Strawberry Farmers Closely Watching Weather

Alabama Weather Baldwin County farmers gearing up for possible freeze which could spell disaster just days away from Strawberry Festival in Loxley.

by Pat Peterson

Published: Mon, April 06, 2009 - 3:39 pm CST Last Updated: Mon, April 06, 2009 - 5:08 pm CST

First it was days of heavy rain and flooding...now, farmers in Baldwin County are bracing for possible freezing temperatures this week. Will Mother Nature give them a break?

"When you get that much rain the strawberries soak up the water and they get mushy," says Dennis Young, who manages Burris Farm Market in Loxley, a leading, local strawberry provider. "We had 13, 14 inches of rain and it was just too much. We had to throw out as many strawberries as we kept."

Young provides thousands of strawberries to the Baldwin County Strawberry Festival in Loxley which will be held Easter weekend. Young and festival organizers believe the strawberry crop will be okay. They say they were able to pull and stash enough strawberries to kept the festival going.

The 22nd Annual Baldwin County Strawberry Festival will be held on both Saturday and Sunday. The festival is one of the largest in Baldwin County and has received regional attention as a top attraction and festival event.

"The weather does affect strawberry prices," says Young. "They could be 50 cents to a dollar more this year but the event will be bigger and better than ever. The festival will draw huge crowds and there will be plenty of strawberries and strawberry shortcake."

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