Blueberry growers and industry leaders in the Southeast had their say on Tuesday about unfair trade practices regarding imports from foreign countries, including Mexico.
They testified during a virtual hearing with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding a global safeguard investigation into fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries.
Jerome Crosby, Georgia blueberry grower and chairman of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance, testified about the importance of the Alliance’s formation and its role in protecting its domestic crop.
“We officially launched our Alliance in December for the same reasons we are before you today. The U.S. blueberry growers needed a new approach to protect and secure the future of their farms and to respond to the assault on the U.S. market by blueberry imports,” Crosby said. “We require a strong and unified voice for the U.S. blueberry grower without the influence of domestic or foreign marketer or retailers seeking lower and lower prices.”
Increased Imports
Crosby said imports of fresh blueberries have increased 75% over the past five years. It is only expected to worsen as prices and profits continue to plummet for U.S. producers.
“We fully expect a variable tidal wave of imported blueberries in the next several years,” Crosby said. “Substantial portions of the industry report losses on an operating and net income basis. Packing and freezing facilities have been shuttered. Blueberry acreage has declined.
“The injury to the domestic industry is serious, clear and wide spread. It’s caused by the flood of imports into the U.S. market.”
Blueberry farmers from across the United States are asking the ITC for temporary relief from a surge in imports that are harming the domestic industry
WASHINGTON, January 12, 2021 – Members of the American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA), a group representing U.S. domestic blueberry farmers, today provided information to the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) during a hearing on the impact of rising imports during the U.S. growing and harvest seasons. American blueberry growers across the country – mostly small, family-run farms – have been devastated by an influx in blueberry imports by 75% in the past five years, according to U.S. import data.
“Because of booming domestic demand, we should be enjoying a market in which there is room for both domestic and foreign growers to profit,” said Jerome Crosby, Chairman of the ABGA Board of Directors and owner of Pineneedle Farms in Willacoochee, Georgia. “However, foreign government policies targeting the United States market and large corporate import interests have combined to bring massive volumes of blueberries into our market, increasingly during periods that in the past provided growers with the bulk of their revenues and often all of their profits for the year.”
“The massive increase in Mexican imports during our harvesting season has crippled the Florida blueberry industry and threatens its very existence,” said Brittany Lee, Executive Director of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association and owner of Florida Blue Farms. “Over the period 2009 to 2019, we saw imports from Mexico increase by 2,111%. We have experienced a significant decline in price per pound for fresh blueberries in Florida, and a huge loss of market share.”
Farmers said the U.S. blueberry industry has made extensive marketing efforts over many years to educate purchasers and consumers about blueberries, which has increased demand.
“Foreign producers are taking the benefit of those efforts, in some instances by creating industries out of nothing and exploiting cheap labor and poor environmental regulation overseas,” said Rex Schultz of Heritage Blueberries in Bangor, Michigan and President of the Michigan Blueberry Advisory Committee. “Producers in foreign countries are totally dependent on our market, and they have every incentive to keep shipping more and more product here. This is not a sustainable situation for the American blueberry farmer.”
Imports have also had a devastating effect on blueberry farmers in Western states.
“Ten years ago, imports filled an important role by ensuring supply of fresh berries in the few months is no longer the case,” said Jayson Scarborough, a blueberry farmer in Central California. “Imports from Mexico and Peru, in particular, now enter our market throughout our harvesting period in California. Prices for these imported berries are extremely low, which means that when we begin to sell our harvests, the price point has already deteriorated significantly due to the presence of large volumes of imported fruit in the market.”
Farmers said that massive amounts of fresh blueberries coming in from Mexico and South America often arrive without a buyer.
“Peruvian product can arrive in massive shipments, with hundreds of thousands and even millions of pounds of perishable fresh blueberries on one ocean-going vessel that has been in transit at least two weeks before being unloaded at U.S. ports,” said Shelly Hartmann, owner of True Blue Farms in Grand Junction, Michigan. “When these blueberries are released all at once onto the fresh market, they cause prices to crater. This pushes domestic production of blueberries grown for the fresh market into the frozen market.”
In addition, several members of Congress also testified before the ITC in support of American blueberry growers, including Reps. Austin Scott (R-Ga.), Bill Huizenga (R-Mich.), Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.), Gregory Steube (R-Fla.) and John Rutherford (R-Fla.).
