From dead plants to malformed fruit, diseases and pests cost growers millions of dollars each season.

Through grower assessments, California strawberry growers and the California Strawberry Commission fund a research grant program that the main focus has been to tackle these disease and pest problems and find solutions that make an impact at the farm level.

Research priorities for the grant process are driven by grower priorities developed by grower members of our board. This ensures that research funds are spent on issues that affect our growers.

Many strawberry farmers, both organic and conventional, combine a number of strategies and practices to reduce pesticide use. California’s strawberry farmers continue to invest millions of dollars in non-chemical farming methods, more than any other commodity group in the world. Some examples include: introducing predatory insects to eat the pest insects, planting border crops to attract beneficial insects to the fields, driving “bug vacuums” through the fields to mechanically remove pests from the plants.

The growers, through our research grant program have partnered with university and USDA researchers to create an industry-leading pest management program in several areas.