Florida produced 242 million boxes of oranges in 2003. This year, the USDA is forecasting 12 million... a decline of more than 95% in less than a generation. Jacob sits down with journalist Alexander Sammon, who wrote a definitive autopsy of the Florida orange industry, to understand how disease, globalization, and real estate swallowed one of America's most iconic crops. Scratch the surface of orange juice, and you find geopolitics, government mandates, and the full sweep of 20th century American economic history.

Alex's article below!

Timestamps:

(00:00) - Welcome and Schedule Update

(00:26) - Meet Alex Salmon

(01:18) - Orange Juice Meets Geopolitics

(02:48) - Florida Orange Collapse

(04:27) - Disease and Perfect Storm

(06:0) -6 Can Science Save Citrus

(10:37) - Farmers Pivot to Real Estate

(14:28) - Nostalgia for Old Florida

(16:58) - Brazil Takes the Baton

(24:25) - Oranges Through History

(26:50) - Canonizing a Classic

(27:39) - Oranges Arrive in Florida

(28:52) - Railroads and Early Boom

(30:02) - War Creates Orange Juice

(30:35) - Geopolitics in Your Glass

(34:02) - Advertising Makes a Staple

(35:49) - Greening and Structural Cracks

(37:26) - Globalization Hollowing Out

(39:23) - Wall Street Consolidation

(42:54) - Juice Backlash and Millennials

(45:16) - Future of Oranges Worldwide

(49:51) - Next Project and Farewell

Referenced in the Show:

Who Killed the Florida Orange? - https://slate.com/business/2026/04/florida-state-orange-food-houses-real-estate.html

Jacob Shapiro Site: jacobshapiro.com

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Jacob Shapiro is a speaker, consultant, author, and researcher covering global politics and affairs, economics, markets, technology, history, and culture. He speaks to audiences of all sizes around the world, helps global multinationals make strategic decisions about political risks and opportunities, and works directly with investors to grow and protect their assets in today’s volatile global environment. His insights help audiences across industries like finance, agriculture, and energy make sense of the world.