CentralMaine.com interviews Handley about U-pick raspberry farms in Maine
In an article about U-pick raspberry farms, the CentralMaine.com interviewed David Handley, the vegetable and small fruit specialist at the University of Maine Cooperative Extension. Handley said based on surveys by the Cooperative Extension, around 90% of sales for strawberries and highbush blueberries will be from U-pick, but only around 50% to 60% of sales are from U-pick raspberries in comparison to already-picked quarts. Handley said that farms that use equipment to harvest raspberries often can only use the berries if they plan to freeze them — they can bruise or become soft. “I have more people get into raspberries and get out of growing them than other crops,” Handley said. Yahoo News shared the CentralMaine.com report.