“ Price is always a factor and always will be a factor. You can't just sell it for whatever you want, but it tells you that there is higher demand for blueberries every year, and the consumption is moving up, which isn't the case for every commodity.” — Tom Barnes

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Barnes and his work for USHBC/NABC and Category Partners.
• How the data behind blueberry sales can inform future decisions and opportunities.
• The excitement Barnes feels regarding the direction and growth of the blueberry industry based on the data.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Eliza Spreitzer in Michigan, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Michelle Borges in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Kristin Brinkley in North Carolina, Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on April 2, 2026.

“There’s a lot of areas in agriculture and beyond where there are no robots today and people are moving around doing work that requires movement, plus perception, plus manipulation … and inspecting things on sites and doing data capture. They're all things where there's a real need for robots, but the way to get them going isn't to try to do it all at once. It's to do it in a stepped or phased approach, which is kind of the genesis of Burro.” – Charlie Andersen

Topics covered include:

1. An introduction to Anderson and Toribio, and their work.
2. The ideas that led to the creation of Burro, and the impact autonomous tractors can have for producers.
3. An exploration of the evolution of autonomous tractors and what the future may hold.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Eliza Spreitzer in Michigan, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 26, 2026.

“Fortunately, there was enough time that elapsed between the 2021 flooding and this flood event so some of those fields that were impacted, they were either replanted because the damage was so severe or the planting was young and the grower took advantage of the opportunity just to start over with variety replacement or the field was managed and rejuvenated in such a way that it recovered. So, by the time it had this second flooding event, you know, we're not expecting kind of a double-whammy effect, if you will, from subsequent floodings from relatively close periods of time together.” – Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Ph.D.

Topics covered include:

1. An introduction to Devetter and her work.
2. An exploration of the factors that influenced recommendations for producers that were impacted by these two major flooding events.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Ross Phillips in Georgia, Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on February 12, 2026.

“ That's probably the most impactful or rewarding thing at the end of the day, is actually diagnosing what someone has in their field and then delivering sound, science-based management recommendations to help manage that disease.” – Tim Miles, Ph.D.

Topics covered include:

1. An introduction to Miles and his work.
2. The process and threat posed by fungicide resistance, as well as practices and options producers can use to avoid its persistence.
3. The value of identifying specific plant pathology to target best practices and treatments.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Luis Vegas in Peru, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Pat Goin in Indiana and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on Feb. 5, 2026.

“The products that we are developing now … are the ones that are going to come in 5 to 10 years from now, and in that moment we need to do even more differentiation … like how do you stack them with other traits? I mean, can you make them crunchy? Yes, we can. And you'll see them soon, hopefully. Can you make them larger? Yes, we can. Can you make them healthier? Yes. Can you make different colors? Yes.” – Patricio Muñoz, Ph.D.

Topics covered include:

1. An introduction to Muñoz and his work.
2. An exploration of the strategies and traits Muñoz and his breeding team focus on.
3. Muñoz’s perspective on global demand and emerging blueberry markets.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 22, 2026.

“ What's not to be excited about the blueberry industry?... I mean everything that drives consumption in an agricultural commodity, blueberries has it. Convenience, health, snackability, flavor, fun, photogenic. It's an awesome category, commodity fruit to be a part of.” – Wade Jackson

“I think what's great about this industry is we have really passionate people that love what they do. Obviously, you know, you've brought a good young team in that really is trying to push this thing and convince all growers, it's the right direction to take. But I'm just most excited about the momentum we have.” – Greg Willems

Episodes covered:

1. Episode 199: Wade Jackson on Berry Genetics at Family Tree Farms
2. Episode 200: Farming, Finance and The Future With JC Clinard of Frutura
3. Episode 218: Berry Business Leadership: A Conversation With Garland Reiter Jr.
4. Episode 204: Developments in Blueberry Breeding With Paul Sandefur, Ph.D.
5. Episode 191: Blueberry Industry Growth Drivers: Part 2 With Hector Lujan
6. Episode 205: Innovation, Impact and International Growth: The IBO’s Mission With Mario Steta
7. Episode 206: From Data to Decisions: AI’s Role in Blueberry Success
8. Episode 197: The Impact of Genetics on Blueberry Quality With Greg Willems

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 15, 2026.

“ What Parabug does is we apply beneficial insects with drones. So we have a proprietary mechanism that mounts to essentially an off-the-shelf ag drone. That mechanism is incredibly gentle for beneficial insects and allows for another avenue of integrated pest management to be economically viable to growers.”  – Jaclyn Bennett

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Bennett and her work at Parabug.
• An exploration of the innovative technology created by Parabug and the benefits it can provide in pest management for producers.
• A glimpse into Parabug’s next innovation. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 18, 2025. 

 “I think 2023 was a wake-up call for all the industry. It was really a learning experience for all of us. … One of the things we learned was how the different varieties behaved under these conditions, and there was a clear difference between certain varieties.” – Luis Vegas

“ As Peru starts improving the average quality of the crop, we'll have more, as exporters, better opportunities in China, which is a very highly demanding market that establishes a big difference between premium fruit, what they consider premium fruit and regular fruit.” – Miguel Bentin

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Vegas and Bentin, and their work. 
• An exploration of Proarándanos global priorities and reach. 
• The impact weather has had on the Peruvian blueberry production over the past year.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 11, 2025. 

“ This is my organization and I need to be involved, and I think the American farmer needs to remember that this is our organization and that it is here for us and it benefits us. And you can't always do that from home … the NABC, the USHBC, it is here for the American farmers. Yes, it's the international businesses, but it's here to promote blueberries and it's here for us to learn.” – Alex Cornelius

 ”Everybody is very interested in U.S. blueberries, whether we get inquiries for fresh and frozen. You know our primary goal is to focus on dried but I think that there's still a lot of opportunities out there in a lot of different regions of the world.” – Dominic Meduri

 Topics covered include: 

• A discussion of the benefits the USHBC and NABC provide producers. 
• Opportunities for expanding the reach of the blueberry industry into dried fruit manufacturing. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 4, 2025. 

“  It’s the public policy atmosphere that can help us the most, because frankly, it's the one that puts us most at risk, depending on what our labor policies and regulatory policies are among others.” – Ray Starling

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Starling and his work. 
• Starling’s journey to find his platform and voice within the public policy space to support the agriculture industry.
• An exploration of the priorities Starling believes should be addressed in public policy to support the agriculture industry, including labor policies, farmer business practices and innovation. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 6, 2025.

The Blueberry Boost Accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, this inaugural cohort exemplifies the future of the power of blueberries.

“This is a tight competition. There’s some great people with some great products.” – Bob Underwood, Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries

“We have, through this … accelerator program, connected with a company that is a CPG firm, and fingers crossed that we are able to … solidify that relationship there.” – Jerrod Gable, Sorbatto

“I eat a ton of blueberries … the superfood, the elements, the antioxidants, the prebiotic properties; it also pairs really well with the earthy tones of the fiber that we use.” – Jessica Postiglione, Bonny Fiber Supplements 

“It has been a long journey building this brand and just getting the support from the blueberry team just takes it to another level.” – Dylan Paul, Pluff 

Today’s episode features the four finalists from the 2025 Blueberry Boost Accelerator cohort:

• Jessica Postiglione of Bonny Fiber Supplements, a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support gut health.
• Bob Underwood of Farmer Bob’s Beyond Berries, a frozen snack product used from upcycling blueberries and other fruit.
• Dylan Paul of Pluff, a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.
• Jerrod Gable of Sorbatto,  a frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 6, 2025.

“ Success starts with our farms and with our growers. When farms succeed, we succeed. Everybody in the supply chain succeeds. … It's not all about just operating for the sake of profits. It's about building an ecosystem that works for everybody involved in genetics and markets and supply chain. Those are all tools that feed that ecosystem, and if you can make the whole system thrive, then we feel that's when you've really built something lasting.” – Ben Escoe

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Escoe.
• The beginnings and evolution of Twin River Berries and how the company has grown and expanded over time. 
• The opportunity the variety Peachy Blue is providing to the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on October 23, 2025. 

“ On a daily basis, the principal part of my job is to try to share with our customers the importance of focusing on the consumer. The importance there and how you get that message to a consumer is by branding. And so sharing with them the value chain that we invest on the genetics, we invest on the supply chain, and we invest on the brand . … The job of the first clamshell is to sell the next clamshell.” – Garland Reiter Jr.

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Reiter and his career in the berry industry. 
• An exploration of Driscoll’s focus on expanding and elevating the eating experience for customers.
• A look at the tiered produce offerings available in Europe, and a discussion of whether that marketing model will make its way to U.S. grocery shelves.

