Math in the News Issue 94: Winter’s Impact on Florida’s Orange Crop

This issue of Math in the News explores how environmental and biological factors have affected Florida’s orange crop, using real-world data and mathematical modeling to quantify the impact. Students analyze USDA data from 2001 to 2012 and use percent change formulas to track year-over-year declines in crop output. They build spreadsheet models to estimate average annual decreases and apply exponential decay formulas to forecast future production losses under different scenarios. The lesson includes both historical data and forward-looking projections, such as the estimated losses resulting from an additional 4% or 8% annual decline. Students then estimate how many oranges this represents and discuss the broader implications for the citrus industry. A video feature from PBS NewsHour complements the math instruction with insights into biological threats and innovations in citrus agriculture. This lesson supports data literacy, algebraic modeling, and critical thinking about climate and agriculture.

Subscribers to Media4Math can download the complete lesson as a PDF, including all data tables, modeling exercises, and classroom prompts.