yet, but he is hopeful the weather will remain cooperative this year. 
 
 "Hopefully, the fruit drop will be minimum this year, and hopefully we won’t have a freeze this coming winter," Zekri said. 
 
 Luckily, he said, there weren't many citrus trees in the path of Hurricane Michael, which devastated parts of Florida's Panhandle on Wednesday. That storm was even more powerful than Irma. 
 
 Florida hurricane records: Breaking down the deadliest, costliest and most intense 
 
 USDA's estimates 
 
 The USDA estimated Florida's growers will produce in the 2018-19 season: 
 
 34 million boxes of early, midseason and navel oranges, up 79 percent from last year; 
 
 45 million boxes of Valencias, 73 percent more than last season; 
 
 6.7 million boxes of grapefruit, up 73 percent from last year; 
 
 1.2 million boxes of tangerines and tangelos, 60 percent more than last season. 
 
 "That's a good rebound from after the storm last year. It shows that the growers have taken care of their groves and put on a decent crop," said Steve Smith, executive vice president of the Gulf Citrus Growers Association, which represents growers in Southwest Florida. 
 
 In case you missed it: Florida citrus growers on road to recovery after Hurricane Irma 
 
 Smith was especially happy with the projected increases for the Valencia and grapefruit crops. He expected the all-orange forecast to be in the 70 million range, but he was pleasantly surprised to see it come in closer to 80 million. 
 
 "It's a good number we can market and build on going forward," he said. 
 
 According to the USDA's report, growers didn't have to face drought conditions in the spring and had ideal growing conditions throughout the summer as they turned their attention to this season's crop, which helped production. 
 
 After some tough years for growers, Zekri said he is crossing his fingers that the USDA's initial forecast will stand. 
 
 "We don't want any more packing houses to close," he said. "We don't want any more juice plants to close. It's a good number to keep these packing plants and juice plants in business. Hopefully, it will keep improving over the years." 
 
 Other estimates 
 
 A closely watched preseason forecast by citrus consultant Elizabeth Steger, who is based in Daytona Beach, put the 2018-19 orange crop at 77 million boxes. 
 
 “As we traveled around the state working on our forecast, we were impressed with the general healthy condition of many groves and the new plantings of young trees," Steger said in prepared remarks when releasing her estimate. 
 
 Although not as rosy, the average estimate of four traders and analysts in a Bloomberg survey pegged the orange crop at 70 million boxes for next season, which still would be quite a comeback story. 
 
 While the USDA's brighter forecast is good news, the industry has a way to go before it truly has recovered, said Michael W. Sparks, the CEO of Florida Citrus Mutual, the state's largest citrus growers organization. 
 
 Last year, Florida produced 45 million boxes of oranges, down dramatically from the prior year, primarily due to Irma. The hurricane twisted branches, blew fruit to the ground and knocked over trees, causing widespread damage. The industry already was reeling from a tree-killing disease called citrus greening, or HLB for short. 
 
 More: Florida citrus growers wrap up 'horrible' season blasted by Hurricane Irma 
 
 "It's been a very difficult year for growers, no doubt, and it's good to hear production for this season is expected to be up," Sparks said in a news release. "Growers continue to show resilience and a commitment to replant and get the industry back on its feet." 
 
 However, he said, significant work still needs to be done to increase production to the point where it can "support infrastructure and generate the income necessary to keep growers in business." 
 
 "I am optimistic the 2018-2019 season is the beginning, and we will get the Florida citrus industry back to sustainability," Sparks said. 
 
 The citrus industry employs almost 46,000 people and covers about 400,000 acres in Florida. 
 
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– Florida's orange crop is expected to increase for the first time in seven years, per the AP. The US Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that 79 million boxes of oranges are expected during the coming season, a 76% increase from the 45 million produced last season. That crop was ravaged by Hurricane Irma, and the industry is still suffering from citrus greening, a disease that kills trees. Each box of oranges weighs 90 pounds. "I was expecting it to be much lower than that. Very good," Mongi Zekri of the University of Florida tells the Naples Daily News. Still, the forecast is only about a third the size of the typical Florida orange crop of the early 2000s. Almost all Florida oranges are sold to juice manufacturers. The grapefruit crop is expected to grow 73% to 6.7 million boxes, and the combined tangerine and tangelo crop is expected to jump 60% to 1.2 million boxes.