“  The accelerator program was designed to discover and support emerging startups who are innovating with blueberries for their consumer products.” – Inez Be

 Blueberry Boost Accelerator Finalists: 

• Bonny Fiber Supplements has a fiber supplement flavored with blueberries to support the gastrointestinal tract.
• Beyond Berries has a frozen snack product used from upcycling a wide variety of blueberries.
• Pluff has a unique mousse-style blueberry dessert that’s high in protein.
• Sorbatto has  a blue cream frozen dessert that uses highbush blueberries as its base.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 25, 2025. 

“ People are becoming more selective, and retailers know that repeat purchase depends on delivering a great eating experience. And I think particularly in Chile, and in the U.S., on the high-chill variety, we have a good advantage in it, which, in my personal opinion, it's where all the flavor is. So, while firmness and shelf life may guide initial selection from a logistic and commercial standpoint, flavor is what completes the picture.” - Matias Allesandrini

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Allesandrini and his work. 
• An exploration of the LaFrut company, its family-based foundation and its journey toward an exporting focus.
• A discussion of the many challenges facing Chilean producers as they continue to pivot their focus to the global market.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 18, 2025. 

“ We saw these beneficial effects of the blueberry powder compared to the placebo in terms of the immunity, and we also saw that in terms of the gut microbiome. … So after eating the blueberry for seven months and after eating the placebo for seven months with the same background diet, if you take blueberry on top of what you eat, you have less of these pathogens in your gut, and that's what we saw.” — Minghua Tang, Ph.D. 

 Topics covered include: 

• Hear about a recent study that identified significant benefits for infants after being fed blueberries.
• Discover the benefits of introducing blueberries in the complementary feeding phase of infants, and the lifelong impacts it can have on health.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Caylan Huddleston in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 11, 2025. 

“  Really, it's a programmatic and high-speed way to take very promising ideas and accelerate their growth to some sort of impact. And what's really cool about what we're doing in the blueberry industry is this idea that the blueberries are the heart of this, they're the platform of innovation.” – Fred Schonenberg

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Shonenberg and his work at VentureFuel.
• A description of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator and what it hopes to achieve. 
• The impact this intensive program can have for innovative startups with a blueberry focus.

Learn more about the Blueberry Boost Accelerator today and meet the finalists – and sample their products – at the upcoming Blueberry Convention! 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Caylan Huddleston in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 4, 2025. 

“  We had our millennial drought from 2000 to 2010, and we're seeing that over here where you've got pressures with lack of water. We have wage increases with that, and also the whole social license is really impacting how customers and consumers want to see their product grown and they don't really want to see water wasted. So we're just trying to help growers be more successful.” – Tim Hyde

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Hyde and SWAN Systems’ work in Australia. 
• An exploration of the water-saving solutions Australia has established and what North American producers can learn from their efforts.
• What you can expect to hear during sessions on this topic at The Blueberry Convention in Seattle this October.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Sunny Brar in British Columbia, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 21, 2025. 

“  In other words, what I found was if you had an extra dollar to spend (on top of your budget) … it would return $19.29 cents in industrywide profit, net revenue operating profits, which is a very, very high ROI.” – Harry Kaiser, Ph.D.

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Kaiser and his work. 
• Kaiser’s independent analysis of the blueberry industry’s investment in the USHBC and its ROI.
• The methodology followed to determine the ROI of the promotional spend to producers.
• How the blueberry industry can continue to increase demand to keep pace with rising global production.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Alan Schreiber in Washington. This was recorded on August 14, 2025. 

“We wanted to focus on how to get the most out of what the event is by having relatable content, Blueberry Lane and the meetings all in one spot . Rather than doing that twice a year, let’s just do it once. The other fun piece to this is it allowed for us to open up resources to do more of what we are hearing the industry wanted … for us to come to them.” – Amanda Griffin 

 Topics covered include: 

• The evolution of USHBC events and how they’ve grown and expanded over the years.
• What to expect at this year's Blueberry Convention, including new content and standout elements to get excited about.
• Increased excitement around Blueberry Lane and Blueberry Row.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 31, 2025. 

“ Every meeting we go to we learn a little bit more about how to better be prepared, what growers are wanting to hear, how they're wanting to hear it, because some people are verbal, some people want to see something on a chart and others just want to be one-on-one. So the different aspects are interesting and we're learning, and I think we're doing a better job of getting that information out and growers understanding where we're at, where we're headed and when we're going to get there.” – Bryan Sakuma

 Topics covered include: 

• The latest opportunities for collaboration between the blueberry industry and growers. 
• Sakuma’s vision and priorities for USHBC in the coming years.
• How USHBC is thinking about technology for industry growth.
• The ways producers can access and participate in industry meetings. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 24, 2025. 

“ So, growers had a huge impact nationally. Those were the numbers, but this occurred in each of the eight states that we looked at, millions, hundreds of millions of dollars in activity. Thousands of jobs created. Hundreds of millions in spending as a result of labor income, millions in taxes that get to be used …  Blueberry growers and importers spent about $3.6 billion in an average year, 10 million a day, roughly, and that's a lot of money to be spending, and it resulted in an economic impact of little over $9 billion, or about $25 million every day of every year.” – Dennis Tootelian, Ph.D. 

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Tootelian and his research. 
• An explanation of the macro-economic impacts of the blueberry industry and how they are measured.
• A deep dive into the data generated by Tootelian’s research, and what the data shows policymakers about the impact of the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Pat Goin in Indiana and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 17, 2025. 

“ Our work is focused on validating a smart farm network that enables blueberry growers, packers, marketers, stakeholders, sales tech and research to collaborate on farm operation optimization. So everything from what tech to be using, how to use it, to the bigger picture of how do we unlock data insights across the blueberry industry in ways that help the whole blueberry value chain grow and thrive into the future.” – Steve Mantle

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Steve Mantle and his work. 
• The purpose and impact of the BerrySmart Fields, and what it offers to all stakeholders in the blueberry supply chain.
• What the future holds for the BerrySmart team, and the innovations they’re evaluating and sharing with the industry.
• How to learn more at The Blueberry Convention 2025. We hope to see you there! 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Matt Macrie in New Jersey and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on July 10, 2025. 

“ You need data to make a better decision about what your next strategy is, and that survey is one of the primary tools that we use to inform the data stack that we need to find the issues that are most relevant to USHBC and the rest of the council.” – Ken Gilliam 

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to The Directions Group and the history of the organization.
• A discussion about the USHBC survey and why it’s so crucial for blueberry stakeholders to participate. (You can participate now here!) 
• The topics and questions included in this year’s survey.
• How The Directions Group separates itself from other groups to reach a broader audience.

Check out the “Farmer of the Future 2.0” report by The Direction's Group, a foundational study and audience segmentation of U.S. farmers that changed the way many organizations had previously approached the market.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico,

Michelle Borges in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on July 3, 2025.

“ What if we could bring the same level of analytical sophistication that someone like Amazon has or someone like Google has, to the average business?” – Lucas Thelosen

“ I think that artificial intelligence piece where you can have an analyst with you 24/7, whether you're working on stuff in an airplane or in the middle of the night, it's there for you to be able to help you understand things that you didn't see.” – Joe Vargas

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to artificial intelligence (AI) and its use for extracting insights from data.
• A discussion about how the USHBC is leveraging advancements in AI to help the industry make more optimal decisions. 
• Why this is the next evolution of the BerrySmart Insights platform.
• How data and AI will impact the future of the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Pat Goin in Indiana, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on June 12, 2025. 

“ But, in essence, we see the blueberry industry and our commitment to it, beyond what we do as a company and with our growers, as an effort that speaks for exactly what we’re doing today. Opening up and having a dialogue of the things we can work together, the concerns we have, and the differences we have, too, which is important.” – Mario Steta

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Steta and his work with IBO and Driscoll’s.  
• A discussion on IBO’s mission and the progress it’s making on behalf of the global blueberry industry.
• Details on this year’s IBO summit in South Africa.
• Insights from the IBO 2024 Report.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Michelle Borges in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Luis Vegas in Peru and Derrin Wheeler in Georgia. This was recorded on June 6, 2025. 

“ Now, I have the pleasure of working with our global team to bring new varieties to the market. So really focusing on new varieties that have the eating experience that brings the joy that we need consumers to have, that we want consumers to have, but then also have the grower economics to make it work. That’s what gets me going and that’s what I get excited about doing every day.” – Paul Sandefur, Ph.D. 

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Sandefur and his work. 
• The process behind developing new blueberry varieties and the obstacles plant breeders face in bringing them to market.
• The traits and unique qualities of the Peachy Blue variety. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Luis Vegas in Peru, Todd Sanders in California, Sunny Brar in British Columbia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Pat Goin in Indiana. This was recorded on May 29, 2025. 

“  I don't think anybody would ever question that blueberries are a healthy product, but now we have, because of the USHBC and the work that Dr. Wada has led, we have credible science to stand on and influence government policies. … So it's a great space for us to work in as a credible source of information, and also politically savvy enough to identify where the opportunities are.” – Alyssa Houtby

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Wada and Houtby, and their work for the councils.
• The opportunities for blueberries that emerge from the revision of the dietary guidelines and the growing viewpoint of “food as medicine.”
• How the blueberry industry can impact future government policy and health research efforts.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Georgia, California, Oregon, Washington, British Columbia, Indiana, Mexico and Peru. This was recorded on May 8, 2025. 

