Shortage of labor
Citrus, like much of the hand-picked agriculture in the United States, is primarily picked by Hispanic migrants who move across the country with the growing seasons. Any disruption in laborers can have disastrous effects on the industry. Recent calls for tighter immigration regulations left grove owners struggling to find workers to pick their trees in recent years. When workers cannot be found, fruit will literally rot and fall from branches, resulting in higher demand and increased prices of orange juice for the consumer.