Fla. produce shippers race against freeze

Fla. produce shippers race against freeze The potential for more freezing weather this week has Florida’s fruit and vegetable shippers scrambling to get their crops picked.
   “Our state’s growers are continuing the speedy harvest of their products to help prevent or reduce crop losses,” said Florida Agriculture Commissioner Charles H. Bronson, in a statement Tuesday.
   The freezing temperatures could reach as far south as the Lake Okeechobee area.
   Florida is at the peak harvest season for many fruits and vegetables. Crops at risk include citrus, strawberries, blueberries, tomatoes, snap beans, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, eggplant, endive/escarole, peppers, radishes and squash, tropical fish and horticulture.
   Bronson said the state’s executive order, which directs the transportation department to relax the weight, height, length and width restrictions for trucks transporting vulnerable crops to processing sites, remains in effect through Feb. 11.