“  My job at USHBC is to expand the global trade for our blueberries through increasing consumption in our international markets. And so, really, our goal is to make blueberries the world's favorite fruit.” – Haiying Zhang 

 Topics covered include: 

• An exploration of the USHBC’s efforts to expand the number and size of international markets for blueberries.
• The purpose and benefits of the USDA’s Market Access Program (MAP) and Regional Agricultural Promotional Program (RAPP), and how they are being used to promote the blueberry industry.
• A deep dive into the analysis performed to evaluate global markets and determine which are most valuable to pursue.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mexico, North Carolina, California, Oregon, Washington and British Columbia. This was recorded on April 24, 2025. 

“ The Agriculture Trade Education Council views itself as content neutral in the sense of it's not taking a stand for tariffs or against tariffs, or for a free trade agreement or against a free trade agreement. That's not its job. Its job is to provide trade information, so it tries to stay out of the fights and the debates. It tries to just provide information so that everyone who's engaged in those discussions can operate off a common platform of knowledge and understanding.” – Brian Kuehl

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Kuehl and his work. 
• The opportunities provided by the Agriculture Trade Education Council and the importance of this type of education.
• The history of the global trade system and the dynamic nature of its evolution.
• The most significant aspects of current agricultural trade that will impact the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jody McPherson in North Caroline, T.J. Hafner in Oregon and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on April 17, 2025. 

“ I believe demand will continue to increase for blueberries, but I think that there is a whole other level of demand increase that we can take advantage of and capture if we're strategic.” – JC Clinard

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Clinard’s background in blueberries and his current role with Frutura.
• Clinard’s vision for the opportunities ahead for blueberry supply and demand.
• A discussion of what the industry needs to do to seize the opportunity to become the world’s favorite fruit.
• Also mentioned in this episode: “Why Frutura is Betting Big on Berries.” 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 20, 2025. 

“We're always going to hang our hat on flavor at Family Tree Farms. … We have weekly tastings with our whole family, and there's always one of us bringing our kids. … Who drives consumption? It's the kids. So, a lot of what runs our business is what these kids that are 11 years old and younger gravitate to at these tasting tables.” – Wade Jackson

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Jackson. 
• A summary of the partnership between Family Tree Farms and Mountain Blue Orchards, and the varieties this partnership has produced.
• A discussion of what farmers care about most in new genetics and where that’s pushing the industry

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 13, 2025.

“ I have to say I'm proud of my industry. When I started becoming more active on my state level and the national level, there were already strong females in roles of leadership that I could look up to and follow in their footsteps. And in the 10 years that I have been active and become more active, I just see this younger generation coming up behind me and also being active.” – Ellie Norris

 Topics covered include: 

• The journey these women have taken to become significant contributors to the blueberry industry. 
• Announcement of a five-part women in blueberries webinar to be launched this fall. 
• Plans for a “Women in Blueberries Award.” 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 6, 2025. 

“  I think one thing that really helps me when I evaluate varieties is understanding what it looks like in the field, how it comes off the plant – does the plant grow well, and does it perform in the way we need it to to make a mechanical high quality berry? Because obviously everybody knows the bar has been set pretty high for blueberry quality.” - Greg Willems

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Willems and his expertise in berries.
• Explore Willem’s experience in table grapes and the impact on blueberry operations.
• The challenges of introducing new varieties to producers and providing new packaging to consumers.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on February 27, 2025. 

“ I didn't start RipeLocker to be focused on tangible benefits, and tangible is simply I can put a dollar sign against it. I started RipeLocker because of my passion for healthy eating and quality. … If you slow senescence, the fruit’s going to be more nutritious.” – George Lobisser

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Lobisser and his work. 
• An explanation of the revolutionary technology that’s behind the RipeLocker container. 
• The impact RipeLocker could have on the produce industry by preserving post-harvest produce.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Brittany Lee in Florida, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on February 20, 2025. 

“  As a farmer that's in Florida, I'm thinking the most important thing to me is the last two weeks of March and the first two weeks of April. But as a marketer, as a retailer, blueberries are important 365 days a year. … It's going to be one of my jobs as part of the NABC to continue these town hall meetings and educate people that other regions are not our enemies, that we can work together.” – Teddy Koukoulis

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Sakuma and Koukoulis, and their blueberry industry experience. 
• An exploration of what brought them to their new roles and what they hope to achieve for the industry. 
• A discussion about how the two organizations can work together and support each other to benefit the industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 30, 2025. 

“ The blueberry industry to me, has always been a large family. When we come together, it doesn't matter who you market for or what region you're in, you just try to find the common ground and move it forward.  And those are the kinds of things we do in the states. Those are the kinds of things that we did in Peru and in Chile. So what a great experience.” – Pat Goin

 Topics covered include: 

• Hear Goin’s reflections on her time as NABC chair. 
• Explore the international and leadership experiences Goin participated in, and hear highlights of each of them.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Andres Armstrong in Chile. This was recorded on January 23, 2025.

“  I feel that one of the things I'm proudest of, if I had to say one, is the involvement and the growth of participation that we've been able to achieve in the three-and-a-half years, because we took something that was like an industry meeting and then now we've moved it into something that's more of an educational forum.” – Shelly Hartmann

 Topics covered include: 

• A few of Hartmann’s experiences as the USHBC chair. 
• A discussion of the many improvements Hartmann has seen in the blueberry industry and the council over the last few years.
• A glimpse into the future endeavors Hartmann sees the council participating in, and the benefits they’ll provide to blueberry growers.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Derrin Wheeler in Georgia. This was recorded on Jan. 16, 2025. 

“  We don't want to see people going out of production. We don't want to see bushes being pulled out. So, how do we keep those people in the game? And I think that's encouraging them.” — Paul Pryce

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Pryce and his expertise. 
• The biggest concerns for Canadian blueberry growers, and how the British Columbia Blueberry Council is addressing them.
• An exploration of potential new markets for blueberries. 
• The current dynamics along the U.S. border, and possible blueberry industry implications in the face of ever-changing global politics.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 8, 2025. 

“ So, I think what we need to look at is, one, as marketers – to make sure that we are moving toward what the consumer wants and providing that product. And as growers – we are long-term thinkers and developing the industry with that long-term view because it will continue to grow the market.” — Hector Lujan

 Topics covered include: 

• Lujan’s vision for the global blueberry industry.
• How to grow both the volume and value of the blueberry market.
• Dynamics in key growing regions like Mexico and Chile.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 2, 2025. 

“ By bringing the berry patch together along with a year-round supply, the demand for berries is continuing to grow. It's healthy candy. And what we see is … the per capita consumption will continue to grow as these new generations get to eat it year-round and it's part of their daily diet.” — Hector Lujan

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Lujan and his career in berries. 
• Hortifruit’s role in the global berry patch.
• Lujan’s vision for Hortifruit and blueberries in the future.

Tune in to part two of the interview with Hector Lujan on episode 191! 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 26, 2024. 

“It's just exciting to be able to start at this stage within the blueberry industry and have an actual impact on that, and be able to learn about the many dynamic, kind of complicated and interesting facets of what the blueberry industry has to offer. … We want to make sure that what we're doing is reaching our target audience where they are, and being able to communicate that value and joy that blueberries provide.” – Inez Be

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Be and her career. 
• Discussion of the many events and promotions Be has already been involved in, and what she’s looking forward to creating for the industry.
• An exploration of the future strategy for blueberry marketing under Be’s leadership, including collaborations with influencers and organizations.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on December 6, 2024. 

“Now people are on the go. A lot of companies are making people go back to the office. A lot of people are traveling. Sports are back in. Everything is back in swing, and so people are back to looking for solutions in the snacking category.” – Steve Ware

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Ware and what brought him to the blueberry category.
• Innovations in blueberry snacking, including bento boxes, Berry Buddies, snack packs and more.
• Future innovations, market trends and emerging value-added products.
• How varieties are changing the game and enabling the next wave of value-added blueberry foods.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on November 29, 2024. 

“So, I had no idea that we were going to use them both in tandem. It just seemed easier and maybe less wear and tear on everybody kind of involved in the operation. And then also the benefit … with the Harvy is as we're continually loading and unloading the fruit, it is probably not being in the heat off the bush for more than 10 to 15 minutes because it's going off the machine, it's getting palletized, and it's immediately being put in a refrigerated trailer. So, it just helps with getting that fruit to a temperature where if it does have bruising or if it does have defects, it will kind of slow the decay.” — Sam Gray

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Sam and Laina, and their work in the blueberry industry.
• The motivations and the process Sam used for incorporating automation into his operation. 
• The benefits and challenges of using two unique automated technologies during harvest. 

