Too much rain and a crop-eating disease have put many Louisiana strawberry farmers in a berry bad position but they are hopeful Ponchatoula’s Strawberry Festival will help them rebound. Livingston Parish strawberry farmer Rhonda Poche says despite the struggles this season, the berries are ripe and ready for the picking this weekend.
“The berries are big, red, and sweet. There are going to be berries out there so when you get there make sure you get your berries first. Don’t wait because if you wait too long they might be sold out.”
An in-ground fungal disease infected one variety of the berry plant and had many strawberry farmers closing early. And while you might think strawberry farmers welcome rain, too much can affect the taste of the juicy red berry. Poche says some farmers lost several thousand plants but their crop was limited with that berry plant.
“It was only one certain variety. We only had about fifteen hundred of those planted. So we just pulled those up and we planted snap beans in the place of them.”
Inflation has also impacted farmers with higher prices for labor, plant, and fertilizer. Poche says she’s a fourth-generation farmer and hopes to keep the sweet history alive by dealing with the next generation of farmers and doubling down on the industry she loves so much.
“I’d thought about not going back into the business but it’s part of me. It’s a labor of love.”
Poche said in addition to buying locally grown berries, residents should support Ponchatoula’s Strawberry Festival. The peak of Louisiana strawberry season is March, April, and May.
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