AgNet DEMO

Category: Berries

  • American Blueberry Growers Alliance Confident Ahead of ITC Decision

    The American Blueberry Growers Alliance’s (ABGA) case has been made. The data supports its stance of serious injury regarding blueberry imports. It’s now up to the International Trade Committee (ITC) which will vote on Thursday to determine whether the domestic industry has been seriously injured.

    “We feel like we presented a good case. The numbers do not lie,” said Jerome Crosby, Georgia blueberry grower and chairman of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance. “There’s a lot of people that have different opinions. I’m looking at the numbers and the pricing and the effects of what we see on the blueberry farmers. One of our strongest arguments is you’ve got to look at the net income of a blueberry farming operation. When you see the downward spiral we’ve experienced, then that is the sum total of the effects of the import markets. That is to us the defining factor.”

    January Hearing

    Thursday’s decision by the ITC will come a month after the ABGA and opposition groups testified during a virtual hearing regarding the impact of blueberry imports.

    “Once they reach a decision, then we will move to the next step. If it’s affirmative, we’ll be into the remedy phase, and if it’s not affirmative, then there are other options we will be pursuing. We really won’t know until Thursday. It’s in their hands,” Crosby said.

    Data Supports Their Case

    Crosby and other blueberry growers who testified in January believe the data supports their claim of serious injury. Blueberry imports from countries like Mexico, Peru, Chile, Argentina and Canada have increased by 62% since 2015, according to the ABGA. The National Farmers Union submitted a letter to the ITC on Friday, Feb. 5, noting that growers’ operating returns fell 32.4% between 2015 and 2019.

    Nikki Fried, Florida Ag Commissioner, testified during the January hearing. She stated that Florida has a $62.3 million blueberry industry, but its market share has declined by 38% since 2015. It has resulted in $67 million in lost potential production. She added that Mexico’s market share has increased by 2,100% since 2009.

    Letters of Support

    A coalition of industry groups, including the Florida Farm Bureau Federation, Georgia Farm Bureau and Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, submitted letters to the ITC last week, spotlighting the consequences of blueberry imports.

    “Not only do these imports threaten domestic businesses and livelihoods, they also expose U.S. consumers to products from countries with poor or inconsistent product safety records,” John Hoblick, president of the 136,000-member Florida Farm Bureau Federation, said in a ABGA press release.

    Elected officials and state agricultural leaders are also in the ABGA’s corner. These include U.S. Sens. Debbie Stabenow (MI) and Gary Peters (MI). Both co-signed a letter of support that was submitted to the ITC on Feb. 3. Representatives and industry leaders also testified during the January hearing.

    About the ABGA

    According to its website, the American Blueberry Growers Alliance 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 and Michigan. It advocates on behalf of their interests and for the long-term viability of the domestic blueberry industry.

  • Bacterial Wilt: Disease Challenging Blueberry Producers

    Photo taken by Jonathan Oliver/UGA: Shows bacterial wilt disease in a blueberry plant.

    A blueberry disease that has impacted the Florida industry since 2016 was found in Georgia for the first time in 2020. While there is no cure for bacterial wilt, producers can apply preventative measures to slow down the disease’s progression.

    “In Florida, they seem to be having increasing problems with it year after year, probably because the bacteria spreads so easily from farm to farm or even within a farm. It spreads by soil, water, anything that picks up soil or water can move the disease around,” said Jonathan Oliver, University of Georgia (UGA) assistant professor and small fruits pathologist.

    Disease Background

    Bacterial wilt was first identified in three separate locations in Florida in 2016. The disease was observed for the first time on Georgia blueberries last year at two locations in Clinch County.

    Initial symptoms of the disease include marginal leaf necrosis, wilting and plant death, sometimes as quickly as three weeks after infection. Farmers need to be wary that symptoms can resemble bacterial leaf scorch or phytophthora root rot.

    Certain Cultivars More Susceptible

    Unfortunately, certain cultivars are more susceptible than others, including Arcadia, Indigocrisp and Keekrisp. Cultivars that are moderately susceptible include Emerald, Farthing and Meadowlark.

    “It looks like based on what they’ve seen in Florida that certain cultivars have much bigger problems with it. Unfortunately, those are cultivars that are increasingly being grown in Florida and also in Georgia because they have other traits that are good,” Oliver said.