Watch this video to see the automated machines working in tandem. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on November 15, 2024. 

“The law requires that the grower or importer of record, if you have over 2,000 pounds of berries, you're going to pay nine-tenths of a penny per pound or 18 per ton, and that's going to be on fresh and frozen berries. This is going to come into the USHBC, and that's going to be for the purposes of research and promotion. So we're making sure that that's happening across the board.” – Crystal Wills

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Wills and her role with USHBC. 
• An exploration of the process producers and handlers should use to submit the required forms and declare their production numbers.
• How the assessment is calculated, and what values need to be used and verified to calculate total production.
• How to avoid penalties for late submissions or incomplete payments.

Contact Wills directly with any questions at cwills@nabcblues.org 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on November 8, 2024. 

“The reason why the program exists is because the companies that register products … focus their research and development area on crops that give them a large and rapid return on investments, i.e. they go after corn, soybeans, cotton, so on and so forth. The specialty crops … don't have access to those products. And one of the things we do as a government organization is we go out there and develop the data to show what type of residues remain on the crop at harvest.” – Jerry Baron, Ph.D. 

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Baron and Houtby and their work. 
• An exploration of the purpose of the IR-4 Project, and why it’s important to blueberry producers for a number of reasons, including the expansion of global exportation opportunities.
• A discussion of the challenges faced by regulatory agencies in labeling inputs, and the work the IR-4 Project is doing to support specialty crop producers. 

Learn more at ir4project.org

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on November 1, 2024. 

“We're seeing the opportunity to continue to develop cutting-edge software technology to deliver this consistent, high-quality experience year-round. We're working hard on the times of the year when our volumes of that better berry are not as strong as the strongest times of year, really to get it to a consistent level of volume.” – Steve Magami

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Magami and his work at Agrovision. 
• An exploration of Agrovision’s strategy and global efforts to create a year-round supply of blueberries. 
• The potential to grow the appeal of various blueberry snacks with consumers.  

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on October 24, 2024. 

“If you look at what is global business development, it really is a process of identifying and pursuing opportunities, with the goal to expand the operations or your reach in new international markets. And so at USHBC, my role is really … to expand the global trade for blueberries by increasing consumption in international markets.” – Haiying Zhang

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Zhang and her role with USHBC. 
• Details on the Regional Agricultural Promotion Program (RAPP) funding USHBC has been awarded to support next year’s market expansion.
• The opportunities USHBC representatives discovered at this year’s Asia Fruit Logistica conference. 
• How to connect with Zhang (hzhang@blueberry.org) to get involved in the global market expansion for blueberries

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on October 17, 2024. 

“I'm particularly excited about investigating the health benefits of blueberries across different populations and their role in meeting nutritional needs throughout the lifecycle. So this includes studying their impact on children, older adults, underserved populations and individuals from various racial and ethnic backgrounds.” – April Stull, Ph.D., RDN

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Stull and her work. 
• A discussion of her recently published research paper which highlights the impact of blueberries on overall health outcomes. 
• An exploration of proposed future research projects that would continue to investigate the many health benefits of blueberries.

For more information, see additional research by Dr. Stull on blueberries and endothelial function and blueberries and insulin sensitivity.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on October 3, 2024. 

“You have the USHBC … where you can collectively bring everybody together to pull the biggest lever that you have to bring consumers back to the category or to the category for the first time in such a way that helps lift demand. And that helps everybody. And that's why USHBC got started in the first place: There was vision in what was going to need to happen in order to handle the circumstances. And, today, we're in different circumstances. We're at a crossroad.” – Kasey Cronquist

 Topics covered include: 

• The need for an increased assessment for the blueberry industry. 
• The industry’s perspective on what it will take to continue to expand blueberry demand globally, and the best strategy to accomplish this task.
• A grower's perspective on the proposed increased assessment, and the need this investment meets for producers in the industry.
• The goals of the USHBC, what an increased assessment will provide for the organization, and how an increased assessment will help USHBC better support blueberry producers. 

“It's the public's problem. It is the grower's problem. It is the pesticide manufacturer's problem. And it is EPA’s problem. If we don't figure out a way to solve this, that means that essentially the majority of pesticides … registrations could be vacated … . And for sure a lot of the efforts that I think blueberry growers should be doing right now is just being aware that all this is happening, and there are opportunities right now for their input to change the policy.” – Dr. Frank Wong

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Wong and Houtby and their work. 
• A discussion of the changes to EPA policies regarding pesticide and herbicide use that could impact blueberry producers.
• Where to learn more about the Endangered Species Act (WSSA.net) and how to view a story map that covers the evolution of the ESA and its intersection and interaction with the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide and Rodenticide Act (FIFRA). 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Luis Vegas in Peru, and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on September 19, 2024. 

“So you have to think through in a very disciplined, strategic way of what's the point of inspiration and how do I activate it? What's that point of decision, and then point of transaction to be holistic about it? Which is what I love that you guys have started to do in terms of thinking through what is the retail strategy, not just how do we create awareness for blueberries.” – Michael La Kier

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to La Kier.
• An exploration of the strategies and efforts underway by IGA on behalf of the berry industry. 
• The impact of the Organic Produce Summit and the insights we can gain from it for the blueberry industry.
• How the blueberry industry can collaborate with IGA now and into the future. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on September 12, 2024. 

“We have the data today to manage more effectively than we did in the past and that certainly helped drive improved results on both the sales side and the expense management side. But we have had this headwind of inflationary environment that we've been operating in, and I think we'll all be glad to see  if that ever goes back to more of a normal or at least a consistency where we could plan. … This is a long-term business, and you've gotta take that horizon when you get emotional about what's going on in the short term.” – Brad Moorer

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Moorer and his work. 
• An exploration of the progress and market expansion MBG Marketing has provided Michigan Growers.
• A look at the new research agreement between Berry Blue (an MBG Marketing company) and the University of Florida Blueberry Breeding Program.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from T.J. Hafner in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 5, 2024. 

“I'd love to improve fruit quality and improve shelf life and improve some of the environmental aspects of growing blueberries. We do have a lot of really great tools and synthetic pesticides that we've been working on for a long time, and there's been a lot of innovation in bio fungicides.” – Tim Miles

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Miles and Houtby. 
• A discussion of the projects Miles has organized and contributed to, and how they impact the blueberry industry. 
• An exploration of a project dubbed “BLUE DYNAMO,” and what it offers producers and researchers as far as opportunities to collaborate and integrate new protocols. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from T.J. Hafner in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 29, 2024. 

“The leadership development umbrella really stems from listening to leadership experts talk about their experiences and guiding the fellows in their individual leadership journeys, as well as introducing the fellows to other folks within the industry to broaden the scope and create more networking opportunities for the class, which ultimately … creates more retention of these leaders to stay within the blueberry industry and further drive the blueberry sector down the road.” — Amanda Griffin

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to a few Blueberry Leadership Program Fellows. 
• The purpose, intent and goals of the program.
• The fellows’ recent trip to Peru.
• How to learn more about the Blueberry Industry Leadership Program.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia, Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 22, 2024.

“The next phase for our industry is category segmentation, and my hope is that we can do a better job in service of our customers in empowering that. We hope that everyone does that. We would love to see our competitors do that. We have an opportunity to make the pie bigger.” – Cort Brazelton

 Topics covered include: 

• Important developments in global blueberry production, particularly in Peru.
• The role of new genetics in addressing the needs of growers and consumers.
• What’s ahead for blueberry production, and the importance of industry collaboration to drive consumer demand.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon. This was recorded on August 8, 2024.

“We are seeing July, August and maybe some part of September with a volume similar to last year, so still this year we are expecting a late peak. And also (we are) very excited because in Peru right now we're going through a phase of a lot of switching varieties. So, we are seeing new varieties coming into commercial production and I think that's going to be exciting for the market.” – Luis Vegas

 Topics covered include: 

• The continued impacts of last year’s El Niño phenomenon on Perurvian blueberry production.
• A glimpse at the forecast for this season’s production in Peru.
• Efforts in Peru to build a more resilient blueberry industry that can continue to satisfy growing world demand.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brody Schropp in Michigan, Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 1, 2024.

“It takes money to make money … . We use a good part of our dollars to create promotions and create that acceleration of the market that we need, but we are also sure to create the value and this brand story and the emotions around it so consumers can feel confident paying whatever price they need to pay to get our category and our brand. And the only way of doing that is by doing good marketing and by keeping good quality in our product.” – Alvaro Luque

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Alvaro Luque, president and CEO of Avocados From Mexico.
• A look at the goals and successes of the “Avocados from Mexico” campaign.
• The strategy and journey Luque explored while building the avocado market globally.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on July 25, 2024.

