Farm economics · 8 min read
Strawberry Plasticulture: Cost per Acre
The real per-acre cost of a fall-planted plasticulture strawberry crop and the revenue mix that clears it at U-pick, farmstand, and wholesale.
Southeast strawberries are a fall-planted plasticulture crop with harvest starting mid-March (coastal) to late April (piedmont). The establishment cost is high and front-loaded — the go/no-go call is made in July, months before revenue.
Establishment cost per acre
- Land prep + fumigation (chloropicrin or bio-fumigant): $1,300
- Beds + plastic + drip tape: $1,200
- Plugs (17,500 at $0.20): $3,500
- Transplant labor: $800
- Fertigation + fungicides (season): $1,200
- Row cover (frost protection, 2 seasons): $450
- Harvest labor: $4,500–7,000 (varies by U-pick vs wholesale)
- Packing / clamshells / cooler: $800
- Total: ~$13,750–16,250/acre
Revenue by channel
- U-pick: $2.50–3.50/lb, ~12,000 lb/acre picked → $30,000–42,000/acre. Lowest labor.
- Farmstand pre-picked: $4.50–5.50/lb, 15,000 lb → $67,500–82,500/acre. Highest labor.
- Wholesale: $12–18/flat (8 lb), 1,800 flats → $21,600–32,400/acre. Lowest price, needs volume.
Most farms run a mix
60% U-pick + 30% farmstand + 10% wholesale is a common Southeast mix and typically clears $40k–$50k net/acre in a normal year. Frost events and anthracnose are the two things that can drop it to breakeven.
Run this in BAU, not a spreadsheet
The planner, calculator, and buyer marketplace are included on every plan.