Strawberry lovers will have a tough time finding fresh fruit to pick at local berry farms this spring for preserves, shortcakes and pies.

A late freeze wiped out most of the crop.

"I think they were pretty close to full bloom, and if they weren't close to full bloom they still got it," said Beverly Schaefer, who owns Roca Berry Farm with her husband, Jeff.

Local vineyards also reported 30 to 50 percent losses to their grape crops due to the late freeze and harsh winter.

In Lincoln, the temperature dipped to 30 degrees on May 16, breaking the record of 31 set in 1940.

Schaefer doesn't know how cold it got at their farm south of Lincoln, but she said some of her neighbors reported temperatures in the 20s.

However low it fell, the cold wiped out most of the strawberries in their two-acre patch.

"I hope I have enough to make toppings for our funnel cakes (in the fall)," she said.

Roca Berry Farm's main crop is pumpkins, and Schaefer said they haven't planted the pumpkins seeds yet.

Growing strawberries has been tough in recent years and the picking season seems to be getting later and later. A cold snap last spring limited the season to only five picking days, she said.

In addition to the loss of strawberry revenue, about 30 local youth who picked strawberries for customers won't have jobs.

"A lot of people have been driving in and checking and asking us on Facebook," Schaefer said. "Right now we would be picking. We would have a parking lot full of people."

Martin's Hillside Orchard near Ceresco also was hit hard by the late freeze.

"Well, I would say it took 95 percent of the strawberries," said Barbara Martin, who owns the orchard with her husband, Alex. "They were in full bloom when the cold weather hit. The rows look fine but there's no fruit."

The Martins lost about half an acre of strawberries, but their apple, peach and raspberries survived and will be ready for picking in late summer or early fall.

James Arthur Vineyards near Raymond lost 40 to 50 percent of its grapes, said owner Jim Ballard. Some of the damage was caused by hail and tornado-like winds on May 11.

"I don't know what else Mother Nature can throw at us," he said. "We've been hit with just about everything these last few months."

Thanks to a bumper crop last year, the vineyard's inventory is in good shape, Ballard said, and the vineyard will have plenty of wine for sale.

He'll have a better estimate in a few weeks of the damage, he said, and at that point will decide whether to ask the state for permission to use grapes or juice from outside of Nebraska.

Under state law, 75 percent of grapes used to make wine must come from Nebraska, but growers can use an emergency clause to replace crops damaged by natural disasters.

"There's a lot of (vineyard) damage across the state due to the hard winter and frost," Ballard said.

Source - http://journalstar.com/