Carrying on a family tradition, a UF/IFAS grad inspires the next generation of citrus growers
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.
Building a legacy
Porter considers it an honor to be part of the next generation of the McKenna family to manage the groves. For the past five years, she has worked as the operations manager at McKenna Brothers Inc. in Lake Wales, which consists of 10 employees and about 1,000 acres, and is owned by Marty and Pat McKenna. Porter’s cousin, Riley McKenna, is the vice president of McKenna & Associates Citrus Inc., owned by Marty McKenna.
“While Riley and I hope to play a bigger role in the company one day, we’re not running things yet,” Porter said, adding that Riley and Marty McKenna are also graduates of the UF/IFAS College of Agricultural and Life Sciences. “Right now, our focus is on learning from our dads, who are still very much at the helm. We both help bring in innovative ideas – some that our dads love and others that serve as great lessons in why we young grasshoppers still have a lot to learn.”
Even though citrus greening disease has drastically reduced fruit production in Florida, Porter – the eternal optimist – sees a future in producing the state’s signature crop. Porter is happy to carry the flag for agriculture in general and citrus in particular, even though many people – inside and outside the industry – are losing some faith in a citrus comeback.
“I’m just one person, but it’s worth telling our story, as an entire industry, to customers and fellow Florida residents,” Porter said. “I wanted to lean in and go for it, swing for the fences. I want a future for Florida citrus, and I want a future for McKenna Brothers.”
The path forward
Porter’s father and uncle have done a significant amount of farming and advocating for the needs of fellow stakeholders.
“They’ve put in their effort. They’ve worked with UF/IFAS researchers,” Porter said. “I haven’t been fighting greening as long as they have.”
They have inspired Porter and Riley McKenna to continue this work.
“Riley and I are on parallel paths, working toward a common goal – a successful and economically viable future for Florida citrus, which hopefully, in return, also means a future for the McKenna family,” Porter said.
Porter currently sees the most promise for creating that viable future in the direct systemic applications that growers are using to help control citrus greening. But that’s just one tool in a suite of Huanglongbing management solutions for growers.
To help further their vision for the Florida citrus industry, Riley McKenna serves as president of the Highlands County Citrus Growers Association and Porter is president of the Citrus Research and Development Foundation. The latter was formed to help study Huanglongbing and to ensure the survival of Florida’s citrus industry through research.
A lifelong learner, Porter also graduated from the Wedgworth Leadership Institute, which develops leaders to ensure a strong and adaptable agricultural and natural resources industry for many generations. Riley McKenna will graduate from Wedgworth in July.
“Riley and I are glass-half-full people, as are most of us left in this industry,” Porter said. “We bring optimism to most board and committee meetings we attend. No matter what Mother Nature throws at us, we keep our heads up, laser-focused on a path forward.”