Manzanita Berry Farms was established in 1995 in Santa Maria, CA as an exclusive producer of premier strawberries for Well-Pict, Inc. (See Marketing page)

Early season harvest humbled by extremes in weather again this year. For more information see our News page.

Our entire organization is focused on raising, harvesting and packing the finest strawberries ( "fresas" in Spanish) on California's Central Coast. To achieve this requires integrating all facets of modern strawberry production into an orchestrated chain of events that repeats itself year after year.

Because strawberries are one of America's favorite fruits, we felt an examination of modern strawberry farming, from a grower's perspective, would add to the enjoyment of this healthy and wholesome food. We don't have anything to purchase on our site, yet. But you can find lots of good strawberry related stuff on our Lnks page. Enjoy!

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Manzanita Berry Farms is a former nominee for the prestigious IPM Innovator of the Year , awarded by the California Department of Agriculture. We are gratified that the work we do to grow safer, healthier crops in a more environmentally friendly manner has not gone unnoticed.

One of the most significant steps we have taken recently is to completely eliminate the use of methyl-bromide from our growing program, several years ahead of mandatory US phase out. Other reasons we were considered for the IPM Innovator award include the extensive use of biological agents to control spider mites and worm pests and treating plants with organic growth stimulating proteins that reduce the need for pesticides and promote healthier crops. In 2006 we have added 60 acres of Certified Organic strawberries to growing operations. Look for more information on organic strawberries in months to come. Learn more about our growing techniques in Growing.

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STRAWBERRY NEWS

Visit our "Berry News" page for the latest in strawberry farming in Santa Maria and the rest of California.

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NEW

Promotional Strawberry Photos for Copying or Printing!

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The Nursery and Growing pages we describe the art of strawberry farming, from plant breeding to the ripe, delicious red fruit you see at the supermarket. Visitors learn about our strawberry variety and how we reduce chemical use to bring you the most wholesome fruit anywhere.The Marketing page focuses on the availability and distribution of our fine fruit.

The Quality Assurance Program in this site (see Harvesting), provides some background information on our model food safety program and our third party auditor, Primus Laboratories found on our Links page. At the Harvesting page, you will also find helpful information on buying, handling and storing strawberries at home.

Many of you have already seen a third-party safety audit. If you haven't, take a minute and visit the link to Primus Laboratories (above) and learn how far we growers go to protect the health and safety of our workers and our customers.

As is true with most businesses, it is our Workers who determine our success. Our workers are the heart and soul of Manzanita Berry Farms. Without a solid, dependable workforce there can be no strawberry farm, anywhere. We hope you will take a minute to learn more about this dynamic and often misunderstood group of people so essential to our farm.

For those curious about the History of the strawberry, we excerpt from the book by the same name to broaden the visitors' perspective of this amazing fruit (and tell you where you can get a copy of this fascinating book).

Want recipes? We will link you to sites that have outstanding recipes and ideas on how to make use of strawberries and even buy some berries online. We have Links will take you to related sites and sites we found of general interest.

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Here's the weather in our fields right now

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After the hectic harvest season we took a little time to catch up on fishing. To ensure a productive trip we hired a great fishing guide in Northern California who helped us land this monster salmon.

If you're in need of a little break, Sacramento River salmon or striped bass fishing might rejuvinate you. I highly recommend the River Pirate, Ken Hoffman.

Be sure to tell them Dave, the strawberry grower sent you.

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Any questions? We're happy to answer visitor questions about anything strawberry. Just click on the mail link below.

We also value visitor feedback and use it to improve our site.

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