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Erwin is New President of Strawberry Organization
The owner of Indiana Berry, Pickin’ Patch, Superb Horticulture and HadWin Supply was recently elected president of the North American Strawberry Growers Association (NASGA). He is based in Huntingburg, Ind. NASGA supports the strawberry industry in North America representing 400 growers in the U.S. and Canada. One of the main goals of NASGA this year is the continued support for small fruit research positions within state and federal agencies and to reverse the current trend of cutbacks, Erwin said. NASGA awards $30,000-$40,000 each year to researchers in the United States and Canada on many areas related to strawberries. NASGA also deals with new diseases and pesticide issues that strawberry growers face. NASGA also works constantly on variety improvement in strawberries, Erwin said. Although the number of strawberry growers has declined in the 1980s and 1990s, the number of growers is now steadily going back up, Erwin said. “People are back to respecting the locally grown produce again,” said Erwin, who also grows raspberries, blueberries and currants. He said that growing u-pick strawberries is one of the most profitable crops a farmer can raise. One of the biggest trends for strawberry growers is the use of plasticulture to grow strawberries, an absolute necessity for growing quality strawberries in the south, according to Erwin. “It’s much more prevalent in the south and working its way north,” said Erwin. Erwin said growers have not been very successful with growing strawberries by plasticulture in northern areas such as Michigan and Wisconsin. He said growers and researchers are still working on and modifying plasticul-ture systems to be successful in northern areas. NASGA will hold its annual meeting on the Canadian side of Niagara Falls Jan. 12-14, 2001, while the association’s summer meeting and tour will take place in Minneapolis/St. Paul Aug. 19-22 with stops planned in eastern Minnesota and western Wisconsin. |
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