Strawberry crops offers hope to farmers

strawberries A late freeze has claimed part of the Upstate peach crop, but strawberries have dodged the bullet and may provide a much-needed infusion of cash for growers of another fruit.  Thomas Ragan of Boiling Springs and other peach farmers lost muich of their crop to a mid-April freeze.  But Ragan is optimistic about strawberries.  “We have excellent quality, and now the yield is improving with the warmer weather,” he said.  Clemson Extension Agent Andy Rollins says most Upstate strawberry growers were spared the heavy rains that threatened to soak the crop at a critical time.