Oregon Strawberries Part 2

Oregon Strawberries Part 2. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

This past holiday weekend was the traditional kickoff for the strawberry harvesting season in Oregon and while a majority of Oregon strawberries will always go to the processing market, Laura Barton of the Oregon Department of Agriculture says there are some good financial reasons why the trend is shifting a bit towards more being grown for the fresh market.

BARTON: Especially if you are selling a fresh market strawberry direct to consumers, say at a farm stand or farmers’ market, the money you make will come back right away and there is no middleman there. And even if you are selling to a store or through a distributor, you are still going to get a higher price for that fresh market strawberry than you will for a processed berry.

Barton says the Oregon strawberry remains an important crop based on quality and because it is one of the first commodities to be harvested locally.

BARTON: People who grew up here or have gotten exposed to the Oregon strawberry go, wow, because the flavor is so intense and the color is so red because of the varieties we grow. So it really is the icon of, let’s celebrate summer.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.