OSU BLUEBERRY SCHOOL
March 16-17, 2015
held at
Oregon State University, Corvallis, Oregon
This two-day blueberry “school” was organized for new and experienced blueberry growers,
farm managers, crew leaders, advisors, packers/shippers, and consultants. Experts from Oregon
State University, USDA Agricultural Research Service, Washington State University, and the
blueberry industry were asked to address key issues of where the blueberry market is going; how
you might be more successful in tight labor or volume markets; which cultivars are easiest to
grow and are in most demand; how to establish new acreage using cutting-edge methods;
projected costs and the resources available to growers for selecting new planting sites; how to
best manage existing acreage to maximize returns of high-quality fruit; provide basic information
on blueberry plant physiology to help growers minimize environmental stresses and improve
yield potential; nutrient management programs for optimal growth and quality; irrigation and
fertigation practices for higher quality and better efficiency; use of organic amendments and
mulches; planning for and improving machine harvest efficiency; pruning for hand or machine
harvest (where can you cut corners….or not), maximizing pollination for good fruit and seed set;
overviews of the most important blueberry viruses, diseases, insects, weeds, and vertebrate pests;
and tools for good pest management. Information throughout the program addresses the needs of
conventional, transitional, and organic growers. Simultaneous interpretation to Spanish has been
provided. This proceedings book contains information provided on these topics by each speaker
and co-authors. The thumb drive provided in the registration packet for each attendee includes a
copy of each presentation. Thank you for attending. It is our sincere wish that this will be a very
useful meeting and that you find the accompanying materials a valuable reference! –
Bernadine Strik, Professor and Extension Berry Crops Specialist, OSU and the members of the
organizing committee
Organizing Committee
Bernadine Strik, Chair, Oregon State University (OSU)
Wei Yang, OSU. Co-chair (sponsorship coordinator), OSU
Donna Williams, Rachel Williams & team at OSU Conference Services
Dave Bryla, USDA-ARS HCRU
Chad Finn, USDA-ARS HCRU
Vaughn Walton - OSU
Steve Castagnoli - OSU
Steve Renquist - OSU
Bryan Ostlund – Oregon Blueberry Commission
Eric Pond - industry
Jon Umble – industry
Derek Peacock - industry
Steve Erickson - industry
Nancy Jensen - industry
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Table of Contents
OSU Blueberry School
Title
Authors
Characteristics of production regions in the Pacific
Northwest
Lisa DeVetter, Pat Jones, Bernadine
Strik, Kathie Dello
1
Markets - what's the future for fresh, processed, and
organic markets? Things you MUST think about before
starting or expanding production
Rod Cook, Derek Peacock, Jeff
Malensky, David Granatstein
9
Cultivar choices- Tried and true to brand new
Chad Finn and Bernadine Strik
15
Economics of production – resources
Bernadine Strik and David Granatstein
29
Resources available for selecting a good blueberry site
Wei Q. Yang
37
Site selection and establishment of a blueberry field
Wei Q. Yang and Bernadine Strik
41
Organic soil amendments and mulches for blueberry:
the good, the bad and the ugly
Dan Sullivan (OSU)
47
On-farm irrigation system design and operation
David Bryla
53
Blueberry plant physiology - why it's important to
understand the plant to manage it well
Bernadine Strik
57
Irrigation scheduling: when, where, and how much?
David Bryla
63
Pruning - impact of plant age, cultivar, and harvest
method
Bernadine Strik
69
Harvesting - hand vs. machine
Bernadine Strik (moderator); Paul
Norris (Norris Farms); Frank Brown
(Littau Harvesters (Inc.); Doug
Krahmer (Berries Northwest)
75
Nutrient management of blueberry -- assessing plant
nutrient needs and designing good fertilizer programs
Bernadine Strik and David Bryla
79
Maximizing pollination in blueberry
Ramesh Sagili, Carolyn Breece, John
Borden
95
Blueberry viruses present in the Pacific Northwest and
suggestions for their management
Robert Martin
99
Blueberry bacterial and fungal diseases
Jay Pscheidt and Jerry Weiland
107
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Page
Title
Authors
Page
Weed management for blueberry fields in the Pacific
Northwest
Tim Miller
115
Getting hit high and low: Options for managing bird
and vole damage
Dana Sanchez (OSU
125
Management of arthropods, insect, and plant-parasitic
nematodes in blueberries
Vaughn Walton,Nik Wiman, Inga
Zasada, Joe DeFrancesco, Daniel
Dalton, Amy Dreves, Jana Lee, Lynell
Tanigoshi, Wei Yang
129
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Marketing – What’s the Future for Fresh, Processed, and Organic Markets?
