Successful strawberry farming presents many unique challenges. As with every other type of crop, each farm will have its own challenges related to soil, soil tilth, soil pathogens, soil nutrient cycling, nutrient availability, plant vigor, irrigation needs, etc. Combined with those challenges are strawberry farming cultural practices related to continuous cropping and soil fumigation—with the resulting lack of crop diversity and soil microbial diversity that increases soil-borne diseases and tends to reduce yields over time. Strawberry farming continues to get more expensive while yields (and profits) are diminishing. What to do?
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