Bruchhaus, Michael N.

Hinson, Roger A.

English

Research Papers in Economics

194   
The Louisiana Strawberry: Endangered Species?
Roger A. Hinson and Michael Bruchhaus
nia (with a season beginning in early April) and 
Florida (with a winter season somewhat earlier 
than Louisiana’s). A cool-weather-delayed Florida 
crop or an early California competes directly with 
Louisiana’s season. Growers in both those states 
have longer production seasons, so fixed costs are 
spread over more units of output. 
Competing effectively during the market window 
between Florida and California, then, is critical for 
the Louisiana industry. Knowledge of the consumer 
within a market area and effective promotion and 
merchandising are critical factors. Research in these 
two areas will be the basis for recommendations 
regarding the industry’s promotional effort:
1) Consumer perceptions of the alternatives will 
be evaluated. Louisiana’s strawberry industry boasts 
a superior product overall, particularly with regard 
to taste. Surveys will define consumer preferences 
between the alternative products with respect to 
characteristics including size, color, and price.
2) Evaluate local promotion and merchandising 
of Louisiana strawberries and competitors. This 
will include product merchandising at the retail 
level, including pricing, promotion, and position-
ing within stores.
Results will be provided to the Strawberry 
Promotion Board and to the industry as a basis for 
discussion of existing and future programs.
The Louisiana strawberry industry is declining. 
Farmers face problems on several fronts. Costs 
to protect the crop from diseases, insects, and 
weather are high. The state’s temperate and humid 
winter-weather climate provides the production 
opportunity and also provides excellent growing 
conditions for diseases. Appropriate and effective 
crop protection is expensive. Insects and other pests 
must be managed. On each farm, two costly and 
somewhat redundant irrigation systems are usually 
in place: drip irrigation for delivery of water and 
nutrients, and overhead irrigation for cold-weather 
protection. Plastic row covers also are used for 
protection against cold, and these covers are ex-
pensive to purchase and the process of installing 
and removing them is labor intensive. Labor issues 
are also important. Domestic labor hired by the hour 
or on a seasonal basis is not available in an amount 
adequate to complete the required tasks, nor is this 
labor source trained in horticultural practices. Sea-
sonal workers provide the labor and expertise but 
they search for other employment if they are not 
employed on a regular basis. Louisiana farmers 
usually diversify their crop production to mitigate 
risk and to manage these labor issues.
The market window, or competition from other 
growing areas, is a crucial factor for Louisiana 
growers. The dominant producers are Califor-
Hinson is professor and Bruchhaus is graduate assistant, 
Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, 
Louisiana State University AgCenter, Baton Rouge, LA.

THE LOUISIANA STRAWBERRY: ENDANGERED SPECIES?

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Research Papers in Economics