Things You MUST Think About Before Starting or Expanding Production
Rod Cook1, Derek Peacock2, Jeff Malensky3, David Granatstein4
1
Overview & moderator; Ag-View Consulting Inc.
2
Derek Peacock, HBF, Inc., Sheridan, Oregon
3
Jeff Malensky, Oregon Berry Packers, Hillsboro, Oregon
4
David Granatstein, Washington State University
Breaking news in the blueberry industry: Production is going up! No, this really isn’t new
information, but the consistency with which this news has been reported should provide us all
with some somber moments as we contemplate our own further expansion or indeed, investing in
new production. As growers we are optimists in a perverse way. We are confident we can do
better than our neighbors and we often even root for their weather issues so that we can be the
market winner. Folks, I have to advise you that that is no market strategy. So this section of the
Oregon Blueberry School is hopefully the dose of reality you need to listen to even as you are
hoping for freezes and droughts and pestilence on your blueberry brethren.
Production increased in North America from 589.1 million pounds to 703.4 million in the last
two years. That is nearly 20% growth in fruit production, and yet some of the areas have had
production issues the last two years due to weather so we really haven’t seen a year where all of
the key areas have maximized their production.
North America isn’t the only production area that is growing. Currently South America is the
next largest production area with Chile being the number one producer. Their planting rate has
actually exceeded the North American rate and now there are substantial plantings on all
continents with the possible exclusion of Antarctica.
So why are we here, essentially promoting plantings? The answer lays in the fact that at the same
time as production is exploding, so is world interest in blueberries. Consumers have heard the
research presentations about how healthy blueberries are and they believe. They have converted
that belief into dollars and are buying more berries at increasing levels.
And this is not simply a North American phenomenon, it is a world phenomenon. The most
recent data, which is a couple of years old, shows that world consumption has effectively
doubled between 2010 and 2012. Evidence suggests that this growth in consumption has
continued unabated.
So how do you make your farm successful? First you must develop a marketing plan: Prior to
planting your first blueberry, you need to do a competitive analysis of your location and farm
skills. This involves understanding what are your farm’s and your competitive advantages and
what are the weaknesses. This could include location, if that is something that hasn’t been
determined, marketers in your area, logistics available to you and so on.
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The following segments should provide some more specific information and insights on three
main categories; fresh, process and organic and help you develop a meaningful plan for your
fruit.
Trends and Opportunities with Organic Blueberries
David Granatstein, Washington State University
The organic food market continues to grow in the U.S. and Europe, and interest is increasing in
China and other potential markets. Retail sales of organic foods in the U.S. grew 11% in 2013
over the previous year, with fruits and vegetables up 15% and comprising 33% of all organic
sales. Given the health interests of most organic consumers, an organic blueberry brings
attributes from the “nutraceutical” world as well as the perceived health benefits of organic
foods. Not surprisingly, production and sales of organic blueberries have been expanding.
Comprehensive data on organic blueberry acreage, production, and sales are absent or spotty at
best. In 2013, Washington, Oregon, and California appeared to provide the bulk of organic
blueberries in the U.S. Earlier data (2008) had shown substantial acreage in Georgia and Florida.
Using Washington as an example of acreage trends, since reliable data are available, the area of
all blueberries expanded 30% per year from 2004 to 2013, reaching ~9,000 acres. The area of
certified organic blueberries expanded at 62% per year during the same period, reaching, 1,447
acres, which represented about 16% of all blueberries. One source estimated that 90% of organic
blueberry acres are in eastern Washington, and that organic blueberry volume was <1 million lb
6 years ago, and is now near 15 million lb. This person expected organic acreage to increase 20%
annually for the foreseeable future. Some industry sources estimated there will be 4,000-5,000
acres of certified organic blueberries in Washington and Oregon within the next five years.
California experienced even more rapid growth of organic blueberry acres, reaching 1180 acres
in 2013. Data on organic blueberry acres in Chile, an important exporter, were not available.
Based on USDA-AMS data, shipments of fresh organic blueberries in Washington and
California grew at a faster rate than their conventional blueberries from 2011 to 2013. In 2013,
32% of reported fresh shipments from the two states were organic, compared to 8% of all
domestic fresh shipments being organic that year. About 10% of all fresh imported blueberries
shipped in the U.S. were organic, with most all coming from Chile. The percent of all fresh
blueberries shipped in the U.S. (domestic plus import) that were organic rose from 0.5% in 2008
to 4.4% in 2013. Clearly, the presence of organic blueberries in the fresh market has expanded
dramatically and is expected to continue. No similar data are available for frozen or other
processed organic blueberry products, but industry sources indicate that demand is strong and
supply often cannot keep up with it. While about 50% of blueberries in North America go to the
fresh market, one source thought that organic was closer to 75% fresh. One source indicated that
10-15% of Chilean blueberry exports are organic.
