Looking across their once plump strawberry field, farmers Mike and Stephanie Hill now see strawberries ranging from unripe to shriveled after an early end to their season.
"I mean, you see 'em, but they're just shriveled up and... not good," said Stephanie Hill, co-owner of Hill Farms. "It's truly sad."
Growing predominantly in April, with some growth in late March through the middle of May, strawberries in East Texas only have four to six weeks to grow during optimal weather. The fruit requires constant temperatures ranging in the 70s and low 80s, with some rain and plenty of sunshine.
But this year, East Texas experienced multiple severe storms and long-lasting overcast skies. That, combined with cooler temperatures, left strawberries too cool and without enough sunlight to ripen. Heavy rains also pose a threat, with high amounts of water causing strawberries to cling to the ground, increasing the chance of diseases and spoilage in the crop. However, the rain is mainly a problem when the fruit is ripe, which hardly happened this year.
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