STRAWBERRY TYME FARMS

SIMCOE, ONTARIO

The Cooper brothers, Dalton, 23, and Mason, 21, are fourth-generation growers who vow that the sweetness of their Albion and San Andreas strawberries is as mouthwatering in fall as it is in spring. It used to be that local berries were available only in June and early July, but now ever-bearing berries produce from Mother's Day through to Canadian Thanksgiving in October.

"These berries have quite a bit of juice in them," says Mason. Along with their parents, John and Diane, they are experimenting with a new growing system at Strawberry Tyme Farms near Simcoe, Ontario. Inspired by European growers and guided by owner manu als, they have built several 20-foothigh tunnels spanning 8 acres. Each is equipped with adjustable vinyl flaps to regulate temperatures and deflect wind. Even the bees are protected from the elements as they pollinate the berries.

In this practice of "precision agriculture" or "protected agriculture," the strawberries grow in elevated troughs holding a soilless substrate that is nursed by a dripper dispensing nutrient-rich water. Through the appropriate timing of light and food delivery, the flowering and fruiting cycles can be managed more precisely and predictably.

"At 42 inches above the ground, this system is much better for picking because you don't have to bend over," explains Dalton. "It takes half the time to pick berries."

Unlike field-grown fruit, these berries are safe from soil-borne diseases such as verticillium wilt, and the troughs keep the plants free from any mud-splash that field berries would suffer from pelting rain.

The first season, in 2019, was so promising that the Cooper family plans to transition its 28 acres of field strawberries to protected covers and troughs over the next decade. ■

The profiles of the U.S. farmers were written by Stacey Kusterbeck, a regular contributor to the Almanac. Karen Davidson, editor of The Grower, a leading Canadian horticultural magazine, and frequent contributor to the Almanac, wrote the profiles of the Canadian farmers.

Photo: Strawberry Tyme Farms