Louisiana strawberry farmers hope to rebound after winter storm

SPRINGFIELD, La. (WVUE) – After much of South Louisiana finally thawed out after Tuesday’s historic winter storm, many farmers throughout Livingston and Tangipahoa Parishes are assessing the damage done to their crops.

At Harris Strawberry Farm, co-owner Trey Harris says he’s lucky that 10 inches of snow didn’t destroy his 13 acres.

Sheets on top of his strawberry beds could hold most of the snow and ice and kept conditions warm enough for the plants to survive.

“It’s just something that caught us off guard, but God prevailed here,” Harris said. “(The snow) put insulation under our blankets and kept the heat in.”

Harris says some of the sheets ripped due to the weight of the snow, killing the plants and fruit underneath. His crews spent Friday assessing which plants were unsalvageable and which strawberries didn’t survive days of freezing temperatures.

After that, his team worked in the afternoon to put sheets on all the beds in anticipation of a final round of freezing temperatures this weekend.

“We’re just trying to catch up, clean up and spray. Get ready for the peak of the season,” he said.

Harris exclusively grows strawberries for Rouses Supermarkets and was able to do a regular shipment of crops on Friday despite the weather conditions this week.

He says other farms had trouble recovering after the storm and assessing the damages’ extent.

“Support all of your local Louisiana strawberry farmers. It’s a dying industry right now,” Harris said.

And despite the issues farms faced this week, Harris anticipates a better crop from the region compared to years past, especially for the Ponchatoula Strawberry Festival in April.

“These plants are going to rebound. They are going to come out of this and they’re going to put a lot of blooms on and hopefully they’re going to make it,” he said.

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