    “The more we grow of those cultivars, we definitely will probably see more issues with bacteria wilt. But we may also see it just due to spread. We don’t really have a good handle on what it’s going to look like in Georgia. But in Florida, every year a few more farms are found. I think it’s fairly widespread in parts of Florida now.”

    Management relies mainly on prevention; keeping the pathogen out or limiting the movement of infected plants, equipment and soil between farms. Infected plant materials need to be burned.

  • Current Research and Applications for Blueberry Irrigation Scheduling

    By Ashley Robinson

    Recent work by researchers at the University of Georgia (UGA) has targeted developing more robust smart irrigation scheduling methods for blueberries. Two main methods have been the development of a smart irrigation scheduling app and utilizing an unmanned aerial system (UAS).

    File photo shows blueberries growing.

    Wesley Porter, associate professor and Extension precision agriculture and irrigation specialist at UGA, discussed these new methods during the 2021 virtual Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference.

    Irrigation Scheduling App

    According to Porter, Georgia blueberry growers now have access to the Blueberry app, a smartphone application to supplement their practical knowledge with technical data on when to irrigate crops.

    The Blueberry app runs a model that uses reference evapotranspiration (ET) data and the Penman-Monteith equation to calculate the irrigation needs of blueberries and predicts the crop ET data for the next seven days.

    According to Porter, by knowing the total ET for the next seven days and the crop coefficient values of the blueberries, the crop ET of blueberries can be calculated, and irrigation events adjusted accordingly.

    Furthermore, the app also eliminates the use of soil moisture sensors, reducing overall expenses.

    To download the app, search for ‘SmartIrrigation Blueberry’ in the app store.

    UAS Irrigation Research

    UGA is also conducting UAS irrigation research. The research trial, taking place in Alma, Georgia, is using UAS to record canopy properties in a field, containing 16 soil moisture sensors and receiving two different irrigation treatments.

    According to Porter, the thermal images obtained from the UAS are a valuable tool to quickly detect irrigation related issues. The technology has the ability to present the vigor of the blueberries and compare the effect of different irrigation treatments on the blueberries.

    Operating and learning how to use the software on an UAS can come with a learning curve, so knowing how to use them accurately will produce the most accurate results, Porter says.

  • Opportunity Awaits? Blueberry Exports to China Could Be Game Changer

    File photo shows blueberries on sale.

    While the pending International Trade Commission decision regarding the case of serious injury that imports have had against blueberry growers will be pivotal for producers in Florida and Georgia, another marketing opportunity may lie with producers capitalizing on exports to China.

    Greg Fonsah, University of Georgia Agribusiness Extension economist, said during Friday’s Ag Forecast meeting there is a real opportunity for blueberry growers to capitalize on an exports market, especially as Chinese consumption of blueberries has increased dramatically; from 28 million pounds in 2012 to 360 million pounds in 2018.

    Historic Agreement

    Because of the U.S.-China Economic Trade Agreement, the U.S. was granted access to export blueberries to China, as of May 2020.

    “It is about time for the U.S. to also penetrate that market and get a share of the market especially in that May 2020 we had this agreement with the Chinese government,” Fonsah said. “It is going to be an opportunity for the U.S. blueberry industry to start looking at the Chinese market and try to capture a huge market share, just like Chile, Peru, Argentina and Mexico.”

    Flooded Market

    The region’s blueberry growers need every market source they can get at this point. Increased domestic production of blueberries combined with increased imports have flooded the U.S. market. Unfortunately, when markets flood, prices plunge. This is a focal point of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance case to the International Trade Commission that a serious injury has occurred.

    “The market has totally changed in 10 years, totally changed,” Fonsah said. “We have also doubled the production. The domestic production plus imports coming from Mexico, guess what, we have flooded the market.”

    Imports from Latin America remains the primary challenge to Southeastern blueberry producers’ production. From 2010 to 2019, Peru’s export production to the United States exploded from almost nothing to 140 million pounds. Mexico’s production soared to almost 80 million pounds, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Bureau of the Census.

    Exports from Mexico soared to around 23 million pounds in April 2020 compared to 16 million in 2019 and 13 million in 2018.

    The domestic FOB (freight on board) price in October 2010 neared $35 per flat. In September 2019, the price plunged to $15 per flat, according to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service.

