Berry fields ready for warmer days

A predicted glut in strawberries hasn't materialized, but things are about to change.

Unusual weather - warm at planting, cold in recent weeks - has limited the harvest.

"We need three days in a row with high temperatures in the 70s before our plants will yield our largest crop," said Carl Grooms, owner of Fancy Farms near County Line Road. "We are expecting Sunday through Tuesday to reach those temperatures, but the weather has been so unusually cool this winter I'm not counting on anything."

Jim Meeks, owner of Parkesdale Farm Market at 3702 W. Baker St., said the shortage has boosted his prices. A flat of berries was selling Friday for $16.95, compared with $8 to $10 a flat about the same time last year.

Grooms, who has 225 acres, said his harvest is down 50 percent from 2009.

Gary Wishnatzki, owner and broker at Wish Farms, said the poor production numbers in January and February weren't all due to the cold weather.

"Higher than normal temperatures in the fall, when the plants were first placed in the ground, prevented the plants from having a strong bloom," said Wishnatzki, one of the area's largest brokers. "The numbers would have been down anyway, but the cold weather may have doubled the lost production because the berries went dormant for so long."

In spite of the anticipated warming trend, Grooms said temperatures dropped into the 20s again Friday morning, forcing him to run sprinklers to protect the crop.

"Farming is a big gamble every year," Grooms said. "This year, I just want to break even."

Wishnatzki said California strawberries are now in production and eating into the market normally dominated by Florida.

"Even Mexico is making a big push in the central states for market share," Wishnatzki said. "Thankfully, the size of the market on the East Coast, from Florida to New England, has grown every year. But, with production way down, the farmers are really struggling this season."

On average, strawberry prices have remained stable on the wholesale level, he said.

"Since November the price to the grocer has been about $15 per flat," Wishnatzki said. "If the product comes in next week as we expect those prices will be reduced."

Officials at the Florida Strawberry Festival say they have plenty of berries for the event, which continues through March 14.