Florida strawberry growers bounce back from storms with fresh harvest

FLORIDA — Florida strawberry growers are proving their resilience this season, overcoming challenges from hurricanes Helene and Milton to ensure fresh strawberries are ready for the holidays.

Kenneth Parker, executive director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, said growers faced substantial obstacles, including waiting for floodwaters to recede before they could restore fields for planting.

Yet, their commitment to delivering fresh fruit remains unwavering.

“As a general rule of thumb, Florida growers aim to complete planting each year around the first of November,” Mr Parker said.

“For the most part, the industry has held to this standard through the hard work, dedication and perseverance of both our growers and farmworkers.”

Adding to their resilience, Florida growers are now planting two new UF/IFAS-developed strawberry varieties, Ember™ and Encore™, designed to resist phytophthora root rot caused by excessive soil moisture.

“These new varieties should help growers maintain their yield as well as provide a new level of fruit quality,” said Vance Whitaker, UF/IFAS strawberry breeder.

“Some plants experienced a lot of water. The flooding is most likely to kill a plant that’s susceptible to root diseases.”

The new varieties currently account for 10 percent of Florida’s 14,000 acres of strawberries, but that number is expected to grow in the coming years.

“We have a favorable weather outlook for the harvesting season,” Mr Whitaker added. “People should expect a typical Florida strawberry season.”

It took four years to develop the new cultivars, and Whitaker emphasized the collaborative efforts between UF/IFAS breeders, Extension agents, and growers in making this possible.

“We’re all in this together,” he said. “We support the growers, and they’ve been supportive of us.”