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Science shaping the future of California strawberries

August 4, 2026

Dr. Hillary Thomas-Sanchez

Opinion by Dr. Hillary Thomas-Sanchez

When most people pick up a carton of California strawberries, they notice the bright color, fresh flavor, and quality of the fruit. What they don’t see are the decades of scientific research, collaboration, and innovation that help make every harvest possible.

As an agricultural scientist, I see strawberries a little differently. I see years of research behind every plant, countless questions waiting to be answered, and a community of scientists, growers, engineers, students, and agricultural innovators working together to solve the challenges of tomorrow.

That’s what makes California’s strawberry community so extraordinary.
Agriculture has never stood still. Every season brings new challenges—from changing weather patterns and emerging plant diseases to water limitations, labor shortages, and the need to produce healthy, high-quality food while caring for our natural resources.

Meeting those challenges requires more than hard work. It requires continuous research, curiosity, and a willingness to keep asking, “How can we do this even better?”

That mindset has helped make California the world’s leader in strawberry research and innovation.

For decades, California strawberry growers have invested in science because they understand that the future of farming depends on continuous improvement. Through the California Strawberry Commission, growers have invested more than $17 million in research that brings together university researchers, agricultural scientists, engineers, crop advisers, and farmers to develop practical solutions that benefitagriculture, communities, and consumers alike.

One of the things I value most about working in this industry is that innovation isn’t developed in isolation.

Scientists don’t work apart from growers—we work alongside them.

Growers bring generations of experience and firsthand knowledge of the land. Researchers contribute scientific expertise and new ways of looking at complex problems. Engineers develop technologies that improve precision and efficiency. Students bring fresh perspectives and new ideas.

Together, we learn from one another, test new approaches, and continue improving how strawberries are grown.

That collaborative approach is one of California agriculture’s greatest strengths.

Research takes many forms. We study plant health and disease, evaluate new strawberry varieties, improve soil and water management, explore biological pest management tools, and test technologies that can support workers and improve field operations. Every project is driven by the same purpose: helping farmers grow healthy, high-quality strawberries while strengthening the long-term sustainability and resilience of our farming systems.

But good science doesn’t end with discovery.

Ideas must prove themselves where it matters most—in commercial fields, under real growing conditions, and across different environments. That’s why partnerships with organizations like the Cal Poly Strawberry Center are so important. They provide opportunities to evaluate emerging technologies, train future agricultural leaders, and connect research directly with the people who can put it into practice.

The Strawberry Center also reminds us that innovation isn’t only about today’s challenges. It’s about preparing the next generation to solve the ones we haven’t encountered yet. Students work alongside scientists and growers, gaining firsthand experience that will help shape the future of agriculture for decades to come.

As someone who has spent my career in agricultural research, that gives me tremendous optimism.

The future of California strawberries won’t be shaped by a single breakthrough or one new technology. It will be built the same way it always has been—through collaboration, scientific discovery, and a shared commitment to continuous improvement.

Every time someone enjoys California strawberries, they’re benefiting from far more than one growing season. They’re benefiting from decades of research, partnerships, and innovation made possible by a community that believes there’s always a better way to grow.

To me, that’s what science is all about—not simply discovering what’s possible, but helping ensure the future of California strawberries remains as vibrant, resilient, and inspiring as the people who grow them.

Dr. Thomas-Sanchez serves as research and technical director of innovation at Naturipe Berry Growers, previously managed statewide research for the California Strawberry Commission, and earned a doctorate in entomology from UC Davis. 

 


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8 Comments

No mention of what improvements we are talking about here. Are we talking about growing using more organic methods without chemicals or the opposite?


4

Thank you Dr. Thomas-Sanchez; no doubt the cooperative team approach embraced by strawberry commission will continue to deliver success and progress. It works everywhere, in every endeavor so long as you have competent participants that check their egos at the door!


6

Does the science calculate the cost of illegal immigrant labor, which I pay for at the hospital and the school?


8

Come up with a picking mechanism to replace the illegal labor like the wine industry and we won’t be subsidizing by way of welfare, free medical, food stamps, assisted housing, lower utility rates and where ever else my taxes are funneled to support this for profit industry. Then maybe I could afford a straw- berry.


-1

Thank you professor for this great letter. Using cutting edge science and years of experience has made California the greatest agricultural engine in the world with revenue in the range of $60 billion a year. I fear, however, that federal rollbacks of funding for research will hamstring the industry, just as it could destroy America’s heretofore lead in scientific research and development across every sector. The anti-science bias from the White House and the right is a threat to that dominance.


-12

What you call “anti-science”, is what we call “reality”.


For 2 million years, nature ordained humans to be only male and female.


But you’re version of “science, would force us to believe that 127 new human genders suddenly appeared with no evolutionary timeline, in 2014.


You want to know why California farming has increased yields 100 fold since the first plow hit Fresno? Because farmers did what needed to be done. Not researchers, not “scientists”, not pink haired basement dwellers waving anti-Trump signs on Main St. Just the guys with dirty hands looking to make a bigger buck for their blood, sweat, and family.


2

You mean anti GMO and NON Organic Produce? Yup! We will choose Non GMO and Organic every time. I would rather have a smaller Strawberry than a huge one created to look perfect, but far from that genetically. But, I thought they’ve already come up with that perfect looking strawberry?


2

Science pled the Fifth.


17