The U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) is conducting a global safeguard investigation into imported fresh, chilled or frozen blueberries under Section 201 of the Trade Act of 1974. The ITC will determine if the dramatic increase of foreign berries is “a substantial cause of serious injury, or the threat thereof” to American blueberry growers.
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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 and Michigan, advocating on behalf of their interests and for the long-term viability of the domestic blueberry industry. For more information, visit: americanblueberrygrowers.com.
The Georgia Blueberry Commission is taking nominations for a person to fill the unexpired term of Russ Goodman. The deadline for applications is Jan. 31, 2021. If interested, a person must be a grower of blueberries in Georgia and must be willing to commit to meetings and activities of the Blueberry Commission. The term will end the Summer of 2023.
Goodman is stepping down from duties as a member of the Blueberry Commission to allow more time to devote to his responsibilities of representing District 8 in the Georgia State Senate.
Orange-colored blueberry leaf rust pustules can be seen on leaf undersides. Photo by Jonathan Oliver.
By Jonathan Oliver
In 2020, mild winter conditions followed by a wet spring contributed to the development of significant disease issues on Georgia blueberries. Among other issues, growers faced difficulties with preharvest and postharvest fruit rots and continuing problems with spring blueberry leaf rust epidemics.
The fruit pathology program at the University of Georgia (UGA) in Tifton conducts trials to determine fungicide efficacy and optimal application timings. Disease management information is provided to blueberry growers through the UGA Cooperative Extension Service, the Southeast Regional Blueberry Integrated Management Guide (smallfruits.org/ipm-production-guides/) and the free MyIPM smartphone app.
FUNGICIDE-RESISTANT RIPE ROT
During the 2020 growing season, Georgia blueberry growers faced challenges from fruit rots including ripe rot caused by the fungi Colletotrichum gloeosporioides and C. acutatum. Development of ripe rot (also called anthracnose fruit rot) is favored by warm, wet conditions. Fungal infection can occur from bloom up until harvest, though symptoms do not typically appear until fruit begin to ripen.
The spores of the fungus that cause ripe rot can easily spread from berry to berry via rain splash, in packing lines or in clamshells. Typically, field applications of QoI (strobilurin) fungicides such as Abound (azoxystrobin), Pristine (pryaclostrobin + boscalid) and Quilt Xcel (azoxystrobin + propiconazole) provide excellent ripe rot control. However, in recent years, C. gloeosporioides isolates from blueberry with resistance to QoI fungicides have been identified in Georgia and elsewhere in the southeastern United States.
Blueberry leaf rust damage is visible on the top of the fruit. Photo by Jonathan Oliver.
To provide growers with needed information regarding alternative fungicides for ripe rot management, the UGA-Tifton Fruit Pathology Laboratory and UGA Cooperative Extension personnel conducted trials during 2020 to evaluate fungicidal spray programs for control of ripe rot and other fruit rot disease issues. In these trials, spray programs which incorporated applications of Switch (cyprodinil + fludioxonil), Captan (captan), Miravis Prime (pydiflumetofen + fludioxonil), Omega (fluazinam) and Ziram (ziram) were the most effective at reducing fruit rots in general and ripe rot in particular.
To manage ripe rot, applications of effective fungicides beginning at early bloom and continuing every seven to 14 days through preharvest are recommended. Growers are reminded that rotations of the available modes of action (and/or tank mixes with multi-site products such as captan) are encouraged to reduce the chances of continued fungicide resistance development in the pathogen population.
Ripe rot is also known as anthracnose fruit rot. Photo by Jonathan Oliver.
In addition, when developing a spray program for fruit rots, growers should be aware of the preharvest interval (PHI) of these products, including Ziram (which should not be used more than three weeks after full bloom), Omega (which should not be used within 30 days of harvest) and Quilt Xcel (also a 30-day PHI). Consult the various labels for rates, recommendations and precautions.
BLUEBERRY LEAF RUST
Blueberry leaf rust (caused by the fungus Pucciniastrum vaccinii) is most frequently associated with causing leaf spots and premature defoliation after harvest. However, Georgia blueberry growers have also experienced significant spring epidemics of leaf rust in recent years that can directly impact developing fruit. These spring epidemics are likely the result of increasingly mild winters that allow blueberry leaves infected during the previous season to persist through the winter and serve as sources for disease spread early in the subsequent season.
