Florida Strawberry Members

Welcome to the home of the freshest, most delicious strawberries in the world. Enjoy fresh Florida strawberries, available December through April.

Spivey Farms U-Pick Open

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Jammer on Florida strawberry farm Spivey Farms clamshell container.
Spivey Farms U-Pick is open!

Update: 2013 U-Pick season is over.

See you in 2014!

Spivey Farms has opened its farm for U-pick. Pickers are invited to visit the farm Monday through Saturday, 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM and Sunday 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM. If you have any questions that are unanswered on this post, text them at 813-917-1756 or e-mail them.

Learn more about the Spivey Farm family, we documented their story back in 2011.

Berries are priced at $1.00 for 2 quarts, cash only. If you want to pick your berries in half-flats you bring, it’s $1.50 per half-flat (one half-flat = 3 quarts). If you want to pick your berries in a flat you bring, it’s $3.00 per flat (one flat = six quarts).

What You Need:

  • Spivey Farms will provide the quart cups to pick in, but you need to bring containers to store and take your strawberries home. Very deep containers are not advised as piling strawberries too high in your container will cause the berries on the bottom to be severely bruised and may be no good.
  • Considering this is a time of year in Florida when the temperature is warm, make sure to wear loose-fitting clothing. Sunscreen and hats are recommended to avoid overexposure to the heat.
  • You’re more than welcome to bring your own drinks and/or snacks to the farm. If you do bring your own food/drink, please make sure not to leave any garbage remaining around or in the field.
  • For all the tips you need on the hows and whats of strawberry picking/freezing/etc., we highly recommend this site which covers all aspects for you.

Spivey Farms
6101 County Road 39 South
Plant City, FL 33567
Directions

Helpful U-Pick Tips:

  • Dress comfortably. Wear loose fitting clothing.
  • Wear a hat or cap and bring sunscreen.
  • Bring your own containers to transport.
  • If you plan to spend the day, take ice to keep berries cool.
  • Select only firm ripe berries.
  • Be careful not to remove the tops of the berries.
  • Make an effort to pick every ripe berry on each plant rather than jumping from plant to plant and row to row.

The growers will appreciate your consideration and you will reduce the amount of strawberries that are left sitting in the field.

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Shady Acres Farm U-Pick Open

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Shady Acres Farm Russle and Eva

Update: 2013 U-Pick season is over.

See you in 2014!

Shady Acres Farm will have its U-pick opening day this Saturday, March 30, 2013. Pickers are invited to visit the farm Monday through Saturday from 8:00 a.m until 5:00 p.m. The farm will be open for U-pickers for the next two or three weeks.

Berries are priced at $1.00 for 2 quarts. Shady Acres Farm will provide the quart containers for picking, but don’t forget to bring your own containers to transport your strawberries back home and don’t forget your sunscreen!

Shady Acres Farm
3420 Gallagher Road
Dover, FL 33527
Directions

813-759-8402

Helpful U-Pick Tips:

  • Dress comfortably. Wear loose fitting clothing.
  • Wear a hat or cap and bring sunscreen.
  • Bring your own containers to transport.
  • If you plan to spend the day, take ice to keep berries cool.
  • Select only firm ripe berries.
  • Be careful not to remove the tops of the berries.
  • Make an effort to pick every ripe berry on each plant rather than jumping from plant to plant and row to row.

The growers will appreciate your consideration and you will reduce the amount of strawberries that are left sitting in the field.

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$15,500 in Scholarships Raised

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Our Ambassadors with the Best Flat buyers John Poppell and Wish Farms, Chuck Hollenkamp and Andy Gutierrez.
Our Ambassadors with the Best Flat buyers John Poppell and Wish Farms, Chuck Hollenkamp and Andy Gutierrez.

2013 proved to be another successful year in raising scholarship money through the Florida Strawberry Best Flat Competition at the 78th Annual Florida Strawberry Festival. A total of $15,500 was raised over three days of competition. This year’s competition raised almost twice the $8,100 that was raised in 2012.

The judges once again had a difficult time determining this year’s winners. The competition was fierce and being recognized as a winner in this contest is a big deal in our industry! The Jay Taylor Band acted as our judges on the final day of the competition.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association has awarded hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships since 1983. Scholarship applications are ready for pick up or download beginning in June each year and are usually due by the middle of September that same year.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association offers scholarships to encourage young men and women to continue their education beyond high school. The committee will determine the amount of the scholarship, but none will be less than $500.00.

