North Iredell News

Farmers in this crop-growing region of Iredell County in North Carolina are readying to harvest this year’s strawberry fields and officials said extraordinary measures have been taken to ensure safety during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It is encouraging to see how quickly growers have responded to the situation and what extra measures they have taken to ensure consumers have a safe supply of fresh strawberries this year,” Steve Troxler, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner, told the Record Landmark for its April 22 report.

Extra precautions include installing additional handwashing stations at produce outlets and farms; providing hand sanitizers for employees and customers; requiring employees to wear disposable gloves while handling the produce and making certain that sick employees stay home, according to the publication.

“We are constantly adapting to the changing environment,” Douglas Patterson, owner of Patterson Farm in China Grove, told the Record Landmark. “We are developing plans now by talking to growers we know in other states and eastern North Carolina. We also are resourcing with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and North Carolina State University’s Extension and Food Safety Researchers for [safety] recommendations.”

The Record Landmark report said North Carolina is the third-biggest strawberry producer in the country, the Record Landmark reported. In 2018, the state grew 1,100 acres of strawberries resulting in $21.3 million in farm income.