Managing orange groves in Florida – a state prone to hurricanes and citrus greening disease – is no easy task. But for fifth-generation citrus grower and University of Florida alum Morgan McKenna Porter, it’s a passion.
“[Growing up], I developed a love for the outdoors, thanks to my family, from riding around in the orange groves with my dad (Pat McKenna) or having orange fights with my cousin, Riley,” said Porter, who was raised in Lake Wales. “Weekends at the hunting camp were always a blast, and fishing trips with my mom, dad and little sister were always interesting and fun.”
Later, as Porter started classes at UF in 2010, she knew she wanted to major in agriculture and build a career working outdoors. She took classes in the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences; graduated in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in agricultural education and communication; and worked as a sales representative for Syngenta, a global agricultural seed and crop protection company.
During this time, citrus greening disease (also known as Huanglongbing), had been damaging the state’s groves. Then Hurricane Irma struck in 2017, exacerbating the citrus industry woes. That’s when Porter felt a calling to return to the family business.
Read more at UF News.
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ABOUT UF/IFAS
The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS brings science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents.
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