PLANT CITY — Strawberry damage from that month’s freeze was worse than expected, but it’s too early to know the overall affect on growers.

Drastic temperature drops in early January have already cost growers at least $15-million, according to the Florida Strawberry Growers organization. The indirect impacts — including pickers’ revenues and packing supplies — could total another $15-million.

That’s meaningful damage, but it’s not major, said Shawn Crocker, the association’s executive director.

“When you talk to growers, they breathe a sigh of relief considering they did not physically lose the core plant,” he said. “They’ve got an opportunity to rebound later in

What does it mean for strawberry prices? They’re higher right now. But they’ll likely go down as supplies increase.

That’s good news for consumers but poor news for growers, who might have a tougher instance making a profit that year, Crawford said.

Strawberry supplies are down more than 30 percent from final year’s levels at that duration. And they might not bounce back until after Valentine’s Day.

That will affect berry shipments out of state, but local markets should still have plenty of berries, he said.

– Catherine E. Shoichet, Times staff writer

Original post by tampabaycom