Some price data on organic blueberries are available from USDA-AMS and other sources. In
2013, the average retail price for pints of fresh, U.S. produced organic blueberries was 25%
above conventional, and this rose to a 50% premium in 2014. Retail price premiums for organic
in 2014 ranged from 21-50% depending on the package size. In 2014, shipping point price
premiums for fresh organic blueberries were 27% in California, and 35% in Oregon and
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Washington. Industry sources indicated that recent prices for organic freezer blueberries has
been twice or more those for conventional berries.
Growers contemplating entry into organic blueberry production need to consider several things.
What are the anticipated increases in costs they might experience? Will there be yield reductions
(this may vary with the climate)? Will anticipated prices be likely to cover any increased costs
and reduced yields? Are there ready markets for the volume they might produce? To sell into
commercial markets, product must be certified organic, which entails going through the
certification process. This requires time and involves fees. And for growers not inclined
towards regulatory detail and recordkeeping, organic may not be a good fit. However, the audit
system created as part of organic certification can position a farm for more easily addressing
food safety audits. Information sources on organic production and problems are fewer and the
range of tools available is smaller. Growers need to be pro-active in their management and
prevent as many problems as possible, rather than allowing them to occur and then reaching for a
tool or product to solve them. There is often a biological transition that occurs when entering
organic production, involving changes in the soil nutrient cycling, and likely changes in pest and
weed problems. Often secondary pests will decrease while control of primary pests may be more
difficult. A comparison of conventional and organic blueberry production in the Willamette
Valley, Oregon, found that organic had about 10% greater total costs than conventional from
establishment to 7 years after establishment at full production. Based on this analysis, it took 11
years for conventional hand harvest to reach break-even, but only 8 years for organic. Thus,
organic production may be a strategy to increase profitability and insulate against a market glut
which may appear earlier in the conventional market.
Trends and Opportunities with Processed Blueberries
Jeff Malensky, Oregon Berry Packers
Unless you are planning on doing your own marketing of fruit, which is increasingly uncommon,
you need to find which marketers work with which processors/packers in your chosen production
area. Each packer has a pretty defined set of requirements based upon their customers. As a
result they may have very specific varieties that they need and varieties that they won’t accept.
They will have specific quality standards that they will pack to which may mean more or less
sort outs from your fruit. In addition, they may have specific handling requirements that will
require the type of containers that they will accept at their receiving locations. Knowing all of
these things prior to planting can mean the difference between having good access to markets or
not.
Of course probably the most critical issue is knowing how the various packers pay for the fruit.
Not only is this important to you, but if it may be very important to your banker! There is no real
standard system in the Northwest although it is common to have some advance that is paid near
the time that you deliver your fruit. From there some companies may provide additional
payments throughout the summer or they may not begin payments until the fall or they may
make some single final payment later in the year. Obviously this all affects your cash flow and
you clearly want to fully understand how they pay and you may even want to see details on how
they have paid the last few years.
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Payment also involves understanding if or how the packer docks your payment based upon
quality. Are their fixed standards, where and when do these inspections take place. The more
transparent the operation the better you will understand how to grow your fruit most effectively
in the future.
Along with all of these nuts and bolt issues are the greater issues involving the basics of growing
a crop that is even acceptable to the packer. Increasingly the industry standards are that you must
be growing with Good Agricultural Practices. However it is not sufficient to simply grow
according to these standards, you need to have third party audits.
Which auditing organization will your packer require? A simple GAP audit is one thing but
Global GAP is quite another. It requires significant documentation, a history of the fields, noting
each and every cultural practice performed and tracking everything that you do on the farm.
These audits add considerable labor and cost to any operation.
Of course you need to have full documentation on chemical applications and prior to application
you may need to know if your marketer is planning on exporting your fruit and if so where is it
going. This is due to the fact that many countries have different standards for chemical
application than the US. This may mean some approved materials are not allowed to be used and
some uses may have significant limitations verse what is approved within the US.
A significant issue for all blueberry growers is how are you going to control or how are you
controlling Spotted Wing Drosphila? Management of this pest is one of the biggest challenges
you will face and you better have a good management plan or your fruit will simply not be
marketable.
Processed fruit from the Northwest is primarily destined for the US and Canada but a significant
amount is exported and the target is mostly Asia. However several of the Asian countries have
great variation in what is acceptable so simply knowing that your fruit will be exported is not
enough.
