Consumers aren’t likely to get squeezed and local orange growers could benefit slightly from hurricane damage to Florida’s orange and grapefruit crops.

The last citrus processing plant in the Valley is closing its Mesa facility after operating since the 1930s. The board of the Mesa Citrus Growers Association decided in May to close the plant, general manager Bill Faysak said Monday.

As pioneers settled into the Valley’s fledgling communities in the 1880s, they established a booming industry by planting grove after grove of citrus.

Farmers and nurseries across the state are assessing the economic hit they took from the freak cold snap that engulfed the Southwest last weekend. East Valley residents likely will soon see the price of citrus products rise in the grocery stores.

A freeze warning that was in effect throughout the Valley Tuesday morning because of a low-pressure cold front from the West Coast caused some concern among citrus growers but stopped short of damaging crops.

Citrus farmer Dave Mittendorf thought he was getting a pretty sweet deal when Mesa offered to let him farm one of its orchards and keep the profits.

Citrus farmer Dave Mittendorf thought he was getting a pretty sweet deal when Mesa offered to let him farm one of its orchards and keep the profits.