Ponchatoula strawberry farmers recovering from recent snowfall
PONCHATOULA, La. (WGNO) — In the strawberry capital of the world, strawberry farmers are working to recover from the recent snowfall that blanketed parts of the state.
'We lost about 80% of our crop. Meaning, the berries that were on the vine and the blooms,' said Rachael Harris, the owner of Harris Strawberry Farm.
According to Harris, that percentage adds up to about 500 cases of strawberries.
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Surprisingly enough, the snow itself wasn't the problem.
'The snow actually made insulation for the plants and kind of like an igloo. So, our plants were protected,' Harris said.
Instead, it was the bitter cold and wind that cost the Harris' a majority of their crop. Harris says it took them about four days to clear out the dead berries, and the loss could set them back by about a month.
'After the snow, when we were able to uncover this is our new growth, that we lost. We had to pick this off the white flowers and these are the blooms and the green fruit. All were damaged, and we had to pick those off and throw them away,' Harris said.
However, even with the losses, the berries are doing better than this time last year. In 2024, a disease called pestilence spread through the strawberry crops.
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'The plants are going to bounce back. They look amazing. So, God was in our favor,' Harris said.
Despite the freeze, the Harris Farm is expecting this to be a good season for strawberries. But they are taking precautions and doing what they can to protect their berries from possible future cold snaps.
'We cover them with cloth and that protects them, you know until it gets really really cold, and the snow comes. But that's the only way we can do it to be proactive,' Harris said.
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