“I think when you have a full case full of fresh berries, I believe that sets the tone for the entire customer's experience within the produce department. And so not only is Walmart focused on produce. Walmart is really, really focused on making sure that we carry the best quality, have great availability for our customers every day, because it really does set the tone.” — Melissa Byland

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Melissa Byland, Walmart merchandising director and a keynote speaker at the 2024 Blueberry Convention in Tucson.
• An exploration of the value Walmart puts on the “berry patch” in their stores, and the quality expectation they provide to customers.
• The various opportunities and obstacles for marketing blueberries to increase consumption in the Walmart produce department.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Luis Vegas in Peru and T.J. Hafner in Oregon. This was recorded on July 18, 2024. 

“So in farming, it's risky, right? We're pretty much gambling every day with our money, with our income and with all the inputs we put in our farms. And in Michigan, I think two years ago, we were only at about 25% that were covered under some kind of crop insurance. I really wanted to push that number higher. I felt like we could at least get to 50%, if not more, of our growers being covered. I want to make sure that our blueberry growers are covered for the input costs and everything they have out in the field.” – Chad Reenders

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Reenders, a fourth generation farmer and president of the Michigan Blueberry Advisory Committee.
• Reenders efforts to promote crop insurance among blueberry growers, and the network he called on to make that happen.
• What the Michigan blueberry industry looks like today and where it’s headed. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jason Smith in British Columbia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Matt Macrie in New Jersey. This was recorded on July 11, 2024. 

Go, Blueberries!

“I'm a big believer in the free market, and I think consumers are smart. They don't want to spend their dollars, and nothing was worse to me than when you didn't hit expectations. Let's find a way to try to meet expectations wherever we can and so always kinda chasing that … let's make sure that we can do everything we can to exceed expectations of the consumer rather than disappoint.” - Todd Eagan

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Eagan and his reflections on the state of the berry industry over the last few decades.
• Eagan’s overall career in the berry industry and his extensive experience in retail produce. 
• Eagan’s take on the blueberry industry’s successes and possible historical shortcomings.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jaqueline Nakashian with the California Blueberry Commission, Matt Macrie from New Jersey, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on May 30, 2024. 

“The focus really was to bring together the growers, the researchers and the tech providers to help with optimizing blueberry farming operations, with a focus on soils, nutrients, yield, distribution, weather, chemicals, nutrients and, all importantly, labor. … And, so, weaving that together is the journey.” - Steve Mantle

Topics covered include: 

• The latest and greatest on the BerrySmartProject and the benefits it’s providing to blueberry producers industrywide. 
• Advances in leaf sampling for evaluating the health, nutrients and mineral availability present in both new and old plant growth.
• Mantle’s insights on harvest innovations. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Elise Oliver in California, and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on May 16, 2024. 

“The cool part is that inherently you've got a fun fruit and we've got a fun experience. So smashing those together in meaningful ways… I think there's just a lot of fun to be had in the relationship.” - Bruce Popko

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Popko. 
• A description of the meteoric growth pickleball has experienced and the continued growth it’s expected to achieve.
• An explanation of how pickleball aligns with USHBC’s mission to make blueberries the world’s favorite fruit!

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Brittany Lee in Florida,  Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Pat Goin in Indiana, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on May 9, 2024. 

“The change is we are going to smush over the convention to the fall and essentially take away the summit, and have one large event in the fall called The Blueberry Convention. …It's an opportunity to celebrate the end of the season, gather everybody together, and that is where we will grow the trade show floor to have more expansive education offerings and more opportunities for folks to gather and to meet.” – Amanda Griffin

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Griffin and her efforts as vice president of engagement and education. 
• Comments and reflections from the most recent Blueberry Convention.
• The future of USHBC and NABC events. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on April 25, 2024. 

“The cool part is that inherently you've got a fun fruit and we've got a fun experience. So smashing those together in meaningful ways… I think there's just a lot of fun to be had in the relationship.” - Bruce Popko

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Popko. 
• A description of the meteoric growth pickleball has experienced and the continued growth it’s expected to achieve.
• An explanation of how pickleball aligns with USHBC’s mission to make blueberries the world’s favorite fruit!

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on April 11, 2024. 

“We've been on a mission to transform lives while we evolve in our journey to inspire consumers to live a more nutritious and healthy lifestyle. As I look back, I’m proud of our commitment to sustainability and the impact we've made, proud of our commitment to quality and the impact we've made on consumers, and I think we've just scratched the surface. It's already showing me the impact we can make together as an industry if we put the right quality on the shelf consistently through the year.” – Steve Magami

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Magami and his work. 
• A discussion of the reach, growth and success of AgroVision in securing global markets in the berry and table grape industry.
• An exploration of the obstacles to different berry varieties and AgroVision’s response.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on April 4, 2024. 

“Our mission statement is to consistently produce, package and market the most flavorful fruit in the world. We say that because we know who we sell to, but we always keep in mind that our end customer is that consumer, that person, who puts that fruit in their mouth and says, ‘Wow, that's the most flavorful thing. That's the best thing I've ever eaten.’ We have chosen to differentiate ourselves with flavor, and that comes down to just genetics.” – David Jackson

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Jackson and Family Tree Farms.
• An exploration of Jackson’s blueberry operation and how they pursue it from the soil up through genetics.
• A discussion of Family Tree Farms’ journey in the blueberry industry over the years, the challenges they’ve faced and the changes they’ve made.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Daniel Bustamante in Peru. This was recorded on March 14, 2024.

“We have to be united. There's sometimes a little bit of tension between different growing regions, but finally, we're all looking for the same thing. We're looking to increase consumption, to offer a better product to consumers, and I think we have to work together. … An industry that works together is going to be much more successful than everyone doing their own thing on their own.” – Jorge Andres Varela

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Varela. 
• The expansion and growth of Agroberries, Berry Fresh and the recent investment they’ve made in BerryWorld.
• Varela’s take on expanding the value, quality and consumption of blueberries worldwide. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Brittany Lee in Florida and Daniel Bustamante in Peru. This was recorded on March 7, 2024.

“Our cross-merchandising on blueberries has really evolved a lot and, as that's evolved, so has the way we advertise them and promote them.” - Joshua Essenburg

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Ellison and Essenburg and their work. 
• A discussion of the potential these retailers see in the blueberry industry and the many uses for blueberries that customers can enjoy.
• Strategies and encouragement retailers can use to support blueberry consumption. 

Visit blueberryevents.org to learn more and register for the Blueberry Convention, Feb. 28- March 1 in Tucson, Arizona. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 15, 2024. 

“I think what I'm most proud of in 2023 is I saw a lot of people that you may not see work together roll up their sleeves and start working together for the betterment of the industry, and not for the betterment of them or their organization. They put that stuff aside and they really looked at our blueberry industry and they made the best decisions … for our industry, and that made me feel really proud because it's like one big happy blueberry family. ” - Shelly Hartmann

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Shelly Hartmann, USHBC chair, “Blueberry Chicks” podcaster and co-owner of True Blue Farms. 
• An exploration of 2023 USHBC highlights and a discussion of what’s coming in 2024. 

Visit blueberryevents.org to learn more and register for The Blueberry Convention Feb. 28-March 1 in Tucson, Arizona.

“I think that when you use fruit like blueberries and incorporate them into breakfast staples,  you end up with a product that is really delicious. That's where I want to see school nutrition and school breakfast get to. That's the direction I believe it's going to start moving in. ” - Rachel Petraglia

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Petraglia and her work for the Georgia Department of Education. 
• An explanation of the collaboration between local school districts and the blueberry industry, and  how students responded to it.
• What Petraglia sees for the future of school nutrition and how she is getting students excited about this progress.

Visit blueberryevents.org to learn more and register for the Blueberry Convention, Feb. 28-March 1 in Tucson, Arizona. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on January 18, 2024.

“You just have to have a pulse to understand what the potential consumption and how much the growth in this particular area has been. When you're in fresh produce and you think about, you know, the growing categories, you have to be in blueberries, right? It's just so much runway, and at the same time, it's such an interesting space.” – David Krause

 Topics covered include: 

• An exploration of Krause’s journey in agriculture and how it led to his leadership role at Frutura.
• A look at how Frutura’s expansion into berries could contribute to the industry. 
• Krause’s perspective on the power of up-and-coming blueberry genetics, and the trajectory he feels the blueberry industry is on.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on January 4, 2024. 

“I think people don't realize how much of a full-time job produce is, don't really realize what it takes to get crops from the farm to the table and don't realize what's involved. Because we're vertically integrated, we have a hand in all parts of it.” - Chelsea Consalo

“If we continue to open up markets around the world, we're going to open up demand for blueberries, and specifically U.S. blueberries. … There is a great demand for the quality fruit that the U.S. produces into a lot of countries out there.” -Ellie Norris

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Consalo and Norris. 
• A look into the experiences of these next-generation blueberry producers and their dedication to the industry.
• A discussion of what Consalo and Norris think the future of blueberries looks like. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 21, 2023. 

