By Clint Thompson
North Carolina (N.C.) strawberry producers are late in getting their plants in the ground this fall. But it should not have long-term repercussions, according to Austin Wrenn, president of the North Carolina Strawberry Association.
Wrenn said there were delays in his growers receiving plant materials, and it stemmed from poor weather conditions in Canada. The nursery stock there received heavy rains and cloudy weather which created problems for producers receiving their plants on time.
“They had some pretty wet and cloudy spring weather that caused delays and a short tip supply which has led downstream. We’ve had some of our growers that have had to do later plantings than normal,” Wrenn said. “They had the wildfires up there, and they were blocking out some sun and general weather patterns. That delayed the tip harvest. The tips were not getting to the propagators and nurseries in time for a lot of our earlier customers. I know some of the growers down towards Alabama, Florida, Georgia, they would like to get in a little bit earlier. They were particularly hurt by those late tips.
“As of right now, the supply looks to be adequate. We’re getting right towards the end and most growers have planted at this point in our area. We’re seeing stuff in South Carolina, up in Virginia, they’re finishing up. It looks like we’re going to squeak by with having just enough plants for most of our growers. All in all, we’re going to be a week or two late in general but no significant issues. We’ll take what we get.”