    “The huge production from Mexico and the huge production domestically has helped flood the U.S. market and helped depress the prices,” Fonsah reiterated.

    U.S. fresh-market production of blueberries increased from about 250 million pounds in 2010 to about 370 million pounds in 2019, according to the USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service.

  • Cold Temperatures Slow Growth of Florida Blueberries

    File photo shows blueberries.

    Florida blueberries are normally in peak pollination season this time of the year. But that isn’t the case this season, however, says Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and is one of the state’s blueberry leaders.

    “We’re starting to get some flower emergence. Normally by now we’re in peak pollination season. I don’t think we’re there yet in Central Florida, definitely not there yet in north Florida,” Atwood said. “I was down in south Florida (recently) and those guys do have bees actively in their fields pollinating.”

    Atwood farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States.

    The cooler temperatures being felt across Florida have played an integral part in the slow growth of this year’s blueberry crop.

    “We’re I think on pace, we might be a little bit later than what we historically are on the crop cycle,” Atwood said. “That’s hard to say yet because you don’t know what February and March weather patterns have to offer. But definitely consistently cooler in December and January than we typically get, and it slowed us down a little bit.”

  • Blueberry Imports a Complement to Southeastern Producers?

    The Blueberry Coalition of Progress and Health contends that imports of blueberries do not take away markets from southeastern growers but complements their production.

    It made its case to the International Trade Commission (ITC) on Jan. 12 during a virtual hearing and continues to believe there is a big enough “blueberry pie” for all parties to benefit from.

    “That’s why the coalition was formed. We wanted to continue the momentum that the blueberry industry has done over the last few years and the growth and the demand,” said Joe Barsi, President of California Giant, which is a member of the coalition. “The average consumer eats 1.79 pounds of blueberries per year. That’s up significantly. It’s still pales in comparison to a category likes strawberries where consumers eat seven pounds a year of strawberries.

    “We wanted to continue the momentum and we feel like limiting imports will raise prices to the U.S. consumer. It will decrease demand and we’ll lose the momentum the industry has realized. I think the domestic industry has really benefited from the imports in having a consistent supply at retail year-round that’s fairly priced.”

    Section 201 Investigation

    Blueberry imports have been a struggle for growers in the southeast to compete with every year. It was the focus of a Section 201 investigation where the American Blueberry Growers Alliance presented data to the ITC during the Jan. 12 hearing that outlined the imports’ impact on southeast blueberry production, which it believes has resulted in serious injury.

    Statistically Speaking

    According to the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing Service reported a 68% increase in imported fruit from Mexico from 2019 to 2020, amounting to more than 15 million pounds of fresh blueberries during a 14-week period. Mexico, along with Peru, Chile, Canada and Argentina account for more than 98% of total U.S. imports. Import values increased from $530 million in 2014 to $1.2 billion in 2019.

    Jerome Crosby, Chairman of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, testified that imports of fresh blueberries have increased 75% over the past five years and is only expected to worsen.

    Supply and Demand

    Barsi believes that the blueberry demand requires the consistent imports that are coming from places like Mexico and Peru.

    “There’s such a demand in the marketplace for fruit, say in the spring window when Florida is producing, there’s such a demand for fruit that Florida and southern California wouldn’t be able to supply the market for the demand that it requires. That’s why we feel like imports have been a really good complement to that,” Barsi said.

    “For someone like California Giant or another company like ourselves, we’re in the market 52 weeks out of the year. To be able to supply our customers with a supply of blueberries year-round, we have to be able to have both, domestic and imports, to be able to supply those requirements.”

    Who Makes Up the Blueberry Coalition of Progress and Health?

    The Blueberry Coalition of Progress and Health is compromised of a broad range of domestic and international producers as well as distributors. Some retailers are on the coalition as well.

    “It was basically formed, we wanted to continue the progress that the blueberry market has continued to have over the last 15 to 20 years. I’ve been involved in blueberries for 15 years, and there’s been significant growth in the marketplace,” Barsi said. “The coalition was formed to be able to provide data to the International Trade Commission on why we think that imports haven’t been a serious injury to the domestic industry.”

