News

Michigan’s strawberry crop expected to be half

A specialty crop farmer says Michigan’s strawberry crop was cut in half after a cool spring.

Beth Hubbard of Cory Lake Orchards in Southwest Michigan tells Brownfield early season varieties were hit in May after several days of overnight temperatures falling below 30 degrees.  “Despite the fact that every farmer tried to protect, we weren’t able to protect our crops so many of us lost probably over half of our varieties of strawberries.”

Also the president of Michigan Agritourism Association, Hubbard says growers in the state rely on both selling to local grocery outlets as well as U-Picks to market berries.  “In the long run the season turned out just fine.  The farms that did have berries were able to satisfy some of the farms that didn’t, and we really had an upswing this year in the number of people who wanted to U-Pick.”

Hubbard says pricing for strawberries has remained steady with last year despite increasing packaging and irrigation costs. She says her farm finished strawberry harvest over the holiday weekend and will soon move into cherries.

AUDIO: Interview with Beth Hubbard