“We like to take a good fresh ingredient like blueberries and try not to overthink it. It provides a ton of versatility on the menu. It's extremely flexible in the ways that we can use it. Guests love it and best of all, it's extremely good for you too. So it really checks all the boxes.” - Nate Weir

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Chef Weir and his work. 
• A discussion of the versatility and advantages of bringing blueberries to menus, and how Chef Weir makes that happen. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. You’ll hear from Daniel Bustamante in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 14, 2023. 

“We're well positioned with members of Congress and the administration to deliver for specialty crop producers. I think there's more interest than there ever has been in the past. We've got members on the House and Senate Ag Committee that represent states that are heavy into specialty crops. In the past, you may have seen more representation from your middle-America, row-crop producing states.” - Alyssa Houtby

Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Houtby and her role with NABC. 
• The efforts and successes of the NABC’s advocacy on U.S. policy.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Daniel Bustamante in Peru. This was recorded on November 23, 2023. 

“Over the past decade, global fresh blueberry exports expanded steadily, driven by (a) diversifying base of growing regions … countries with the highest growth rates in recent years include Peru, South Africa, Morocco, Mexico, Poland and Spain. (The) 2023-24 marketing season will be the first marketing year in recent history to see a negative year-on-year variation in global exports.” - David Magaña

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Magaña and his role with Rabobank. 
• A look at his updated global blueberry report (Blueberry Update 2023: Operational efficiency and premiumization will transform the blueberry industry).
• What Magaña sees for the future of the blueberry industry, and what producers and stakeholders have to look forward to.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Daniel Bustamante in Peru. This was recorded on November 9, 2023. 

“We are trying to work with our members, with the Chilean Blueberry Committee members, taking this opportunity to really prove to the market that Chile is a consistent, reliable supplier. Looking into the future, not specifically to this season, we want to be in the market in the coming years too.” - Andres Armstrong

Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Armstrong and his work for the Chilean Blueberry Committee.
• The impact the Peruvian blueberry disruption is having on other South American blueberry markets.
• The future of the Chilean blueberry industry, and the volume of high-quality blueberries it’s capable of producing.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Daniel Bustamante in Peru. This was recorded on November 4, 2023. 

“Many growers have probably and unfortunately experienced episodes where they've had poor pollination and it means reduced fruit set, berry size and yields. So, taking a step back, what pollination is, is it's a precursor for fruit development in blueberries. We also see this relationship that the better pollination we receive the improvement in berry size as well, to a threshold, to a point. Larger berry size is really critical, not just for quality, but also for growers to try to meet their yield potential.” - Lisa Wasko DeVetter, Ph.D. 

You can also tune into DeVetter’s first appearance on “The Business of Blueberries” in episode 104, where she discusses the extreme weather events impacting blueberry crop in the Northwest. 

 Topics covered include: 

• An exploration of the significance and importance of pollination, specifically in fruit production.
• The factors that influence and impact pollination practices and successes.
• The ongoing research underway related to blueberry pollination efforts, and what the future may hold.  

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on October 26, 2023. 

“It's just been a tremendous ride with tremendous friends and many of you here I've known for years. I've been privileged to be able to still hang around. … We've been blessed immensely and we've seen a lot of changes, and I hope we've led some of those changes.” - John Shelford

 Topics covered include: 

• Offering congratulations to Ridley Bell for winning the Duke Galletta Award and John Shelford for winning the Alex Weatherbee Award.
• Celebrating the first inductees into the NABC Hall of Fame – Denny Doyle and Art Galletta.
• Honoring these award recipients by exploring the wisdom they shared in their acceptance speeches. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on October 11, 2023. 

“ The notion of 'world's favorite fruit' … favorite is an adjective that is associated with a point of view; with an attitude inside a person's mind. We're not going to get there just trying to sell blueberries. We're not going to get to that notion of favorite fruit. We need to impact how people think about that fruit as they're buying it. Think about that fruit as they're consuming it, right? We need to merge that with the market side of things.” - Kevin Hamilton

Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Hamilton and his new role with USHBC. 
• What Hamilton brings to the blueberry industry based on his background in  consumer packaged goods (CPG), his role with Avocados from Mexico and other marketing roles. 
• The importance of data and understanding the consumer’s thought process in global marketing efforts.
• The barriers and opportunities ahead for growing the volume and value of blueberries globally.

“We have this kind of rallying cry that health is for everyone. It doesn't have to be exclusive or expensive. We really like to show people that there's healthy foods in every aisle of our stores and healthy living isn't perfect. It's not all or nothing. It's about the little things that you do everyday that support your health.” - Lisa Coleman

Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Coleman and her role with Giant Food. 
• An exploration of Coleman’s journey from in-store nutritionist to head of health strategy and health initiatives.
• A discussion of the partnerships, collaborations and projects Giant Food is pursuing to spread the healthy eating, healthy living message. 
• A look at food and produce prescriptions, and the impact they have on grocery purchases. 

“I get to hear life experiences. I get to hear how businesses are being run. It gives me a great insight as to what's happening in the industry. … I get to hear a lot of really fun stories in the mix of answering questions on how to fill out a form. … We get to spend a lot of time talking about families and kids and what it's like to transition a farm from generation to generation to generation.” - Ross Peterson

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Peterson and role at USHBC. 
• His journey from other prominent industries to the blueberry industry.
• The value of the assessment process and how it will impact producers in the coming year.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on September 20, 2023. 

“El Niño phenomenon sometimes can have a global impact, but also sometimes can have a more regional impact. And in this case, it's more of a regional impact of El Niño, which is causing us to have warmer temperatures in the ocean. It's causing us to have warmer temperatures in the atmosphere. … The variety that is being more affected by this warmer weather, it's a variety called Ventura. It's the variety that has the largest acreage here in Peru. So in Peru there's approximately 6,000 hectares of Ventura, the variety that is being more affected, and this affects directly Peru's volumes.” - Luis Vegas

 Topics covered include: 

• Reconnecting with Vegas and his work at Proarandanos.
• The impact weather has had on blueberry production this year and what it could mean for future blueberry seasons in Peru.
• Why Vegas is optimistic about the future of blueberry production and varieties in Peru.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on September 13, 2023. 

“Our berry category runs about 18% of our distribution of our department, so it is by far our No. 1 category. When you talk about the berry piece of our business, it undoubtedly is the most important business that drives not only our quality perception, but I would say for us sales. ” – Rod Borden

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Borden and Bowditch, and Lunds & Byerlys. 
• An exploration of the blueberry industry from the retailer’s perspective.
• Partnerships retailers can offer to producers. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schrieber in Washington, Brody Schropp in Michigan and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on September 7, 2023. 

“The best thing I think we can do is teach people how to think about food safety risks, how to have an awareness and be able to make informed decisions when environments do change, when things are changing, and at least have that ability to ask the question, is this changing my food safety risk profile? To at least keep food safety part of the conversation and not allow for complacency. ” - Dr. Jennifer McEntire

 Topics covered include: 

• Join Amanda Griffin, our VP of Industry Engagement and Education and Dr. Jennifer McEntire, founder of Food Safety Strategies
• Explore food safety resources available to blueberry stakeholders 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, T.J. Hafner in Oregon, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on August 23, 2023. 

“Poland, this year, I think provides the best outline of all the activities that the blueberry industry needs to look at. All the challenges, where we are today, where we need to go, how we stack up in the berry business, and I think that was one of the underlying positives that came out.” - Peter McPherson

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to McPherson and his work.
• A discussion of McPherson’s insights and experiences from this summer’s International Blueberry Organization’s Summit.
• A review of recent updates from Poland and Ukraine, and blueberry growth in that region.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Havner in Oregon, Brody Shcropp in Michigan, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on August 16, 2023. 

“SPINS is a syndicated data provider. That's kind of fancy words for saying we track what is selling across hundreds of thousands of grocery stores all over the United States. … And then once we get that data, we're not done there, we add literally thousands of attributes on top of that information so that everyone can get smarter about what's on shelf, not just the retailers, but also the manufacturers, and then really everybody in the ecosystem.” - Brandon Casteel

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Casteel and Vargas.
• A discussion of the value SPINS offers blueberry producers.
• An explanation of the added insights SPINS provides and details on how blueberry stakeholders can access the data. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Jason Smith in British Columbia, Pat Goin in Indiana, Broady Schropp in Michigan, TJ Hafner in Oregon, and Alan Schreiber in Washington. This was recorded on August 9, 2023. 

“As far as technologies and groups of people kind of coming together to make positive change for our industry, I would say the pollination category is doing a very good job at seeing the problems that are here and kind of trying to address them. … I think that we really need to figure out how to get them into fields and get people to get firsthand access to the technology, and to get researchers more involved with this whole project.” - Noel Sakuma

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Macrie and Sakuma. 
• A discussion of the advances being explored on BerrySmart Farms. 
• A look at the topics being addressed by the BerrySmart Technology Task Force. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Jason Smith in British Columbia and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on August 2, 2023. 

