Farmers face strawberry shortage

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 09/07/2021 (1715 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Months of poor conditions have battered strawberry patches, leaving farmers with depleted crops and distribution challenges.

Last fall was dry. Then, there was winter kill and a long-lasting frost in May. 

It was the frost that took roughly half the plants at Cormier’s Berry Patch in La Salle.

“That was devastating for us, to come out here and see the damage,” said Angie Cormier, co-owner of the 10-acre field. “The plants have come back, but they just didn’t come back like what they would’ve been.”

Her family’s business has been open for 16 years. For the first time, they’re operating on appointment-only booking. Folks must sign up for a date and time online before coming to pick.

The move is partially to keep staff and customers safe during the COVID-19 pandemic, Cormier said. However, it’s also to ensure there are berries for folks showing up.

Cormier and her husband walk every row of their field and guess how many baskets could be picked before determining the number of appointments available on a given day.

“It’s a lot of work,” Cormier said. “But, we’ve been able to control the number of people coming in, so it’s good.” 

Visitors are limited to pick two four-litre baskets per adult, and there will barely be pre-picked containers for purchase, if any.

However, there are berries, and for that, Cormier is thankful.

“We’re grateful that we can be open,” she said. “What we have that’s here will get us through this year and will get us to be able to open next year. So, not ideal with COVID, but we can at least be open.”

She and her husband are executive directors of the Prairie Fruit Growers Association. The entity expects berries to ripen quickly this summer due to the heat. 

Jeffries Berry Patch, near Portage la Prairie, is also facing a strawberry shortage.

The 18 acres of strawberry fields has produced about 25 per cent of its normal supply, according to co-owner Roland Jeffries.

He didn’t allow the public in the field last year because of the pandemic; he opted to sell pre-picked baskets, exclusively. This year, the patch is doing the same — for the safety of workers and the lack of fruit.

“I think once you start looking at the crop, it’s just not there,” Jeffries said. “There’d be a lot of upset customers.”

The bountiful sections of the field are also seemingly random.

“You’ll hit one patch where there’s lots of berries, and then 50 feet down the row there’s nothing,” Jeffries said.

The farm raised the price per pail to $22. There’s a berry shortage, but still the same expenses to pay labourers, Jeffries said.

Jeffries Berry Patch is selling strawberries at its stand and in The Little Red Barn in Portage la Prairie. It normally ships to centres like Crampton’s Market in Headingley, but hasn’t been able to send much this summer.

“I know everyone else is frustrated with the whole situation, and it’s frustrating for us, as well,” Jeffries said. “We’d like to see everyone get some baskets of berries. If you don’t get them this year, we’ll be back next year.”

Jeffries anticipated picking season to end around July 25 or earlier.