Berry bounce back: Warm weather, new varieties boost California strawberry crops

California strawberry growers are seeing an unusually early and heavy spring harvest, driven by warm winter temperatures and the rollout of new disease-resistant berry varieties, according to reporting from Rob McCarthy with California Farm Bureau.

The California Strawberry Commission projected higher spring volumes this season as growers expanded plantings of newer varieties developed by the University of California and private breeding programs. Industry officials say the new cultivars are helping improve yields and combat soil-borne diseases that have challenged production since the phaseout of methyl bromide fumigation.

Mark Bolda, University of California Cooperative Extension strawberry adviser, said record February heat accelerated crop development by several weeks. In the Watsonville-Salinas district, growers harvested nearly 2.9 million crates by early April, compared to about 230,000 during the same period in 2024.

California produces about 90% of the nation’s strawberries, with more than 43,000 acres projected for production in 2026.

Read the full article on California Farm Bureau AgAlert.