Recent trial work carried out by the UGA-Tifton Fruit Pathology Laboratory reinforces the importance of spring fungicide applications for leaf rust management. Applications of effective demethylation inhibitor (DMI) fungicides during the spring were found to significantly decrease the development of leaf rust throughout the growing season. Two spring applications of Proline (prothioconazole) were capable of controlling leaf rust and measurably reduced disease throughout the full season, regardless of whether effective fungicides were used after harvest.
While postharvest applications are still recommended to prevent premature defoliation due to blueberry leaf rust, this trial work highlighted the particular importance of spring fungicide applications for leaf rust management in conditions of high disease pressure. Growers should be aware that leaf rust epidemics can start early following mild winter conditions and consider early-season applications with DMI fungicides for rust management. DMI fungicides with very good to excellent efficacy against rust include Proline, Quash (metconazole) and Quilt Xcel. Consult the various labels for rates, recommendations and precautions.
Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., believes the 117th Congress yields a positive outlook for vegetable and specialty crop producers in the Southeast.
Scott
Prominent Georgians are represented on the House Ag Committee. The committee is empowered with legislative oversight relating to the U.S. agriculture industry, forestry, nutrition and rural development, according to the press release announcing Congressman David Scott (GA-13) as the committee’s new chairman.
Scott has served in the House Ag Committee since 2003. Scott replaces Collin Peterson, who lost his seat in Minnesota’s 7th Congressional District to Michelle Fischbach.
Redding added that Georgia Congressmen Austin Scott (GA-08) and Rick Allen (GA-12) will remain on the House Committee.
Bishop
Congressman Sanford Bishop (GA-02) remains the Chairman of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Agriculture.
“It’s historical in that one state controls both, in the House, the authorization committee, House Ag, as well as the funding committee or bank for USDA for Food and Drug Administration with House Ag and Appropriations. That’s a very good thing for us, particular Southeasterners and Georgians,” Redding said. “This is highly unusual, historical as far as our lifetime in the House. That should work well for Southeast specialty crop on a lot of the policy issues, dealing with the USDA and FDA.”
Photo submitted by Phil Brannen/Shows bacterial spot disease on a peach.
Susceptible peach varieties make bacterial spot disease a problem that continues to linger for growers in the Southeast.
That was a message that Phil Brannen, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension plant pathologist, presented during last week’s Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference.
“A lot of the varieties that people really want the fruit from are susceptible. Unfortunately, that’s the reality. We do have some resistant varieties or at least some that are much more tolerant of this disease, but those are the ones that don’t have the color that you might want because they’re going to the market and stuff like that. That’s where we run into issues,” Brannen said.
Why are Varieties so Vulnerable?
He added that most of the varieties that producers in Florida, Georgia and Alabama are using originate out of the breeding program in California. But those varieties are grown and developed under much different environmental conditions than in the Southeast.
“They’ll have beautiful peaches. They’ll be very colorful and all the things that the market would demand. That’s great, but they breed these in a dry environment in California. They don’t have bacterial spot because they’re basically growing these things in the desert. They use irrigation under the trees in order to keep them alive,” Brannen said.
“For California, this is not an issue or not a major issue. But you take those same varieties from those breeding programs and say we want those because they produce a beautiful fruit and that’s what we want and you bring them here, they have never been developed in the presence of these diseases as far as their breeding program. Then all of a sudden you realize, ‘Wow, these are really susceptible to bacterial spot.’”
What is Bacterial Spot?
Bacterial spot is a sporadic leaf-spot disease that can cause defoliation in certain cultivars. Spots can also appear on the fruit, causing damage and leaving fruit unmarketable.
Producing peaches in the Southeast can be tricky for growers. They understand that consumers are used to buying certain peaches that exhibit certain traits. That’s why producers are content with growing varieties that are vulnerable to bacterial spot disease.
“There’s two things that sell peaches and neither one of them really have to deal with taste. Taste is variable based on the acidity and sweetness you have in the peach. People like taste based on what they like. The color is strictly a visual type of thing. A lot of people really love a red color or a lot of blush on a peach. You can take a peach that’s very yellow and it would taste maybe better than that red peach. But people are still going to seek that color,” Brannen added.
“The second thing is size. People want a large peach. A smaller peach will taste just as good, maybe better. But people want a large, red luscious peach. That’s what the market demands. That’s what we’re trying to provide.”
