A month before strawberry harvesting begins in Oregon, growers are protecting their crops against frost conditions throughout the state."We had some frost last night in our growing areas west of Portland," said Will Unger of Oregon Berry Packing, "so a lot of guys are running frost protection." The effects of the frost weren't immediately known, but Unger didn't think it would affect the upcoming strawberry harvest.
"Growers were prepared, and they did run frost protections," he said, "so I don't think there will be any damage."
The National Weather Service has a frost advisory in effect through Friday morning for Eastern Curry County, Josephine County and Jackson County. A freeze warning is also in effect through Friday morning for foothills of the Northern Blue Mountains and the Lower Columbia Basin in Oregon.
The crop is currently still in bloom with an anticipated harvest start date of June 10th. Early estimates put this year's production at similar levels to previous years. Although a sizable portion of the Oregon crop goes to the fresh market, most of Oregon's strawberries are processed.