Strawberries are slipping in SoCal
Strawberry acreage in Southern California is on a steady decline after peaking around 2013, The Packer reports. In fact, there are fewer acres planted with strawberries this year than there were in the 1990s. Why the decline? New cultivars are producing more strawberries per plant, meaning growers need less land to produce the same amount of fruit. And some growers have moved their operations south of the border to Mexico, citing high domestic land prices and urban sprawl. Whatever the cause, the prognosis for a strawberry rebound in SoCal is not good. Bittersweet!
