strawberries
Automated harvesters power up for strawberries
Automated strawberry harvests are taking place in select fields of California and Florida, as the robots become more commercial and less experimental. The California Polytechnical University’s Strawberry Center in late August conducted a virtual field... more »
Southeast’s organic berry growers deal with diseases
Healthy plants in pleasant plantings are the best way to deal with the challenges of berry growing in the Southeastern United States. University of Georgia Associate Professor and Extension Plant Pathologist Elizabeth L. Little spoke... more »
Enhanced safety measures for COVID-19 in place for California strawberries
Over the past nine weeks, the California Strawberry Commission’s (CSC) bilingual outreach and training team has been in the fields providing guidance and training to ensure the safety of our vital workforce in the midst of... more »
New researcher, funds for organic research in California
Much of the research produced by U.S. land-grant universities is directed at traditional agriculture, but in the last 12 months, several organics-focused initiatives have been announced in California. California has the most organic farms in... more »
California growers to ‘harvest every box’ despite COVID-19
The California Strawberry Commission plans to "harvest every box" during the April-May harvests, despite disruption in the marketplace caused by COVID-19. California blueberry harvests during the same time will also be affected, according to an... more »
Looking for a seasonal CEA crop? Consider strawberries
The interest in greenhouse strawberries has been increasing over the last few years. Part of this has to do with the demand for year-round production of the crop. The variability in quality and availability of... more »
Investment, need drive in-soil strawberry harvester
Investment, a groundbreaking “commercialized” strawberry harvest and swelling grower interest add up to a good year for Advanced Farm Technologies (AFT). The Davis, California-based company’s T-6 robotic strawberry harvester is one of just a handful... more »
Driscoll’s organic program takes off
Driscoll’s has about 65%-70% of the U.S. market share in organic berries. And according to Emily Musgrave, organic program manager, that presence is growing rapidly. “We have 150 organic growers, including those in the U.S.,... more »
Driscoll’s growth starts with plant
Augustine Renteria has been with Driscoll’s for 31 years. Please excuse him if he treats the strawberry plants he is nurturing at the mega berry company’s California breeding grounds as children. To him, that’s exactly... more »
Lights, steam tackle strawberry disease
A machine that can be programmed to traverse through fields shines a light to help prevent powdery mildew from causing damage to strawberries. Natalia Peres, a professor of plant pathology at the University of Florida... more »
