Florida's blueberry season is in full swing from early March through early May. Over the past 20 years, the state's cranberry industry has grown rapidly, with more than 5200 acres of land devoted to growing the berries.Florida ranks eighth in the country in terms of blueberry production and has the first U.S.-produced blueberries to hit the domestic market. Most of the blueberries grown in Florida come from Hendry, Alachua, and Putnam counties, as well as some counties in the Panhandle.

The blueberry harvest is just days away for some Florida growers. The location will determine when growers will start harvesting the fruit,believes Doug Phillips, Blueberry Extension Coordinator at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS). “Some locations will start picking up in early March, depending on the location. Some of the South Florida farms that didn't have a lot of damage (Hurricane Ian), of course, are usually earlier compared to the rest of the state,” Phillips said.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

Blueberry ripening has been accelerated by the warm temperatures recorded in recent weeks. “With these warm temperatures that we have, it's driving things along at a pretty good rate. Before I would say that the growers thought they were maybe a week and a half or two behind the typical season. But I think with these warm mid-to-upper 80s temperatures that we're having, things have moved along pretty well. It depends on the continuation of warm temperatures. Of course, in South Florida (Hardee, DeSoto, and Highlands counties), things can be a bit later than normal just because of some of the hurricane damage that was there. But now I see a lot of green fruit in many varieties. I think it's going to be a very good season just looking at the flowers we had and the fruit I see now. I expect it to end up being a relatively typical season in terms of weather, with the warm temperatures we're having right now,” Phillips said.

On the other side of the spectrum, David Zierden, a Florida state climatologist at the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, cautions that high temperatures, especially in north Florida, could be worrisome. “It is likely that we will reach near or record temperatures in some areas of the state.”Florida has been on a warming trend for the last 10 to 15 years.Zierden says, so these off-season temperatures in February follow that trend.Florida experienced its fifth warmest year in 2022, according to NOAA. Zierden expressed concern that the state could see negative consequences in the coming months due to these high temperatures.

“We are in the middle of the dry season for Florida, but we have been drier than normal, we have had little precipitation and little is coming,” he said. Lack of rainfall can accelerate the onset of drought. According to the most recent report from the US Drought Monitor, North Florida and a section of Southwest Florida are experiencing moderate drought. Coupled with abnormally high temperatures, a dry season can dehydrate plants and lead to wildfires. A continuation of below-average rainfall is anticipated over the next few months. The state received a large amount of rain during the 2022 hurricane season, which has so far averted a more severe drought. “Hydrologically speaking, the state is not bad. But we are going through a warm, dry winter, so if the summer rainy season were to be less robust, we could start to see some problems,” Zierden said.

Inflation throughout the production chain is one of the most significant obstacles facing Florida blueberry growers. “Labor rates have increased 16%, for our harvest crews, in addition to a 50% increase in fertilizer costs, so our costs continue to increase and as consumers have less purchasing potential at higher prices, our margins are shrinking.”says Michael Hill, co-founder, and executive director of h&m farms.

The executive agrees that the sector is in a difficult position and believes that to increase demand and improve their margins, they must ensure that local customers have access to high-quality fruit. In the last two years, production expenses have increased 40 percent, while sales prices have stayed the same or even decreased due to an increase in volume from Mexico and Peru. All things considered, Florida is expected to produce around 20 million pounds during the peak period of six to eight weeks. This is a similar volume compared to last year, however with so many new varieties being planted the current volume will consist of better genetics fruit.

Source: USDA Market News via Agronometrics. (Agronometrics users can view this chart with live updates here)

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All prices for US domestic produce represent the spot market at the point of shipment (ie, packinghouse/climate-controlled warehouse, etc.). For imported fruit, the price data represents the spot market at the port of entry.

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