Citrus greening has cut Florida's citrus production by more than 90% over the past two decades, and Jordan Howe, an area manager with Nutrien Financial, argues that the survival playbook Florida growers developed applies directly to row crop operations in the Dakotas and the wider Corn Belt.

The column, published October 7, 2026, draws a sharp contrast between row crop and citrus realities. In row crop agriculture, a bad year lasts about a year. Prices eventually rebound, droughts break, farmers replant and move on.

Florida citrus growers do not have that option. There is no remedy for citrus greening. Growers cannot wait it out or farm their way back to where they were.

"Those who are still standing have shifted their approach to farm finances, building a new relationship with risk, investment and planning to be more resilient," Howe writes.

What does the Florida crisis change for Northern Plains growers?

Howe, who oversees operations across the Corn Belt, western U.S. and Canada for Nutrien Financial, frames the citrus case as a stress test of modern farm finance. The old formula — grow more, spend efficiently, come out ahead — no longer holds on its own.

Drought cycles, commodity price swings and rising operational costs have made success a moving target for Dakota growers too.

One lever: align working capital with the rhythm of the farm. By mid-season, most working capital sits tied up in the crop, while labor, equipment upkeep and crop-protection inputs still demand cash through harvest.

Howe recommends blending capital sources — pairing retail financing with a bank operating line — to match expenses to the production cycle and preserve access to planned inputs without draining other operational needs.

How did Florida growers adapt?

Instead of chasing scale, some of the most resilient citrus operations shifted toward quality and differentiation. They reworked marketing plans to match agronomic reality, positioning fruit as a boutique product rather than competing on volume.

They also invested in industry-wide research targeting long-term solutions to the underlying disease pressure. Rather than trying to return to the past, they asked what a viable operation looks like now.

Howe says every grower he works with eventually faces that same question — whether the disruption is disease, drought, trade uncertainty or margin compression.

Where does the long-term view pay off?

Howe points to fall fertilizer as a concrete example for row crop farmers. When cash runs tight late in the season, cutting or skipping a fall application looks like savings.

He draws a distinction between cost savings and underinvesting in crop health. A season-to-season lens weights immediate savings. A long-term lens weighs next season's crop plan, soil fertility and yield potential — evaluating spending on long-term value rather than short-term cash relief.

Making that shift requires capital structured around the production cycle, not just a standard repayment schedule.

"Disruption isn't always temporary," Howe concludes. "But resilience — the kind that lets you keep adapting instead of just surviving — is something every grower can build, regardless of what crop is in the ground."