Climate change pushes the limits of berry production

North American berry companies test Canadian growing conditions in response to climate and cost challenges.

Major US soft fruit companies, Driscoll's and Naturipe Farms, have begun commercial production trials in Canada as part of efforts to diversify their growing regions.

According to a report by Reuters , the two companies are growing in Ontario and Quebec to see if the provinces offer an effective alternative to California, which has been hit by drought and water shortages.

Soren Bjorn, president of Driscoll's of the Americas, said that while cooler weather would normally limit production, local demand and challenges in traditional growing regions are forcing the company to evaluate alternatives.

“We've probably been to most of the obvious places in the world. We are now moving into more challenging territory,” said Bjorn.

"We're looking at all of our hotspots trying to figure out what's likely to happen 25 or 50 years from now and what the implications of that are."

Brian Bocock, vice president of sales and product management for Naturipe Farms, which is piloting blueberry and raspberry production in Quebec and Ontario, said rising logistics costs are another reason to move closer to the end consumer.

The tests are still in their early stages, but Himanshu Gupta, chief executive of Climate AI, which works with Driscoll's and models the effect of extreme business, said there is an advantage to moving first.

"Climate change is disrupting agriculture and affecting their income and profits," Gupta said.

“Adaptation will drive winners. The ones that can adapt the fastest are the ones that will end up winning the market.”

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