Canada: Blueberry Growers Harvest Largest Volume in Years

Blueberry growers in eastern Prince Edward Island (PEI) are finishing off a great crop, with some calling it the best crop they've ever had.

Benny Nabuurs, president of the PEI Wild Blueberry Growers Association (PEIWBGA), says his yields are significantly higher than the last two years and overall strong industry-wide. In the middle of last week, he only had one field left to harvest.

“We had a tough couple of days, too wet to harvest, but for the most part, everyone was able to go every day.”

If anything, the harvest season is taking a little longer than usual this year due to the large number of berries, he said.

Mr. Nabuurs' fields stretch from Selkirk in the northeast to Belle River in the southwest of the region, and yields have been very consistent from field to field.

He estimated they're up about 20 percent from 2021, but two years ago is the best comparison, as blueberries have one bud year and one harvest year.

“It's definitely better than two years ago. We had problems with frost and really dry weather (in 2020).”

Mr. Nabuurs started his 100-acre harvest on August 18 and, like many, has been using custom combines to finish it off.

Terrence MacDonald of Savage Harbor finished harvesting about 180 acres on Sept. 6 and said it's the best blueberry crop he's produced in 20 years in the business.

"The harvest is good, it looks like the price will be pretty fair, the weather was beautiful, life is good."

He said growers like him didn't realize when they started how long it would take for blueberry fields to mature and reach their full potential. The industry is getting to that point now, he added.

Mr. MacDonald custom grows for other growers and has seen good returns everywhere.

Although it was a “great growing season,” he would like Canada to approve the use of cranberry herbicides in the US, which it considers better and safer, in part to better treat fescue grass.

At East Isle Farms in the Souris area, John and Pam MacDonald are also getting good yields on the 250 to 260 acres being harvested this year.

Ms. MacDonald said they are also using custom harvesters in an effort to get the rest of the harvest.

“This is frost weather and we have been hit by frost before this time,” he said. "So we're pushing things."

Their harvest started in mid to late August and so far they have no complaints about the weather.

One of his custom pickers is Edwin McKie of Howe Bay, who has already finished his own harvest after starting on August 11.

“Inland fields had about the same (yields) as two years ago. The ones closer to shore were in most cases better,” he said.

He helps Bragg Lumber (Oxford Frozen Foods) with the harvest and they do all of their spraying, he added.

JoAnn Pineau, executive manager of the PEIWBGA, said growers received about 90 cents a pound for last year's crop, which varies by quantity and shipment. The association expects an increase this year, but that number won't be available until around November.

“Our frozen inventories appear to be low ahead of harvest, which is generally a positive sign for prices, so we are optimistic,” he said.

In 2020, the last year these same fields were harvested, wild blueberry yields totaled 18,6 million pounds, according to the Department of Agriculture and Lands, with some growers reporting a 50 percent drop in yield compared to to an average year.

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