Eligible students must be an enrolled college undergraduate or a high school graduate and submit a letter of intent to attend college. You can find more information on our scholarship program here.

March  1, 2013 – Swine Sale
1st Place Grower – E. W. Simmons Farm
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
$1,100
Total
$1,100
2nd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farms
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
$1,000
Total
$1,000
3rd Place Grower – Southern Farm Alliance & Colson Rd Farm
Handler – Colorful Harvest
Buyer – Colorful Harvest
$1,000
Total
$1,000
Total Swine Sale
$3,100

March  3, 2013 – Plant Sale
1st Place Grower – E. W. Simmons Farm
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Poppell Insurance
$1,000
Buyer-Matched by Wish Farms
$1,000
Total
$2,000
2nd Place Grower – Fancy Farms
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
$600
Total
$600
3rd Place Grower – D & K Farms
Handler – Colorful Harvest
Buyer – Colorful Harvest
$650
Total
$650
Total Plant Sale
$3,250

March 9, 2013 – Steer Sale
1st Place Grower – Mike Lott Farms
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Wish Farms, and
$1,600
Buyer-Matched by Crop Protection Services, and
$1,600
Buyer-C & D Fruit & Vegetable Donated
$1,000
Buyer-Matched by Oaks Farm
$1,000
Total
$5,200
2nd Place Grower – Sewell Farms, LLC
Handler – Westlake Produce
Buyer – Wish Farms
$1,500
Buyer-Matched by Colorful Harvest
$1,500
Total
$3,000
3rd Place Grower – Sam Williamson Farm
Handler – Driscolls
Buyer – Driscolls
$1,000
Total
$1,000
Total Steer Sale
$9,200

2013 Best Flat Competition
Total Scholarship Money Raised
$15,550

2013 Florida Berry Expo

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Register today for the 2013 Florida Berry Expo at UF/IFAS Gulf Coast Research and Education Center.

Thursday, February 21, 2013
11:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

University of Florida/IFAS
Gulf Coast Research and Education Center
14625 CR 672, Wimauma, FL  33598
813-634-0000
ccooley@ufl.edu

Click-to-Download-ProgramClick-to-Register

Highlights include:

  • Florida strawberry industry: results from a comprehensive industry survey
  • Smart irrigation: smartphone app for managing strawberry irrigation in Florida
  • Nematode management considerations for strawberries
  • Strawberry tasting of latest selections

Field Tours:

  • Application timing of Stinger™ for broadleaf weed control in strawberry
  • Comparison of freeze protection methods on strawberries and blueberries
  • Using crop protectants and non-traditional irrigation techniques for strawberry transplant establishment and blueberry production
  • Evaluation of planting dates, fertilization requirements, and Florida-produced strawberry plug transplants in open fields and high tunnels
  • Breeding: a sneak preview of potential varieties
  • Determination of irrigation requirements for vertical and horizontal soilless systems for strawberry and blackberry cultivars

CEU’s will be available.

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Genetically Modified Organisms Explained

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Single non-GMO Strawberry

There is a great post on the Wish Farms blog explaining exactly what “genetically modified organisms” are. Read an excerpt here, continue on for the full article.

From the Wish Farms blog:

We have received several responses from our consumers and fans asking:

Do you grow genetically modified strawberries or have any product containing GMO’s?

And the answer is absolutely not.

According to Dr. Vance Whitaker, Assistant Professor of Strawberry Breeding and Genetics at the University of Florida, “There are no genetically modified strawberries on the market – not just in the U.S., but in the world.”

When something is deemed genetically modified it usually means that foreign genetic material was inserted into an organism, not through traditional breeding. This material can come from multiple sources, including another plant or animal species or a synthetic gene created in a lab. Most of the corn and soybeans grown in the U.S are genetically modified.

“All strawberry varieties grown commercially in the U.S. were bred through traditional hybridization and selection,” says Dr. Whitaker.

Continue your reading from the original post and learn why the opposite of organic is NOT genetically modified organisms.

About Florida Winter Strawberries

In 1980, a few strawberry growers began meeting in their homes to discuss the best way to organize a group that would represent the interests of the Florida strawberry industry. On February 11, 1982, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association (FSGA) was born. Hillsborough County is recognized as the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World and the home of some of the sweetest, reddest and juiciest strawberries around.

Get Connected

Florida Strawberry Growers Association
P.O. Box: 2550
Plant City, FL 33564
Telephone: 813-752-6822
Fax: 813-752-216

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