A UGA student campus sustainability grant will provide funds to install regionally appropriate fruiting trees and shrubs near Lake Herrick to provide experiential learning, on-site education and long-term fruit foraging opportunities for students and visitors.
By Josh Paine, UGA CAESNews
A University of Georgia student-led project hopes to produce fruitful results with an edible landscape near Lake Herrick.
One of 13 annual Campus Sustainability Grants recently awarded to UGA students by the Office of Sustainability, the UGA Edible Landscape Project —led by College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CAES) student Abbie Dillon — will install regionally appropriate fruiting trees and shrubs near Lake Herrick to provide experiential learning, on-site education and long-term fruit foraging opportunities for students and visitors.
“Edible landscaping is a fun yet impactful way to bring people closer to plants and the environment as well as allow easier access to free and nutritious food,” said Dillon, a horticulture major who serves as the urban agriculture intern with the Office of Sustainability. “They are super beneficial for pollinators and small wildlife too! If we’re going to put plants in a landscape, why not use ones with delicious fruits attached?”
The landscape plan calls for adding plums, pawpaws, persimmons, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, figs and serviceberries. The project is under the direction of Chris Swann in the UGA Facilities Management Division Grounds Department. Project partners include the State Botanical Garden of Georgia and Sofia Franzluebbers, an undergraduate horticulture major.
Three other grant projects were awarded to CAES students.
Triple Impact Consulting: Sustainability Consulting for Athens Businesses was submitted by Sanisa Foungthong, an avian biology major in CAES, under the direction of Rick Watson in the Terry College of Business. The goal of the project is to provide pro bono, interdisciplinary, student-led sustainability consulting to help local businesses and organizations improve their sustainability metrics through project workstreams and the triple bottom line of people, planet and profit. Project partners include B-Local Georgia and student collaborators Anjali Sindhuvalli, Andrew Schoppenhorst and Nathan Shear.
Swap Shop was submitted by Avery Lumsden, an undergraduate environmental economics and management major in CAES, under the direction of Tyra Byers in the Office of Sustainability. Lumsden is also the zero-waste intern for the office. The goal of the project is to reduce landfill waste and advance an equitable and circular economy in which students have opportunities to donate and freely receive supplies related to student life. Project partners include UGA Libraries, the Interdisciplinary Certificate in Sustainability, and student collaborator Jenna Franke who is pursuing undergraduate and graduate degrees in environmental economics.
The residential Community Garden Pilot Program was submitted by Abigail Lauterbach, an undergraduate environmental economics and management student in CAES, under the direction of Chera Jo Watts in UGA Housing. The project will serve as a circular food sustainability initiative for students in the Franklin Residential College, including a compost program and garden to enhance students’ relationships with the food they consume. Project partners include the Facilities Management Division Grounds Department and Casey Serrano, an undergraduate computer science student.
Drawn from the Student Green Fee, the sustainability grants of up to $5,000 are available to current UGA students who wish to initiate projects that advance sustainability through education, research, service and campus operations. They are awarded based on merit, positive impact, implementation feasibility and available funding.
Learn more about UGA’s commitment to sustainability and previous grant projects at sustainability.uga.edu.
One agricultural lobbyist believes next Tuesday’s hearing with the International Trade Commission (ITC) regarding blueberry imports is a “story of David and Goliath.”
Bob Redding, who works for the Redding Firm and serves as a lobbyist for agricultural groups in Washington, D.C., believes the American Blueberry Growers Alliance (ABGA) has a strong case to make to the ITC against the imports of blueberries from other countries, including Mexico. But cases will also be made from groups who oppose ABGA’s position.
Redding Comments
Redding
“Once the administration initiated with the ITC the Section 201 investigation, most of these blueberry countries that are blueberry exporters that have been saturating the markets during our growing season, our marketing season, they hired attorneys here and formed organizations. At least one new organization was formed to stop the 201 or to influence the 201 fight or advocate against the position of U.S. blueberry growers,” Redding said.
“It is a story of David and Goliath. I don’t know any other way to put it. The U.S. growers have been impacted negatively. It’s become increasingly problematic as far as marketing and selling at a fair price that would allow these growers to make a profit. They don’t see how over the long run that they survive selling below what their cost of production is.”
Final Decision Rests with the President
Redding also cautions Southeast producers that the final decision will rest with President-Elect Joe Biden and his administration. He will make a decision based on the recommendations from the ITC.