“As part of the Promotion Committee, one thing that we have focused on in July with retail, is doing some retail promotions to really help drive awareness in store in the consumer's face at the point of purchase time. …So that's a big deal over the next three or four weeks. I think that this is going to be the most critical point of the summer for domestic producers.” - Brian Bocock

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Bocock and Prentice.
• A review of the USHBC Promotion Committee's efforts to promote blueberries during National Blueberry Month.
• A glimpse into the future promotional opportunities the industry is preparing to pursue.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Pat Goin in Indiana, Jason Smith in British Columbia, Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on July 27, 2023. 

“I think a lot of people in the farming industry relate to this because often farms are passed down from generation to generation. … I loved my grandfather, and I didn't want his legacy to be a bunch of shuttered stores on the side of the highway that people would kind of point at and say, remember what that used to be? …  I wanted to change our story, and it's so rare you get the chance to buy your family's business and bring it back to life. What a blessing and an honor that's been.” - Stephanie Stuckey

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Stuckey, her work and motivations. 
• A look at the third generation Stuckey Corporation and the rebranding of the business. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Brody Schropp in Michigan, Jason Smith in British Columbia, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Jody McPherson in North Carolina. This was recorded on July 12, 2023. 

“It's been a really rewarding career and, you know, working with people in the produce industry, they're kind of special. They're kind of unique. It's something about that perishable product that has to move very quickly to get to the market. And it just makes it different and exciting and dynamic.” - Bruce Summers

Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Summers, and a discussion on his background and current role with the AMS.
• An exploration of the benefits the AMS provides for producers. 
• A discussion of the protective properties and benefits the PACA trust provides for producers.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Alan Schreiber in Washington, Jason Smith in British Columbia, Brody Shropp in Michigan, Elise Oliver in California, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Jody McPherson in North Carolina and Matt Macrie in New Jersey. This was recorded on July 5, 2023. 

“You'll notice almost everything food related here has a very high attention to detail. …So with that, they expect very high-quality produce and blueberries, especially when you talk to buyers over here. They want to know variety. They want to know size. They want to know brix levels, pH, different things like that. So if you can really play up to that part and that strength of your crop and your processing methods, there's ways to have success here.” - Josh Scheel

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to the podcast’s participants.
• An exploration of the current Japanese blueberry market and a look at the potential for American growers.
• Discussion of the path to building exporting partnerships with Japanese blueberry distributors for American producers.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Pat Goin in Indiana, Matt Macrie in New Jersey and Derrin Wheeler in Georgia. This was recorded on June 21, 2023. 

“There's really three big pieces to this new launch that's going to provide the industry value. I think the first thing is bringing together data from throughout the industry for an accurate, timely understanding of the market. Number two, it provides more than just past and present data. It's also including a critical piece, which is forecasting, which will … help guide the industry, which is critical. And three, it's industry owned. It's governed by the USHBC and overseen by the USDA, and the industry decides on what's important and necessary to help innovate and encourage a more data-driven industry.” - Joe Vargas

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Vargas, Powell and Hill. 
• A look at the launch and value of the BerrySmart Insights Fresh Platform by its developers and participants. 
• The role the industry plays in the platform’s success and accuracy. 
• How to contact “Data Joe” Vargas with questions about the platform. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Pat Goin in Indiana, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on June 14, 2023. 

“We, in our mission, call that alignment and we work on that every day. That's everything from making sure that we have quality systems where growers can get immediate feedback from what is the quality of the berries that were picked that day to frequent market updates. … We also have a consumer panel that we talk to very regularly. This is thousands of people that have volunteered to be on our consumer panel, and we engage with them and we share that information back with the growers.” - Soren Bjorn

 Topics covered include: 

• How prioritizing the customer has impacted Driscoll’s business. 
• The systems and programs Driscoll’s has created to connect producers and consumers. 
• Bjorn’s take on the future of the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Pat Goin in Indiana, Elise Oliver in California,TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on June 7, 2023. 

“The opportunities are endless here, and I think we have so many great and exciting stories to tell to so many different audiences that it really is a place where the sky's the limit. The story of blueberries is not only interesting and fun, but it's also really scientific and data driven. The health benefits of blueberries are a story that we can tell in so many different ways to so many different audiences.” - Kristy Babb

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Babb.
• Discussion of the insights and experience Babb brings to the communications director role. 
• The announcement that “The Business of Blueberries” podcast has won a National Agri-Marketing Association (NAMA) award! 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Todd Sanders in California Alan Schreiber in Washington, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on May 24, 2023. 

“Everybody can feel good about this. If you don't like blueberries, I'm sorry you're missing out, but you can at least be excited that these kids have the ability and the desire to do something outside of just reading it in a book.” - Mississippi State Rep. Jill Ford

 Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Rep. Ford, Parentaeau and students Logan and Nicole.
• A retelling of the heartwarming journey this fourth grade class went on to make blueberries the state fruit of Mississippi.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Eric Stafne reporting for Mississippi and Louisiana, Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Pat Goin in Indiana, Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, and Alan Schreiber in Washington. This was recorded on May 17, 2023.

“We ran a survey nationwide … asking the question, what are the breeding priorities that you see need to be advanced? And we collected about 500 responses and the majority said food quality, quality in particular, shelf life, texture and flavor and taste. So that's why we are focusing on those characteristics for blueberries.” - Massimo Iorizzo, Ph.D. 

 Topics covered include: 

• An update on VacCAP, and what the future holds for blueberry genetics. 
• Producers’ priorities for future blueberry genetics. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Matt Macrie in New Jersey, Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on May 10, 2023.

“We're at a point where we need to adjust to a different competitive environment. This is our focus now. We used to be kind of alone in the market, and I always tell people here, we compete among ourselves. Now we need to understand there's new competition and we need to understand where this is going, where are the advantages, which is our place in this new market?” - Andres Armstrong

 Topics covered include: 

• The Chilean blueberry industry’s recent areas of focus. 
• The current concerns and pursuits of the Chilean industry within the global market.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on April 26, 2023. 

“The BerrySmart field is this collaborative effort between growers, researchers and tech providers to optimize blueberry farming operations. We are just in the beginning phase of this, and I'm very excited to see how it grows and to hear from Steve today on where that first year went. A couple of the things that we hope to work on and focus on are soil, the nutrients, yield distribution, weather, chemicals and of course labor.” – Amanda Griffin

 Topics covered include: 

• Why the industry is investing in the BerrySmart Project.
• A full update on the project and what the future holds for the overall program. 
• A review of the project’s purpose, progress made and how the data being  collected can influence future practices. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Jody McPherson in North Carolina, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Eric Stafne reporting for Louisiana and Mississippi, Luis Vegas in Peru and Elise Oliver in California. This was recorded on April 19, 2023. 

“One of the things I would want you to think about is to avoid complacency because you've been successful. I think one of the biggest challenges we face in agriculture is (thinking) because we had a good year, now we’ve got it. Or we've had a good run, now we've got it. Success can put us into a complacent mindset, and that probably is what hurts us as industry leaders the most. We cannot get complacent when things are good.” – Robert Verloop

 Topics covered include: 

• Introductions to Verloop, Luque and Waycott, and their commodities work. 
• Understanding the value of data across different agriculture industries, and the benefits of collecting and analyzing data. 
• Exploring how different industries define and pursue the visions they’ve created, and what the blueberry industry can learn from their efforts

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Eric Stafne reporting for Louisiana and Mississippi, Mario Ramirez in Mexico, Elise Oliver in California, TJ Hafner in Oregon and Matt Macrie in New Jersey. This was recorded on April 12, 2023. 

The Blueberry Boost

The Blueberry Industry Leadership Program is designed to elevate incoming leaders in the blueberry industry by providing in-depth training, industry education and connection to other ag leaders across the supply chain. The program offers immersive, personalized leadership training in the course of a year-long fellowship, and creates camaraderie among the fellows, helping them form a lifelong support network. 

The application process for the second cohort of the leadership program opens May 1.  Ideal candidates are passionate individuals who want to have an active role in leading the next era of growth for blueberries. Growers, both domestic and international, processors, handlers, exporters and buyers can apply.

Learn more about the Blueberry Industry Leadership Program, then apply by May 1!

“The inflation that we've been facing lately is the result of the collision of two massive forces. On the one side, we see an increase in demand for food and for different types of food. … And on the other hand, we see on the supply side some of the challenges that have been for years, such as labor constraints, and some new ones that have come to become a true challenge over the past few years, such as logistical challenges.” - David Magaña

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Magaña and his work for RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness.
• An exploration of macro economic trends, universal inflation and global influences on the blueberry industry. 
• Future projections and expectations for the blueberry industry. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Andres Armstrong in Chile, and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on March 15, 2023.

