Little freeze damage at Brooks Tropicals

Excerpt from an article Freeze Damage goes into South Florida in the Produce News by Christina DiMartino on 01/22/2010

Some fruit and vegetable producers in subtropical Florida, which extends from the northern edge of Lake Okeechobee south through the Florida Keys, took a hard hit to their crops from the freeze that lingered over the state during the first and second weeks of January. Others, however, were more fortunate.

Mary Ostlund, director of marketing for Brooks Tropicals in Homestead, FL, said that the company is at the end of its "SlimCado" Florida avocado season. "The avocado crop did not suffer damage during the freeze," said Ms. Ostlund. "We have an entire process in place with irrigation and other capabilities that help protect the crops. Our starfruit crop also fared well. Unless it dips to the teens or lower, we aren't faced with the problems that we know other producers in the state are facing."