“We do not know their position on this. I’m sure they don’t have one yet. We have a new U.S. Trade Representative. Ambassador (Robert) Lighthizer initiated this and the administration with the ITC. We know how they felt about it,” Redding said. “We will have a confirmation process in the Senate for the new U.S. Trade Rep. Soon thereafter, we’ll start talking with the political folks in the new administration about this issue. I would think that nomination would move through prior to this case finishing up with the ITC.”
Hearing is Necessary
From a blueberry producer’s standpoint, Tuesday’s hearing is necessary because of the disruption in the marketplace from foreign imports.
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.
This drastically impacts the market for producers in blueberry-producing states, including Georgia and Florida.
ABGA’s Position
The ABGA’s position is that American blueberry producers need protection from rising imports from foreign markets, especially during the U.S. growing and harvest season.
“The numbers are very frightening. They just can’t continue to operate with the market being flooded like this. It just doesn’t work,” Redding said. “You look at the compliance variables that U.S. growers have to adhere to, wage rates. If you’re H-2A, you know what those rates are in the Southeast. That is an expensive program, expensive from an administrative position, running those programs and expensive from a wage rate and housing and all that’s being provided; transportation. These countries don’t have to do that.”
American producers also have to contend with environmental variables and food safety variables; much higher standards than the countries exporting to U.S.
“It’s about fairness. It’s about a level playing field. If our growers had the same variables, our growers know they can compete with these countries. But we’re dealing with a different set of rules. They don’t play by the same rules we do,” Redding said.
Photo by Clint Thompson/Shows Madeline Dowling, a Clemson student, makes a presentation about the MyIPM App.
This year’s virtual Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference ends today with hopes of returning to an in-person format in 2022.
Charles Hall, Executive Director of the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association, believes the educational sessions that were offered over the course of the three-day event are invaluable for producers this year and moving forward in upcoming growing seasons. More importantly, those educational sessions will be available for viewing even after the conference concludes.
“One of the keys of the Southeast Regional Conference is education. We still had over 100 hours of education that is being offered. The good thing about it is that education continues until April 30. If people missed a class, they want to go back and listen to that instruction again, it’s going to be there on the (virtual) platform,” Hall said.
“People can go back if they’ve registered for the conference, or if they wanted to register after the conference. Somebody that didn’t get to be on the conference this week, they can still register and go back and have the livestreaming of those sessions.”
This week’s conference was changed to a virtual format amid COVID-19 concerns.
UGA CAES Photo/Shows an in-lab water analysis test at UGA CAES.
Well water quality and irrigation system management should be a top priority for vegetable and specialty crop producers gearing up for the spring season.
Gary Hawkins, an Assistant Professor in Water Resource Management at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, said a good clean well has reduced risks of pathogens and other bacteria in it.
Testing your water and irrigation systems now can prevent potential problems that may arise during the season.
“This time of year, they should be in the process of closing their systems down. Winterizing their irrigation systems is one good thing they can do. A second thing they can do this time of the year is really have an outline of how they could fix any leaks, geysers or anything else that makes their system inefficient,” Hawkins said. As they start thinking about cranking back up in the spring, late February, March, April timeframe; doing any irrigation water test.”
W33A Water Quality Test
Hawkins recommends a W33A water quality test that tests the chemistry in the water.
“That’ll test the basics, but it’ll also give us a sodium absorption ratio or an SAR number. That’ll give the farmer some indication of the combination of alkalinity Ph and what minerals are in the water itself, ground water or surface water. Is that water either going to corrode their pipes or is it going to lay down kind of a film in there that’s actually going to start clogging up their pipes?”
He also recommends a W35 bacteria test, which is especially important for producers irrigating vegetables and edible plants.
Other Points to Remember
Hawkins also emphasized that producers do not store chemicals or fertilizers close to the well head. In case there is a disconnection at the well head, any leaks of those products could get down by the well casing and to the aquifer.
It’s also important to keep the area clean around the well head so it is more visible. That way it is not at risk of getting hit with a tractor.
Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
Hawkins delivered a presentation about well management during this week’s virtual Southeast Fruit and Vegetable Conference. The conference, which is normally held in January in Savannah, is being held virtually this year due to COVID-19 concerns. The three-day event will be held through Thursday, Jan. 7.
