Both strawberries and blueberries have suffered losses due to winter storm Fern earlier this month.
Strawberries appear to be the most immediately affected as growers report fruit losses near harvest, along with damage to blossoms supporting upcoming production. In some fields, repeated freeze nights have compounded stress on plants, increasing the risk of sustained yield reductions rather than isolated losses. Cold snap damage is also expected to slow ripening and reduce berry size, limiting weekly volumes during what is typically a peak winter supply period.
Some Florida blueberry operations face total losses after the storm, while others expect to lose 50 percent of their crops.
Florida blueberries were in bloom when freezing temperatures descended from the north. Temperatures plunged to as low as 20 degrees F. bringing the season to a halt. For that fruit escaping the brunt of the storm, it will be April before any shipments take place.
Overhead irrigation, the blueberry industry’s freeze-protection standard, usually fares well in cold snaps, creating a thermoprotective layer that keeps fruit and foliage above-freezing temperatures. However, Winter Storm Fern was more than your usual cold snap, causing the method to backfire.
The U.S. Highbush Blueberry council reports freeze protection not only failed to protect the crops but also further damaged them due to heavy ice remaining on the bushes over several days, which damaged to the plants.
Fortunately for Georgia producers, who were also in the path of the brunt of the winter storm, they managed to escape the worst of it.
Georgia blueberries are expected to be less affected because the crop wasn’t as far along and the bloom was not as advanced as it was in Florida. This resulted in the plants being less vulnerable to the freezing temperatures. There will be some crop loss, but nowhere near the level of Florida.
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