picking for processing you are picking ripe berries – it is a different quality; a different requirement, than when you are picking fresh, also known as day- neutrals. Today our fresh pick is June berries and that will change as we add some ever-bearing berries into that mix. Last year we picked strawberries all the way through to Halloween. Krause said Albion is the variety his farm grows as day-neutrals. “But we are excited by the work that is being done in the breeding program at PARC in Agassiz. Michael Dossett has been doing some work there on day- neutrals already, so maybe he will come up with a new one that will do everything for us.


“The strawberry industry is changing and there is a bold freshness coming as we look at how we lost our processing with a resurgence of the fresh market.


“We now have a bunch of new growers with new ideas such as growing under cover, especially with the traditional June berry. And now with the ever-bearing variety it is an exciting time to be in the business.”


Popular attraction


GRANT ULLYOT


Lisa Craig, manager with the Raspberry Industry Development Council, talks with a visitor to its booth during this year’s Pacific Agriculture Show. The booth set a record, providing more than 6,000 free samples of raspberry juice (note dispenser and cups at lower left). The show itself also set an attendance record. For details, see the Prunings section on page 22.


10 British Columbia Berry Grower • Summer 2016


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