AGRICULTURE : Strawberry Growers at Treasure Farms Ready for a Rainy Day

In dry years, the precautions that Treasure Farms strawberry growers take seem expensive and time-consuming. This year, the rain has made them look very smart.

For the past three years Treasure Farms on Irvine Ranch has covered its strawberries with plastic at the beginning of each season to prevent rain damage. The cost of that is estimated by fellow growers at $3,000 to $4,000 for each of the farm’s 40 acres, although Treasure Farms would not confirm that number.

Treasure Farms is one of the few growers in Orange County who are not scrambling to get berries off the vine this week in the rain. Most other strawberry growers do not cover their plants.

“It’s worked out well,” said Leonel Garcia, manager of row crops for the Sun World subsidiary.