FLORIDA - Our industry is no stranger to the uphill battle. Whether that be a market in flux, production and transportation costs, regulatory changes, or, in this case, the historic winter storm and freezes that have already impacted so much of 2026, and so many in our industry from the Midwest to the South and the East Coast over these recent weeks. Earlier this month, a freeze event in Florida forced many strawberry growers to discard a notable amount of damaged ripe fruit, Wish Farms shared with me.
"After evaluating conditions across our farms, the team estimates that growers lost at least 10–20 percent of their blooms. Growers in the Plant City/Dover, Florida, area experienced a more significant impact, largely due to strong winds that accompanied the freeze. Farms farther south reported comparatively lighter damage," Nick Wishnatzki, Public Relations Director, stated.
On the upside, with fields now cleaned up and temperatures trending warmer this week, production is rebounding for Wish Farms.
"We expect strong volume to continue over the next couple of weeks. However, the bloom losses from the freeze mean that volumes in late February and early March may fall below levels typical of previous seasons. Fortunately, the cold’s impact is limited to volume issues specifically; fruit quality and flavor remain exceptional, and we expect that to continue," Nick described.
Nick also notes that the Florida blueberry crop, which entered the freeze at a vulnerable stage, sustained greater damage than strawberries due to multiple nights of freezing temperatures and persistent high winds.
"Assessments are still underway, but we anticipate overall blueberry volumes to be significantly lower than originally forecast," Nick expressed.
We will continue to update you as the impacts of the historic weather conditions reveal themselves.
Companies in this Story
Wish Farms
Wish Farms has grown from the humble beginnings of an immigrant pushcart peddler to Florida's largest strawberry…
