Florida freeze squeezes produce buyers

MIAMI, Jan. 7 (UPI) -- Florida's freeze caused produce prices to shoot up, agriculture officials said.

The Florida Department of Agriculture estimates farmers lost $273 million during a string of December cold snaps.

Market prices for sweet corn have doubled and green beans have tripled, The Miami Herald reported Friday.

Yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, bell peppers, eggplants, and some lettuces have risen 25 percent or more at Florida stores.

Brett Bergmann of Hugh H. Branch Inc., the country's largest distributor of sweet corn, told The Palm Beach Post the December freezes were unprecedented, destroying up to 80 percent of the crop. A 48-ear crate that earned farmers less than $8 at Thanksgiving is now selling for $25 to $30.

``We've never seen anything like this,'' he said. ``It has been a huge blow.''

Only half of Miami-Dade's tomato crop survived, said Charles LaPradd, the county's agricultural manager.

Florida's most important crops, including citrus and strawberries, weathered the chill rather well, said Joshua Craft of the Florida Farm Bureau. Most of the orange crop is squeezed for juice, and growers were able to process damaged fruit.