Florida Strawberry Members

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

2015 Agritech Trade Show

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Register for the 2015 Agritech Trade Show, August 4th & 5th.
Register for the 2015 Agritech Trade Show, August 4th & 5th.

The 33rd annual Agritech is hosted by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

Meet with growers and industry representatives, and enjoy great food. Booths are available on a first-come first-serve basis. This is one event of the year where we have almost 90 percent of the industry in one room.

Click here to download the 2015 Agritech registration form.

Fishing for up to date information? Join us at Agritech 33 and catch the latest information needed to tackle this years crop.

This event will be one of the best events of the year hosted by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. You will be able to earn valuable CEU and CORE credits, fellowship with other growers and industry representatives, enjoy great food and door prizes!

There is no charge for strawberry growers and those who register early will receive a free gift and will have expedited badging.

Educational sessions will include:

  • UF Research reports
  • Social Media Tips
  • Fresh From Florida Marketing
  • Branding of Florida Strawberries
  • Updates on Labor, Rules and Regulations, and BMP’s
  • And more!

We will also have a special guest for this year’s event. Stay tuned for more information!

*Exhibitors Registration due by July 1, 2015 to be listed in the event. Vendors register early, space is limited this year.

ATTENTION: FSGA GROWERS, EXHIBITORS, HANDLERS & FRIENDS

Due to the Trinkle Building double-booking another large event the same days as our 2015 Agritech, we have changed this year’s venue to the Florida Strawberry Festival Fair Grounds in Plant City located at the following address:

THE CHARLIE GRIMES FAMILY AGRICULTURAL CENTER
2508 W. Oak Avenue
Plant City, Fl 33563

Valentine’s Day

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Celebrate Valentine’s Day & Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month with sweet & nutritious winter strawberries

Celebrate Valentines Day with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Roses
Celebrate Valentines Day with Chocolate Dipped Strawberries and Roses

PLANT CITY, Fla. – Surprise your Valentine this week with something unique, fresh and nutritious – Florida winter strawberries! At the same time you can celebrate Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month.

Strawberries are the perfect treat. They’re heart shaped, ruby red, sweet, juicy and they pack a healthy punch. You can enjoy fresh berries many ways, including chocolate dipped, dropped in a romantic glass of sparkling wine, covered in whipped or fresh cream or eaten out of hand.

Giving strawberries also means you truly care about your sweetheart’s heart – and health. Because they contain lots of Vitamin C, fiber, and provide potassium, magnesium, iron, Vitamin B-6 and calcium, they are a much healthier alternative to traditional Valentine’s Day candy.

Consumers can enjoy this unique winter berries annually from November through April, when fresh-from-the-field, U.S.-grown strawberries are delivered to markets east of the Mississippi River, including the Eastern Seaboard and parts of Canada.

The Florida Strawberry Growers Association celebrates the peak of its season each February during Fabulous Florida Strawberry Month. It’s perfect timing for strawberry lovers and romantics alike. A few romantic strawberry facts include:

  • The strawberry is the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love.
  • In medieval times, strawberries were served at important functions to bring peace and prosperity.
  • Folklore states that if you split a double strawberry in half and share it with the opposite sex, you’ll soon fall in love.
  • In France, strawberries were thought to be an aphrodisiac.

Plant City, Fla., has been proclaimed “The Winter Strawberry Capital of the World.” The ideal climate and productive soils, along with dedicated family farms that have existed for many generations, provide the most locally grown and “Fresh from Florida” strawberries during the winter months.

Local growers and members of the FSGA produce about 15 percent of the nation’s strawberries and virtually all the berries grown during the winter. The commodity has an economic impact on the local community exceeding $700 million.  For more information about FSGA, visit www.flastrawberry.com.

2014 Agritech Trade Show

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The theme for Agritech 2014 is saltwater fishing!
The theme for Agritech 2014 is saltwater fishing!

The 32nd annual Agritech is hosted by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association.

As a vendor you will meet with growers and industry representatives, and enjoy great food. Booths are available on a first-come first-serve basis. This is one event of the year where we have almost 90 percent of the industry in one room. And don’t forget about the booth design competition!

Click here to download the 2014 Agritech registration form.

Fishing for up to date information? Join us at Agritech 32 and catch the latest information needed to tackle this years crop.

This event will be one of the best events of the year hosted by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association. You will be able to earn valuable CEU’S, fellowship with other growers and industry representatives, and enjoy great food.  Topics are being lined up now.

*Exhibitors Registration due by July 10, 2014 to be listed in the event program.

7 or More Servings Reduces Risk of Death by 42%

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header_safeNew Study Shows Eating 7 or More Servings Reduces Risk of Death by 42%

A new peer reviewed study out of the University College of London showed that people who ate seven or more servings [of fruits and vegetables] per day reduced their risk of death by 42%. Consuming that many servings reduced the risk of death by cancer by 25% and heart disease by 31%. This was not a small study – the scientists studied the eating habits of over 65,000 people from 2001 to 2013.

Read more from the Alliance for Food and Farming here.

Learn more about the study by University College London here.

Best Flat Competition Results

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2014 Florida Strawberry Festival FSGA Booth
2014 FSGA Ambassadors, Morgan Sistrunk, Alssa Shepherd, Aly Joyner

Strawberry farmers in Florida have a long history of supporting our local community.  Every March, in conjunction with the Florida Strawberry Festival, our growers participate in an event we call the “Best Flat Competition.”  Growers bring their best berries to be judged on flavor, size, color, and other key attributes.

Winning boxes are auctioned to raise scholarship money for very deserving local students.  We have generated more than $400,000 in scholarships over the past 31 years with the help of this 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.

2014 BEST FLAT COMPETITION

February 28, 2014 – Swine Sale
1st Place Grower – Fancy Farms, Inc. $900.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farms $700.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Highland Package Solutions
3rd Place Grower –  Simmons Farms $500.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer –  Wish Farms
Total Swine Sale $2,100.00

March 2, 2014 – Plant Sale
1st Place Grower – Fancy Farms, Inc. $500.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farm $550.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Rick Lott
3rd Place Grower – Simmons Farms $250.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
Total Plant Sale $1,300.00

March 8, 2014 – Steer Sale
1st Place Grower – Simmons Farms $1,000.00
Handler – Wish Farms
Buyer – Wish Farms
2nd Place Grower – Daniel Gutierrez Farm $500.00
Handler – Gulf Coast Produce
Buyer – Crop Protection Services
3rd Place Grower – Mike Lott Farm $1,000.00
Handler – C & D Fruit & Vegetable
Buyer – Mike Lott Farm
Total Steer Sale $2,500.00
Total 2014 Sales $5,900.00

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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