As far as market today, the outlook is dependent upon what market your fruit fits into. Grade A
Large fruit continues to look very positive as grocery movement of poly bagged blueberries
boomed. On the other hand, Grade A Small markets today are more difficult to forecast. Often
when the Low Bush industry crops struggles we can see good movement of smaller highbush
fruit as customers try to substitute one fruit for the other. This year the Low Bush industry had a
large crop and as a result our current markets don’t appear to be a good as they have been the last
few years.
Trends and Opportunities with Fresh Blueberries
Derek Peacock, HBF International
Consumer demands, expectations of the market place and quality specs are the driving force
behind berry movement. Growers need to know what their packer / marketer needs as retailers
are becoming more advanced and demanding. Bigger retailers see the industry has matured, and
higher volumes are there so they can be more picky. There are more suppliers in multiple
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regions so buyers have more options. Retailers are looking for repeat sales business which is
driven by a good consumer experience. They are starting to differentiate both different grower
regions and programs within those areas. The quality traits asked for most from retailers is nice
size fruit, with good taste and having a long shelf life. Taste is becoming more and more
important (which is why we still like Liberty). But during seasonal periods of low volume and
less competition sometimes specs ebb and flow to allow some exceptions such as a smaller size
or less desirable flavor profile (i.e. small tart Elliotts). Adding to the confusion is what retailers
and consumers want can and does change. Demands of customers change. Demands for
different varieties create change. What a grower may have sold or supplied in the past may not
work tomorrow as old standards give way to new ones.
The type of grower a marketer is looking for is one that believes in the marketing company’s
program that they are supplying and recognizes their needs, creating either a formal or informal
partnership. An example of this is the current push for food safety programs and third party
audits. A good grower knows why that is so important, follows the rules to the best of their
ability, and just doesn’t go through the motions. They really believe and try to mitigate risk.
Marketers need growers that they can rely on. They need to have a grower that has an attitude
toward cooperation and looks at the relationship as critical to the success of both parties. A
packing house needs predictable yields of large lots, consistency, and high quality to create
efficiency and put out a lower cost product. Growers need to ask questions of their buyer on
how to best supply this type of fruit. What sprays are needed or should be avoided and gives full
support of the marketing program. A good grower understands ups and downs of market and
looks at the big picture. It’s critical for growers to have good ethical practices; growers that treat
workers right, take care of the people – we like growers that have compassion toward their
pickers. Social responsibilities are becoming a bigger and bigger issue all of the time. Avoiding
black marks on the industry from poor practices or decision making is critical for the success of
the grower, marketer and industry. Participation and following of the activities of both their
local (i.e. Oregon Blueberry Commission) and national commodity commission (USHBC) is
important to understand the big picture and understand how it relates to them.
There are many exciting future opportunities for the Fresh Market Blueberry Industry. But as
blueberries become a more mature commodity a Grower needs to be good at what he does. The
key is production. How productive you are translates to profitability. A successful grower will
have the ability to be a high quality low cost producer. Obtaining maximum yield with the same
amount of work (tractor set up, passes through the field, etc.). Using efficiencies of scale, then
managing for high vigor bushes with large volumes of high quality fruit is better. A grower
needs a firm grasp of the technical side – understanding how to achieve maximum results –
Having the right technology to make good farming decisions. In addition, have a great
relationship with a consistent crew – one that listens and understands the ‘why’ of what is needed
to be done. Economic Units are getting bigger. A decade ago 5 – 10 acres used to be a large
blueberry operation, now 20-50 acres seems to be more of the norm, with multiple 100 acre plus
ranches and even a few working 1000+ acre fields.
The future is probably more and more one of a steadier market – with less wild fluctuations of
pricing ups and downs. Successful Fresh Companies may tend to favor having a year-long
supply of multiple (berry) commodities creating a “one-stop shop”. But there are exceptions,
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driven by exceptional quality and label tradition. Retailers are placing more and more
requirements upon their vendors, including traceability, third party food safety audits and even
corporate social responsibility audits. Special packaging, date coding and product labeling
needs. Weights and measure, pesticide use, temperature control / chain monitoring, foreign
matter prevention procedures. Even all the way down to the type of pallet needed to be used can
be dictated. These requirements can be always changing making the whole process harder to
follow. Documentation is key. A good grower and packer write down a lot of information. Its
one of the few ways we can prove things are being done correctly. Risk Management will also
be stressed. Good quality fruit, following the advice of your marketer and luck will help the
movement of your fruit, giving you a home for it and hopefully at a profitable outcome.
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