“We're a big believer that best genetics don't come from one place. They come from lots of places. And then on the genetic side, we're also a breeding organization and bring those products to market as well. So we're a nursery, we're a breeding company and we serve growers.” - Cort Brazelton

“Blueberries are moving up a notch or a magnitude when it comes to the produce industry. … Blueberries are on everybody's radar, and we do have a tremendous opportunity in front of us to go in this virtuous circle of better blueberries that lead to not just trial, but also repeat and people staying in that category and growing it.” - Oscar Verges

 Topics covered include:

• How Fall Creek’s co-CEOs collaborate to promote Fall Creek, and where they see blueberry genetics heading.
• The unique opportunities provided by the Sekoya platform and what they offer members.
• The current state of the blueberry industry and the potential Fall Creek sees for the future.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 1, 2023.

“So of course taste is always going to be a factor, but additionally, plant structure is very important. Machine harvestability is very important. Because of machine harvestability, a condensed crop is also important so that you can machine the crop less times to prevent plant damage or any injury to the root systems. I would say machine-ability, condensed crop, great tasting … those are all things that we’re trying to look for and identify.” - Brittany Lee

“I think that our group of Florida growers that I've had to mentor me and to look up to in the industry, they're just tremendous growers. They're extremely knowledgeable and always on the cutting edge of innovation and technology. I think we're early adapters in Florida and we've pushed the envelope on machine harvestable varieties for southern highbush. … Of course quality has always been our number one concern. We don't want there to be a visible or detectable difference between something that's hand picked or machine picked. And that's a high bar that we've set for ourselves as growers to achieve and strive for. But you know, I think it's something that everyone here is serious about.” - Brittany Lee

 Topics covered include:

• Lee’s experience and contributions to the blueberry industry.
• New genetic varieties and properties growers are most interested in and prioritize when making selections.
• The unique characteristics involved in farming blueberries in Florida.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 22, 2023.

Last month, the USHBC hosted a Blueberry Research Roundtable in Washington, D.C., where a group of experts discussed topics related to the five primary health research pillars: brain health, cardiovascular health, gut health, diabetes and prediabetes, and healthy living.

“The idea was: Could we bring some of these experts together in one room, talk about what we know about blueberries and health, and what do we need to know? Where are we going to go in our pipeline of research that we'll be continually funding in the next five years or more? And who better to discuss this than people who have been doing research in blueberries or are excited about starting some research in blueberries?” - Leslie Wada, Ph.D.

“The quality of data that we have now is so much better than we had even five years ago, particularly in relation to blueberries. And that's really thanks to the USHBC committee because they spent a lot of time thinking about what to fund and focusing on a few key areas. So that investment is really starting to pay off.” - Aedín Cassidy, Ph.D.

 Topics covered include:

• The work of the blueberry industry’s scientific advisory board.
• Highlights from the Blueberry Health Research Roundtable that took place in December.
• Details on the latest health and nutrition research on blueberries.
• Opportunities for future blueberry health research.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on February 8, 2023.

“The goal was really twofold. One was to create a message that really celebrates the healthfulness of eating blueberries that USHBC can share with consumers. But also to create programming that is simple and easy for marketers to adopt and use within the context of their own programming.” - Grant Prentice

“It's gonna have to be a collaborative, kind of all hands on deck from our side of it, marketers and USHBC, to take a look at the different promotions and to support them if that's ideally where we we want to be.The tighter we get in working together the stronger we go to market and the stronger this brand grows.” - Curt Granger

 Topics covered include:

• The progress, initial results and proven effect of Grab a Boost of Blue.
• Various uses of Grab a Boost of Blue and upcoming collaborations to promote the industry.
• How industry members can access Grab a Boost of Blue licensing and promotional materials, including a promotional calendar of upcoming power periods.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Andres Armstrong in Chile. This was recorded on January 25, 2023.

The Blueberry Boost

The next big blueberry industry event is The Blueberry Convention, Feb. 21-24 in San Diego. Join us for inspiring keynotes, innovative technology, business solutions and networking opportunities. The event kicks off with the first-ever Grab a Boost of Blue Golf Tournament on Feb. 21, followed by a reception and meet and greet with exhibitors. There will be sessions on data analytics, industry insights and a panel discussion on best bee practices. Reserve your seat here.

“I do believe that there is a potential for every single lunchbox in North America and in the world to carry a small package of blueberries. … This is super convenient. This is super healthy. It goes in line with every single principle that ESG and sustainability and any other trend that is out there is saying. The amount of package they use is minimum. The amount of process they use is minimum. It's a super-efficient product by itself. All the way from the farm to the lunchbox.” - José Antonio Gómez-Bazán

“This is not about fighting for the same size of a pie. This is making the pie bigger and bigger and bigger. And the only way the pie is gonna get bigger is with investment. The consumer needs to understand why he needs to eat more blueberries. … I do believe that the convenience of blueberries is unique and it drives thousands of opportunities” - José Antonio Gómez-Bazán

 Topics covered include: 

• An introduction to Gómez-Bazán, CEO of Camposol.
• The journey for blueberries to become Camposol’s dominant focus. 
• Correlations between growth of the avocado market share and what the blueberry industry can learn from avocados success.
• New and expanding global blueberry markets, and the messages consumers need to hear.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 19, 2023. 

Blueberry Boost

The year 2022 saw the highest number of December blueberry shipments in history! Peruvian imports slowed after their peak season in December while Chiles began. Total fresh blueberry imports into the United States increased by 35% in December with the majority marketed as conventional. December marks the fourth month in a row for decreases in average price per pound for all fresh blueberries making fruit more accessible to less frequent blueberry consumers.

“I would say this has been the most challenging season for Peru in blueberries. … So the margins of the business have been tightening and tightening, and this has been a really challenging season for many companies.” - Luis Vegas

“We need a 52-week a year supply, we need good quality, and also we need to promote consumption of blueberries worldwide.” - Luis Vegas

“We are lucky that we have a great product with these amazing benefits. So we need champions. And I think the USHBC has great tools to arm these champions to go and start creating awareness for blueberries.” - Luis Vegas

 Topics covered include:

• A review of Peru’s 2022 season.
• Specific challenges and success Peru has experienced in the past year.
• The collaboration between the USHBC and industry partners like Proarandanos to promote blueberry consumption globally.
• Optimism for the future of blueberries around the world.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on January 11, 2023.

“You have to be able to pay attention to each individual berry to maximize the value of what you're looking at because you can have one bad berry in that package and that might spoil that experience for the consumer.” James French

“Where can you be more efficient? Where can you save labor? Where can you maybe unlock other ways of doing business that you haven't in the past? Can you enable machine harvest for fresh by doing things a particular way and look for those really value-add type transformations in business by using technology in the right way?” - Josh Miers-Jones

Topics covered include: 

• An overview of TOMRA’s business and what led them to blueberries.
• The important role data can play in personalizing the blueberry experience for individual consumers. 
• How advancements in artificial intelligence technology can unlock new value opportunities for the blueberry industry. 
• The new technology TOMRA plans to showcase at The Blueberry Convention in February. 

We look forward to seeing you at The Blueberry Convention in San Diego Feb. 21-24!

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on January 6, 2023. 

The discussion features clips from these previous “The Business of Blueberries” episodes: 

• Driving the Forward Momentum in the Blueberry Industry With Soren Bjorn
• Quality and Genetics – Part Two With Brad Moorer of MBG Marketing
• Global Market Opportunities With Steve Magami
• Elevating the Consumer Experience With Soren Bjorn
• 2022 Trends and Opportunities With Brian Bocock
• Wishes Do Come True, With Gary Wishnatzki of Wish Farms
• A Legacy of Blueberry Research With Bernadine Strik

“The really good thing we've seen is that berries in general, including blueberries, have done really well during the pandemic. And I think we have a lot of reasons to believe that a lot of that will stay with us as people have increasingly made berries a part of their healthier lifestyle.” - Soren Bjorn

“We were down, but we're not out. We've got a lot of fight left in us and there's a space in the global marketplace for all of us, and we need to carve that niche out. If we can do that with superior quality and better genetics, we're gonna be here now and well into the future.” - Brad Moorer

“There are a lot of exciting opportunities ahead for blueberries, both in household penetration and a new global market. We have come a very long way to delight more consumers on a more consistent basis. I couldn't be more excited about what's yet to come in 2023 and beyond, but it's gonna take a great deal of innovation and collaboration to rise to this opportunity.” - Kasey Cronquist

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Mario Ramirez in Mexico. This was recorded on December 21, 2022.

“We need to focus on engagement opportunities and how to get people involved when they ask those questions. … So I think it's a great process as we move forward into the new year and get ready to decide the next step for aligning the right people with the committee structures that we have in place.” - Shelly Hartmann

“To be able to indicate your passion and where you would like to serve … it's sort of like a database of volunteers for service throughout the year.” -  Amanda Griffin

Topics covered include: 

• A review of the new process for applying to serve on USHBC committees and task forces.
• An explanation of the changes, objectives and possibilities this new process provides to the blueberry industry. 
• Where to view the application and complete it by the Dec. 30 deadline.
• The ability to email info@nabcblues.org with any questions about the new volunteer process.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru and Nestor Vega in Mexico. This was recorded on December 14, 2022.