Drought-like conditions hurting some strawberry fields in area

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (WANE) - Drought-like conditions in Northeast Indiana is hurting the strawberry crop this year.  Strawberry farmers across the area said the spring’s unseasonable weather is to blame.

“This season we knew was going to be rough when we had those 80 degree days in March,” said Joe Hilger, the owner of Hilger Family Farm. “We knew we were going to be in trouble."

More trouble came in April.

“We got everything going in March, and then we got the normal frost and freezes in April,” Amy Slentz, the owner of Cedar Creek Produce in Leo, said. “We ran frost protection at least ten times."

When the area experiences a dry spring, an irrigation system is key to a good strawberry crop.  Slentz has an irrigation system, Hilger does not.

“Without irrigation like we’ve been used to at the big store, the berries just didn’t produce, they didn’t grow,” Hilger said.  "Usually our berry plants would be knee high. Right now they are basically four to five inches."

“Every five years we don’t have to do any irrigation,” Slentz said. “Typically we will run irrigation about three times a year."

This year, Slentz said she ran the irrigation system 10 times.

Both farmers said they don’t rely solely on strawberries.

“We grow a few acres of pumpkins, but we buy most of the pumpkins for the fall season with the hay rides,” Hilger said.

Slentz said she expected her other produce to be ready early this summer.

“Our blueberries are going to be early, the raspberries are going to be early, our blackberries I’m sure will be early,” she said.

Slentz advised strawberry pickers to go out to pick two weeks earlier than they normally would.

Cedar Creek Produce opened May 21.  Slentz expected to have strawberries for less than three weeks.

Hilger Family Farm is scheduled to open June 10.

"Right now it's kind of wishful thinking that we were going to get a heavy rain and see new blossoms, but we don't see that happening right now," Hilger said.

If you want to pick strawberries, you should call your favorite strawberry farm before you go.

Click here to see a list of the pick it yourself farms in the area.