    ITC Investigation Timeline

    Important dates

    • January 12th – Public hearing 
    • January 19th – Post-hearing briefs
    • February 3rd – Staff report (internal)
    • February 11th – Injury public vote (scheduled)

    For the remedy phase (if affirmative injury is determined):

    • February 18th – Prehearing briefs
    • February 25th – Public hearing
    • March 3rd – Post-hearing briefs
    • March 19th – Remedy public vote (scheduled)
    • March 29th – Determination, views and report delivered to the President
    • May 27 as the deadline for the President’s decision

    Blueberry Coalition Members

    • Agroberries S.A.
    • Alpine Fresh Inc.
    • Aneberries A.C.
    • Berries Paradise S.A.P.I. de C.V.
    • California Giant Berry Farms
    • Camposol Fresh USA, Inc
    • Driscoll’s, Inc.
    • Family Tree Farms
    • Fresh Produce Association of the Americas
    • Giddings Berries
    • Hortifruit
    • Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce
    • Pro Arandanos
    • United Exports Limited
    • Reiter Affiliated Companies
    • Chilean Blueberry Committee
    • Chilealimentos

  • Florida Blueberry Producer: Data Makes the Case for Us

    house
    File photo of blueberry production.

    A decision could come soon for Southeast blueberry growers hoping to find relief from seasonal imports causing harm to their farming operations.

    The International Trade Commission (ITC) heard the American Blueberry Growers Alliance Case in early January. Now, it will formulate a recommendation for President Biden to decide how to move forward.

    “I think the data makes the case for us. I think we have the data on our side. It’s hard not to look at the data and see what’s going on,” said Ryan Atwood, who lives in Mount Dora, Florida and farms 56 acres of blueberries, manages another 350 acres and is part-owner of the largest packing house in the Southeast United States.

    Gloomy Picture

    The statistics paint a picture of Southeast blueberry producers struggling to compete with imports from other countries, namely Mexico.

    Florida Ag Commissioner Nikki Fried said Florida’s blueberry market share had declined by 38% since 2015. Mexico’s market share has increased by 2,100% since 2009.

    Brittany Lee, Executive Director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association said in 2010, when her family planted blueberries, there were only 1.8 million pounds of Mexican blueberries in the Florida window of March, April and May. Last year, there was 51.68 million pounds in that window.

    Jerome Crosby, Chairman of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, testified that imports of fresh blueberries have increased 75% over the past five years and is only expected to worsen.

    According to the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, the U.S. Department of Agriculture Marketing Service reported a 68% increase in imported fruit from Mexico from 2019 to 2020, amounting to more than 15 million pounds of fresh blueberries during a 14-week period. Mexico, along with Peru, Chile, Canada and Argentina account for more than 98% of total U.S. imports. Import values increased from $530 million in 2014 to $1.2 billion in 2019.

    Opposing Groups

    Groups who opposed the blueberry’s alliance case also made their case to the ITC. Atwood believes their makeup consisted mostly of marketers and not farmers.

    “The only thing that I felt hurt us was they tried to portray themselves as a bunch of growers. Honestly, it was marketing interests that were being represented on the opposition,” Atwood said. “I think anyone who knows the industry and knows the players and knows who was on who’s side know it was marketers on the other side and growers on our side. It was pretty clear.”

    Now comes the hard part…waiting.  A recommendation from the ITC and a decision from President Biden could come as early as March.

    “I don’t know how this will all turn out if the president will sign it. That’s to be determined, to be seen. I think there’s a lot of us that are really interested in the outcome. One good thing about the process, it’s a fairly quick process when you think about it in terms of being politics,” Atwood said. “Start to finish, it’s going to end up being what, four, five, six months? I’m pleased at least that it wasn’t like we were dragging this thing out over three or four years.”

  • Hope Springs Eternal

    Photo credit: © Wayne Smith

    By Ryan Atwood

    To be a farmer is to be an optimist. Farmers work long hours, deal with weather events, labor issues, trade issues and global pandemics that are beyond their control. The 2020 Florida blueberry harvest season was a tough one due to increased imports and the coronavirus pandemic. The government did provide some assistance to farmers through the Coronavirus Food Assistance Program, which will help them continue forward into the coming 2021 season.

    WINTER WEATHER

    Florida blueberry growers have hedged and regrown their bushes for the year. Fall season into winter is a time for flower bud development, which gives the first indication of the crop to come. It is too early to tell what size crop Florida will produce. The Florida industry has been pretty stable in production numbers (~20 million pounds) the last few years due to some decent amount of cooler weather in the late fall and early winter.

