Wild Blueberry Technical Assistance Curriculum David Yarborough, the University of Maine

CanadianCultivated

Wild Blueberry Production and Price Maine Process Market Million pounds MaineField Price

The Future of Wild Blueberries Competition from Cultivated blueberries and Canada will continue Prices will be similar or less for the processed berries Increases in production to reduce production costs per pound will be necessary to stay competitive Investment in improved production and eliminating practices that give poor returns will be necessary Alternatives such as fresh market, value added or organic production need to be considered

Blueberry Enterprise Budget Fact Sheet No. 260 UMCE No On web at in fact sheet section or paper copy at your County Cooperative Extension Office Budgets list the costs and returns of production to help you make wise management decisions

Reducing pruning costs By mowing and Harvest cost by Mechanical harvesting Reduced cost of production From $0.39 to $0.26 per pound Increasing fertilizer, herbicides, Pollination and fungicides improved the yield from 2197 to 4123 lb/a Grower reduced land from 500 to 400 acres to improve efficiency

Uses for the Enterprise Budget Identifying the costs and returns in your operation will help you direct your resources where they will provide the best return. Identifying fields that lose money and removing them from production will improve the return for your operation. It is not only the cost but what return you get for it that is important. The Production Efficiency segment will focus on identifying the best production practices to improve the efficiency of your wild blueberry operation.

Improving Production Efficiency Reducing the costs of inputs only part of the process Identifying and investing in the inputs that give you the best return Preventing loss of insect or disease protects your investment

Maine production vs acres, hives and irrigated acres AcresHarvest(5 yr average) x million Hives x 1000Irrigated acres X 1000 Improving Production Efficiency

Quality Introduction

Five Factors You Can Control to improve quality There are five factors you can control. 1. Raking 2. Winnowing 3. Tote Color and Filling 4. Holding time 5. Holding Temperature

Market Alternatives- Introduction 99% of Maine blueberries sold to processors Increased return from: Cooperatives Fresh market Direct Market Pick your own Value Added Organic production Diversify Products

Market Alternatives Develop alternative markets or enterprises Need to consider marketing alternatives to processor sales or diversify in order to increase income for your wild blueberry enterprise.

Program Results Survey was sent following the blueberry harvest in late summer of 2004 to 91 producers Of the 91 surveys sent, 50 were returned for a 55% response rate

Program Results Of the 50 respondents, 33 received their Technical Assistance Training in group meetings or counties were group meetings were held and 16 in smaller sessions or one-on-one.

Program Results Asked to rate the usefulness of the information they received (1 being low and 5 being excellent), only three producers said the information was of little or no value. The remainder, 43 producers, rated the TA information average or above in terms of its usefulness with thirteen rating it at 5, the highest rating.

Program Results Conclusion This financial assistance and training provided to Maine wild blueberry growers will give them the educational resources to produce a wild blueberry crop that will be competitive with Canadian wild blueberries and other cultivated blueberries produced in North America.