new-eng-general-agriculture
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New England Agricultural Statistics 
- - - a field office of the
      National Agricultural Statistics Service
      United States Department of Agriculture

Gary R. Keough, Director   Phone: (603) 224-9639
22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor      Fax: (603) 225-1434
PO Box 1444             Internet: http://www.nass.usda.gov/
Concord, NH 03302-1444    E-Mail: nass-nh@nass.usda.gov
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 		Maine Wild Blueberries
  		    January 2006
                      
		January 26, 2006

The following is an abbreviated version of the report.
The entire document is available as a PDF file on
the Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/
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A special "THANK YOU" goes to Maine Wild Blueberry growers 
and processors who have helped us by completing wild 
blueberry surveys during 2005.

FINAL 2005 BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION BELOW AVERAGE, PRICES EXPECTED TO RISE

MAINE WILD BLUEBERRY CROP:  Maine’s 2005 wild blueberry crop 
totaled 58.5 million pounds, an increase of 27 percent above 2004 
output, and 27 percent below 2003 production.

The price for processing berries in 2005 is expected to average 60 cents per 
pound, an increase of fifteen cents from 2004.  If realized, this would 
place the 2005 processing value at $34.9 million, compared with $20.6 million 
the previous year.

Winter kill appeared minimal on Maine’s 2005 wild blueberry crop 
due to adequate snow cover throughout the winter. Cool weather this 
spring delayed crop development and bloom by one to two weeks.  
Excessive rainfall in April and May created ideal conditions for blight 
and mummyberry, which were widespread across the state.  Wet weather 
in May also caused poor, spotty pollination in many areas.  Some 
growers reported good luck with pollination in early June when sunny 
weather finally arrived in conjunction with a late bloom.  By the 
end of July, the crop was under stress from lack of moisture.  
Berry size remained small and light yields were reported.  Many small 
growers decided not to harvest at all this year, citing difficulty in 
finding rakers this season after the poor 2004 crop.

NORTH AMERICAN WILD BLUEBERRY CROP:  According to Frank Drummond at the 
University of Maine Cooperative Extension, wild blueberry production in 
Maritime Canada was expected to decrease in 2005.  Growers in Nova Scotia 
reported final production at 31.5 million pounds, well below their five-year 
average of 40 million pounds.  Problems with disease due to the wet 
spring and winter kill contributed to reduced yields in Nova Scotia.  
Prince Edward Island produced 8 million pounds, a slight decrease from 2004, 
but still above 2003 production.  Growers in the Province reported 
problems with frost and hail during the growing season.  Final production 
data for Quebec, New Brunswick, and Newfoundland was unavailable at the 
time of publication; however, preliminary forecasts from the North American 
Blueberry Council suggested the wild blueberry crop in these provinces 
would be slightly lower than the previous year.  Producers in New Brunswick 
cited poor pollination as the primary reason for reduced production.

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