A north-east Victoria berry grower is anticipating his best crop in nearly two decades; Stanley farmer Tony Iaria said several wet years and this month's cooler temperatures have been ideal for his raspberry, blackberry and blueberry canes.
Across his 40-hectare property, Iaria farms 89 rows of trellised berry canes heavy with traditional produce, and the increasingly popular tayberry, or blackberry-raspberry cross. And after several cool, wet years they are gearing up for their best season yet.
However, industry representatives say abundance and competitive supermarket prices are more of a win for shoppers than for growers. Indeed, for many berry producers, profit margins remain the biggest hurdle. Commercial growers are often in danger of not recouping costs as bumper crops line the canes.
Source: abc.net.au