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Strawberry growers go to school

   

What started out as an afternoon field walk with a few local strawberry growers in 2002, has grown into a half-day field walk and a day-long strawberry school and trade show for strawberry growers from Virginia, North Carolina, and Maryland.

Several years ago, Calvin Schiemann, Extension agent, agriculture and natural resources at Virginia Beach, identified the Southeastern Virginia strawberry growers’ need for assistance with rapidly increasing production costs, disease problems, and a decreasing number of u-pick customers.

Additionally, the change from a matted-row production system to a plastic-culture system introduced new challenges for producers, including fertility and disease problems.

Schiemann’s field walk and strawberry school has evolved over the years to include information about improving management techniques, including planting, fertilizer, and disease control. As the program has grown, so has the number of participants and acres of strawberries. Forty-five acres of strawberries are grown in the City of Virginia Beach alone.

Adding to the growers’ challenges, the short harvest period makes it imperative that customers pick fruit in a timely manner in order for the growers to return a profit. Schiemann works diligently with growers to help them develop marketing strategies and promotional materials that are supported with funds from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Schiemann also works with local newspaper reporters and television producers who generate articles and television appearances that make the public aware of the availability of locally grown strawberries.

U-pick strawberry farms have become an important aspect of Southeastern Virginia’s economy. Not only do u-pick operations offer a viable agricultural enterprise, these operations add value to the local economy through increased tourism revenue.