Sports – Strawberry, CA

Strawberries (Fragaria × ananassa) in the United States are almost entirely grown in California – 86% of fresh and 98% of frozen in 2017 – with Florida a distant second. Of that 30.0% was from Monterey, 28.6% from Ventura, 20.0% from Santa Barbara, 10.0% from San Luis Obispo, and 9.2% from Santa Cruz. The Watsonville/Salinas strawberry zone in Santa Cruz/Monterey, and the Oxnard zone in Ventura, contribute heavily to those concentrations.

Production has risen steadily from 2005 when 34,300 acres (13,900 ha) were harvested through 2017 when 38,200 acres (15,500 ha) were harvested. The 2005 season’s harvest sold for $1,122,834,000. The 2017 harvest sold for $3,100,215,000. As of 2023, there were 9,000 acres of certified organic strawberry grown in California, and 573 organic strawberry growers.

The California Strawberry Commission is a commodity group that advocates for strawberry growers. The CSC provides information for both growers and consumers. Some towns have annual strawberry festivals, see Strawberry festival § United States. The Driscoll’s company began with strawberries here and still grows and sells here; they have since expanded to other states, countries, and types of berries.