FORT FAIRFIELD – Ford Stevenson has been raising strawberries for 28 years and on Wednesday, at a special “Focus on the Farm” event at the Blaine House in Augusta, Stevenson pronounced this a good year.

“The berries are ripe and people are sure ready,” he said. “They’ve been eating shipped-in berries all winter and the taste just isn’t there.”

But as good as the fields look in southern and central Maine, northern growers were hard-hit by frigid winter temperatures and little or no insulating snow cover for the perennial plants.

Strawberry lovers in northern Maine probably will have to head south to pick the brilliant red jewels this summer as some growers lost more than 50 percent of their berry plants.

“Everybody is hurting up here,” said Debbie Closson of T&D Farms in Fort Fairfield.

Aroostook County’s berry season won’t begin for another five to six days and it’s going to be slim pickings.

First lady Karen Baldacci hosted Stevenson and members of the Maine Department of Agriculture at an event focusing on strawberries, a $200,000 industry in Maine.

“Farmers are the backbone of Maine’s economy,” said Baldacci, who urged residents to get out and pick berries. “Strawberries signal the start of Maine’s summers.” The strawberry season will run through mid-July, except for some small farms that grow a late variety ready in August.

Blaine House chef Heather Hopkins served strawberries dipped in chocolate, strawberries in cream, and yogurt parfaits. “We use strawberries a lot here,” she said. “We use them as toppings on waffles, crepes and in pies. We focus on the freshness.”

But the first lady said her favorite way to eat strawberries “is right out of the box, sitting in the field picking.”

Stevenson said the flavor of Maine’s berries is so rich because they are bred for flavor, rather than for long-distance shipping. “Besides, pick-your-own berries are half the price of those already harvested,” he said.

The “Focus on the Farm” series will be held throughout the year to bring attention to Maine’s agriculture industry. Baldacci said she will be focusing on cheese, tomatoes, blueberries and cranberries this year and may add other farm products.

Enjoying a dish of berries and cream, Maine Agriculture Commissioner Robert Spear said, “We’re thrilled to see the first lady’s enthusiasm for promoting Maine agriculture. These events will be informative to the public and bring some much-earned attention to Maine’s farmers and their products.”

A statewide listing of farms offering both prepicked and pick-your-own strawberries can be found at www.getrealmaine.com. Stevenson suggested calling a farm ahead of time to make sure the berries are ripe.