    During the last warm (no chill) winter, the state struggled to produced 15 million pounds. This winter, climate forecasters are calling for a La Niña weather cycle. La Niña events are predicted to produce warmer temperatures and less rainfall than on average. The Florida blueberry industry has been moving to more evergreen production, which warmer weather tends to favor in terms of crop timing. A warmer winter most likely will not have quite the negative effect on statewide volumes like it has in the past.

    November tends to be the slowest month in blueberry production. Most growers take a vacation, work on getting their overhead irrigation ready for cold protection and replant new or existing ground. Things start to ramp back up in December as plant growth regulators are typically applied to stimulate the plants into flowering in January.


    In January and February, growers battle cold weather events during pollination. This leads to the setting of their berries that will be harvested in the spring. The spring brings hope of good yields with excellent quality.

    MEXICAN COMPETITION

    The unknown challenge this spring will be the ever-increasing Mexican blueberry volume during the Florida harvest window.

    Mexican blueberry production has increased dramatically over the last decade. This has led to reduced prices and returns to Florida growers. Many Florida blueberry farms have thrown in the towel the past several years. Others have turned from commercial to u-pick operations.

    The American public is growing more aware of the increase in foreign food supply. As U.S. consumers become more aware of this, the #DemandAmericanGrown campaign will continue to gain traction. We as agricultural producers need to continue (or start if you have not already begun) to educate our fellow Americans on the importance of American agriculture.

    What happens if our country were to become dependent on a foreign supply for food? We would be at the mercy of those who produce that food. This seems absurd to many Americans, as food is relatively abundant for most of our population. However, one only needs to look at socialist countries such as Cuba, Venezuela and others to see the effects of a short food supply.

    America was built on its great agricultural history. If we want to continue to be a great country, we need to be committed to local agriculture. It is a matter of national security.

    Ryan Atwood is co-owner of H&A Farms in Mt. Dora, Florida

  • Blueberry Imports Devastating to Florida Industry

    Florida’s agricultural and political leaders had their say Tuesday in describing the negative impact blueberry imports have had on the state’s farmers.

    “Agriculture is essential to Florida’s economy. Our No. 1 economy is tourism, obviously, but our No. 2, and it’s very close behind tourism is in fact agriculture. It means so much to Florida that it’s a $131 billion economic impact, providing nearly 1.4 million jobs,” said John Rutherford (FL-04), who testified during a virtual hearing with the U.S. International Trade Commission that blueberry imports are devastating to the state’s economy.

    “For years Florida has been impacted by countries taking advantage of our domestic market for produce. Growers in my district and around the state have voiced their concerns by providing data which details the harm caused by these imports. Unfortunately, as a result of these issues, many producers have had to shut down their farms through no fault of their own.”

    Statistically Speaking

    Nikki Fried, Florida Ag Commissioner, said that the state’s blueberry industry is valued at $62.3 million, but its market share has declined by 38% since 2015. Mexico’s market share has increased by 2,100% since 2009.

    Brittany Lee, Executive Director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association and Vice President and Farm Manager of Florida Blue Farms in northeast Florida, spoke personally of how imports have impacted her family’s farm.

    “In 2010, the year we planted blueberries on my farm here, there was only 1.8 million pounds of Mexican blueberries in the Florida window which we consider March, April and May. Last year there was 51.68 million pounds in that window,” said Lee.

    “Mexico has concentrated their production in the mid-March to early April season which is directly on top of Florida. I can tell you that the impact has been absolutely devastating to the Florida industry.”

  • Georgia Blueberry Producer: In the World I Live in, It’s a Problem

    blueberry

    Foreign imports of blueberries do not complement the U.S. domestic crop. Farmers and industry leaders in the Southeast sounded insulted about the notion that imports do not actually compete with their crop. They were asked about it during Tuesday’s virtual hearing with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC).

    “I find the comment that imports don’t affect us, it’s confusing to me, and I wonder if they’re trying to be comical,” said Jerome Crosby, Georgia blueberry grower and chairman of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance. “My farm operates both in the frozen world as well as the fresh world.

    “On the frozen side, I have watched my sales, net margin drop from about 80 to 90 cents per pound for grade A. To this year, I received 38 to 40 cents per pound to pay off my farm expenses with. In the world I live in, it’s a problem.”