Early blueberry season may lead to record breaking year, June 25

One of the earliest blueberry harvests in decades is now underway in Oregon and, by the end of the season, it could be one for the record books. A mild winter and spring has led to excellent growing conditions. Combined with an increase in acres planted in blueberries, everything is ripe for a giant crop of the usual high-quality fruit. “This could be the year we finally hit the 100 million pound mark for Oregon blueberry production,” says Bryan Ostlund, administrator of the Oregon Blueberry Commission. “The Pacific Northwest, in general, is off the charts with blueberry production this year and it’s exciting to see.” The old record for Oregon blueberry production was set in 2013 at about 93 million pounds. Last year, production dropped a bit as hot weather reduced yields. Considering that less than 50 million pounds were produced a decade ago– and even that was a record at the time– well, it’s easy to see that these are heady times for Oregon blueberry growers. “Our blueberry industry has truly been one of the bright spots in Oregon agriculture for more than a decade,” says Oregon Department of Agriculture Director Katy Coba. “It’s not every day you find a commodity that has shown the kind of rapid growth in production that we’ve seen with our blueberries.” Blueberries continue to be an Oregon success story, even if the state has lost a little ground in national rankings. About 9,300 acres produced 86.1 million pounds at a value of more than $106 million. Georgia emerged as the national leader in blueberry production followed by Washington, Michigan, then Oregon. But this could be the year the state emerges as the nation’s top blueberry producer, or close to it.