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  • Victorious Verdict: Blueberry Coalition Applauds ITC Decision

    File photo shows blueberries.

    While blueberry farmers and industry leaders were disappointed and disheartened with Thursday’s vote by the International Trade Commission (ITC), the Blueberry Coalition for Progress and Health responded with applause for the ITC.

    The group issued a statement following the ITC’s unanimous vote in which it deemed that imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries are not a serious injury to the domestic industry, ending the Section 201 investigation.

    “The Blueberry Coalition for Progress and Health applauds the U.S. International Trade Commission’s (ITC) determination that imported blueberries have not injured the domestic industry. The U.S. blueberry industry is healthy and thriving. 

    “Together with imports, the U.S. industry is working hard to keep up with the year-round and growing marketplace demand for this healthy and nutritious fruit. U.S. per capita consumption of blueberries has experienced a more than 300% since 2005 and is now at an all-time high of 1.79 pounds per person.

    “Restricting blueberry imports into the U.S. would have limited consumers’ access to these healthy, delicious and nutritional berries with no benefit to U.S. producers. 

    “We look forward to continuing to provide the American market with our healthy and delicious fruit.”

    The verdict was rendered in the coalition’s favor despite overwhelming evidence by the American Blueberry Growers Alliance against imports.

  • Decreased Results: Vegetable Production Down Slightly in 2020

    File photo shows tomatoes.

    According to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service, vegetable production throughout the country decreased in 2020 from 2019.

    Production for the 26 estimated vegetable and melon crops totaled 720 million cwt, down slightly from 2019. Area harvested last year was 2.33 million acres, down 1% from 2019.

    The top three vegetables, relating to harvested areas, were sweet corn, tomatoes and snap beans. The three largest crops in terms of total production were tomatoes, onions and sweet corn. They combined for 53% of all the vegetables.

    Florida and Georgia ranked second and fourth respectively in value of utilized production nationally. They accounted for 13.4% of the total value of utilized production. The value of utilized production in Florida totaled $1.17 billion, down 4% from 2019. Tomatoes were the state’s leading crop with a $463 million value.

    The value of utilized production in Georgia totaled $583 million, up 13% from 2019. Sweet corn was the state’s leading crop with $138 million.

  • Saturated Soils: Rainy Winter Provides Hope of No Drought This Summer

    Photo taken by Clint Thompson/Shows wet, muddy conditions in a field in Tifton, Georgia.

    Excessive winter rains have kept some Georgia farmers out of the field because of saturated conditions. But they provides hope that a potential summer drought is less likely than originally feared.

    “We were expecting a more typical La Nina winter which is usually warm and dry in that part of the country. It has not been that way so far this year,” said Pam Knox, University of Georgia Extension Agricultural Climatologist. “La Nina winters, anytime we make a forecast, it’s based on statistics, but this has not been a very typical year.  Instead of having that storm track farther to the north, it’s been perched right over that area.

    “It’s good because usually when we have a La Nina winter, it means that we’re much more likely to go into a drought next summer. For me at least, this has alleviated some of the worries about going into drought early in the season. Now, it brings up a whole set of other issues. It delays people getting out into the field and they’re late planting. That could run into issues at the other end of the growing season.”

    Wet Winter

    According to the University of Georgia Weather Network, Tifton, Georgia has received almost twice as much rainfall (9.86 inches) so far this year than in 2020 (4.94) and 2019 (5.24).  The same can be said for Moultrie, Georgia where rainfall totals 9.15 for 2021, compared to 4.87 in 2020 and 5.87 in 2019.

    “The weather pattern this year has sort of gotten stuck in place. There’s this band of rain that’s gone from southwest Georgia stretching up to the northeast all the way through North Carolina and Virginia. I’ve heard from farmers all along that band that they’re having a lot of trouble getting out into the field,” Knox said.

    Farmers had La Nina concerns last November. Since the weather pattern’s normal tendency is to bring warm and dry weather conditions, there were concerns of insufficient chilling hours for fruit farmers and lack of moisture in the soil prior to vegetable and specialty crop producers planting the spring crops. Chill hours are no longer a concern. Neither is soil moisture.

    “Even if we go into a more typical La Nina situation at this point, that moisture’s not going to go away, at least not immediately,” Knox said.

  • Tasty Treats: BASF Emphasizing Flavor with Melon Varieties

    BASF remains committed to improving melon varieties with an emphasis on flavor. Matthew DeCeault, produce chain specialist at BASF Vegetable Seeds, talked about the challenges that lie ahead with regards to melon research during an American Seed Trade Association webinar.

