A cool, wet spring has delayed Oregon’s strawberry crop, which yielded 20.1 million pounds last year.
Oregon’s strawberry growers are concerned about their crops this year, which are growing slowly this year due to the cool weather.
Gross sales of strawberries were $12.9 million in Oregon last year, and the crop is Oregon’s 42nd most valuable agricultural commodity.
“I think it looks like a pretty good crop if we ever get started,” said Matt Unger, a member of the Oregon Strawberry Commission who grows the fruit on 50 acres in Cornelius, west of Portland. “The rain’s delaying it and making it harder to get out and get things done.”
Once they ripen, strawberries need warm dry weather or they rot quickly, said Ross Penhallegon, an OSU Extension agent for Lane County.
Read more at Capital Press.
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