Florida strawberry growers in the US hold up strong after the hurricanes

Hurricanes Helene and Milton both delivered big blows to Florida — within two weeks of each other. The state’s agriculture sector has been affected. The damage is more apparent in some segments. For others, overall impacts are still unfolding. However, news for the state’s strawberry industry is positive after the storms. According to Kenneth Parker, Executive Director of the Florida Strawberry Growers Association, production is still on track to meet seasonal consumer demands. “As a general rule of thumb, Florida growers aim to complete planting each year around the first of November,” he says. “For the most part, the industry has held to this standard.” After the storms, some areas required more effort to get the fields back in working order to complete planting. Most of this was due to flooding. Coincidentally, some growers are now planting two new UF/IFAS strawberry varieties (‘Ember’ and ‘Encore’) that resist phytophthora root rot, a disease that plants can get from too much ...