    “We’re working on a lot of things. Where we’re really focused is on improvements to flavor. Based off research that we’ve done, and I don’t think it’s come to any surprise that flavor is No. 1 in preference, flavor improvements. We continue to work on flavor to improve it, both learning from the consumer and taking those learnings back to make those incremental improvements,” DeCeault said. “Whether that’s sweeter melons or more consistent, I think those are two separate things we continue to tackle those problems with our team.”

    Melon consumption has decreased steadily since 2011, equating to a 1.7% decline per year. Cantaloupes have experienced the steepest decline at 2.5% every year. Honeydews are increasing, however, at 2.3% annually.

    Consumer Research

    BASF has conducted research to gauge people’s preferences with respect to all aspects of the consumer experience – sight, smell, flavor. The feedback led to the development of the Sweet Spark cantaloupe that should generate renewed interest in the cantaloupe market.

    “This variety, named Sweet Spark is a variety with consistent sugar, firmness, but most importantly consistent flavor. The flavor profile allows it to eat well, even in adverse conditions affecting its sugar content. Identifying these attributes and this response from consumers during tasting allowed the retailer to deliver the variety in their own label and feel confident offering the variety to consumers in the winter months,” DeCeault added.

  • United Fresh Launches 2021 Produce Industry Compensation Survey

    The United Fresh Produce Association launched its 2021 Compensation Survey on Monday for the fresh produce industry. The data collected will be published in a report that will assist produce industry employers in understanding critical compensation benchmarks.

    For 2021, additions to the survey include two new positions focused on sustainability and a series of questions related to how companies have changed their salary and benefit practices in the wake of COVID-19. The survey also will collect compensation and benefits data from produce companies for more than 30 full-time positions.

    The survey is open to any U.S. or Canadian-based produce employer, including grower-shippers, brokers, wholesaler-distributors, importers, exporters and fresh-cut processors. The survey is administered every two years, and the results will be published this June in a detailed report designed to help produce companies directly compare their salaries and benefits for more than 30 full-time positions.

    The survey is open at www.unitedfreshsurvey.com to any U.S. or Canadian-based produce company until March 12.

    (From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)

  • NASDA Seeks Flexibility to Protect Farm Workers, Specialty Crop Industry

    The National Association of State Departments of Agriculture (NASDA) asked the Department of Agriculture this week for more flexibility in the use of Specialty Crop Block Grants. NASDA seeks additional flexibility in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 to enhance its response to the continued demands COVID-19 places on the industry.

    NASDA CEO Dr. Barb Glenn stated, “challenges impacting our food supply related to COVID-19 are still present, and continued flexibility is needed.”

    In a letter to acting USDA Secretary Kevin Shea, Glenn outlined additional ways state agriculture departments could use the grants if given approval. Examples included implementing vaccination programs for agricultural and food workers, building COVID-19 related infrastructure and offsetting increased costs to providing safe worker housing and transportation.

    Since the onset of the pandemic, NASDA members have continuously worked to help food producers and workers stay safe and meet their communities’ needs. Through additional and allowed flexibility in funding programs, NASDA members would be able to leverage and maximize local solutions for local recovery efforts.

    (From the National Association of Farm Broadcasters)

  • ITC Blueberry Vote Unanimous

    The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) determined on Thursday that fresh, chilled, or frozen blueberries are not being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat of serious injury, to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article.

    The Commission’s determination resulted from a 5-0 vote.  Chair Jason E. Kearns, Vice Chair Randolph J. Stayin, and Commissioners David S. Johanson, Rhonda K. Schmidtlein, and Amy A. Karpel voted in the negative.

    The determination was made in the context of an investigation initiated on Sept. 29, 2020, under section 202 of the Trade Act of 1974 (19 U.S.C. § 2252) at the request of the U.S. Trade Representative. Information about this investigation and global safeguard investigations in general can be found here:  https://usitc.gov/press_room/documents/blueberries_factsheet_finalassubmittedforposting.pdf

    As a result of today’s vote, the investigation will end, and the Commission will not recommend a remedy to the President.  The Commission will submit its report containing its injury determination and the basis for it to the President by March 29, 2021.

    A public report concerning the investigation will be available after the Commission submits its report to the President.

  • American Blueberry Growers Alliance Statement on ITC Decision

    WASHINGTON, February 11, 2021 – The American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) released the following statement regarding the outcome of Thursday’s International Trade Commission (ITC) verdict regarding the global safeguard investigation into imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries: 

    “The American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) is disappointed with the decision today by the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) to find that rising imports of foreign-grown blueberries are not a substantial cause of serious injury, or threat of serious injury, to domestic farmers. We disagree with the outcome of the Commissioner’s investigation.

    “Throughout this case, blueberry growers across the United States provided the ITC with extensive data and personal experiences about the significant harm caused by surging imports on the supply and pricing of blueberries in the U.S. market, especially during our critical growing and harvest seasons. We believed this data and testimony made a compelling case that safeguard measures were critical to the survival of our domestic farmers, and we are disappointed by the Commission’s decision.

    “We actively participated in this investigation because we believe U.S. trade laws must support a level playing field for American farmers – one in which lower labor costs and more lax environmental standards in other countries does not drive our domestic growers out of business. The outcome of this investigation reveals deficiencies in U.S. trade laws, which unfortunately will put the long-term viability of the domestic blueberry industry in jeopardy.

    “We have received strong support from members of Congress, state elected officials, agricultural associations and other farm interests throughout this investigation, and we plan to work with these groups on other remedies to ensure that American consumers continue to have access to fresh, high-quality, safe, domestically grown blueberries.

    “Meanwhile, our domestic growers will face another year of economic uncertainty as they grow and harvest their 2021 blueberry crop. No doubt, imports will now accelerate to overwhelm our domestic market this year. This will cause even greater hardship on family-owned farm operations, as well as on providers of packing and freezing services, and damage to local communities and tax bases.”

    About American Blueberry Growers Alliance

    American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) is a national association representing blueberry growers and farmers in the United States. ABGA provides a unified voice for blueberry growers in states across the country, including California, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Oregon and Washington, advocating on behalf of their interests and for the long-term viability of the domestic blueberry industry. For more information, visit: americanblueberrygrowers.com.

    Read here how Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association Executive Director Charles Hall is disheartened following the ITC decision today.

  • Very Disheartening: GFVGA Executive Director Reacts to ITC Blueberry Imports Verdict

    It wasn’t the verdict Charles Hall envisioned.

    File photo shows a pile of blueberries.

    “Very surprised and very, very disappointed,” he said following Thursday’s International Trade Commission (ITC) vote on the Section 201 investigation into serious injury surrounding blueberry imports.

    The ITC deemed that imports of fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries are not a serious injury to the domestic industry. It goes against what members of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance testified about during the virtual hearing with the ITC in January. Statistics say blueberry imports have increased exponentially, while the Southeast farmers have paid the price.

    “It’s very disappointing for the effort put into this and the data and personal experiences and the harm that’s been shown and they’ve decided there hasn’t been any harm shown,” said Hall, executive director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA). “It’s very disheartening.”

    Staggering Statistics

    “The other side was trying to make the case that the imports of blueberries did not have an effect. Since 2009 to 2019, I think is the data that we’ve got, it was over 2,000% increase. It’s just amazing. They basically won the case, won the battle; their increasing in imports didn’t have an effect on prices dropping,” Hall added.

    “I don’t understand how you can have that many blueberries come into the market, prices dropping the way they were dropping and the imported berries don’t have an effect on that.”

    The investigation ends as a result and the commission will not recommend a remedy to the President. But it doesn’t end the fight of blueberry farmers in the Southeast. They’re imploring consumers to buy local.

    “We’ll be looking at whether there’s other ways to adjust the U.S. trade laws. The sad part about this is, they have shown they can produce and ship in product, whether it’s berries or whatever it might be, other vegetables with $10 a day labor. They can ship it in cheaper than we can produce it here,” Hall said. “It’s going to be up to the American consumer to support t he American farmer if we’re going to continue to produce fruits and vegetables in the U.S.”

  • Case Closed: ITC Finds No Serious Injury Regarding Blueberry Imports

    File photo shows blueberries.

    Southeast blueberry producers were dealt a blow today regarding the 201 Investigation into serious injury that imports have had on the domestic industry.

    The U.S. International Trade Commission determined on Thursday via vote that, “fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries are not being imported into the United States in such increased quantities as to be a substantial cause of serious injury, or threat of serious injury, to the domestic industry producing an article like or directly competitive with the imported article in the United States.”

    The investigation ends as a result and the commission will not recommend a remedy to the President.