US (OR): Early blueberry season overlaps with eastern seasons

Warm weather during spring pushed the start of this year's blueberry harvest ahead by about two weeks. Adding to the fast start was the presence of few rainy days, which left a clear window for growers to pick berries. In addition to an early start, growers are expecting volumes of fruit slightly greater than those that were picked last season.

“I think we're going to be slightly above last year's crop,” said Mark Hurst of HBF International. “That's not because of a bigger crop, but because of new plantings coming into production. Most growers are harvesting about the same or a little more than last year, but new plantings will probably make the total come up a little more than last year.” Oregon's growers harvested close to 42 million pounds of blueberries last year, and Hurst estimated that this year's total could reach up to 45 million pounds. The slight bump in production certainly didn't help with the sluggish prices that were offered during the start of the season, though there were other factors that likely had more to do with early low prices.

“There's a large blueberry industry in the East that was late this year,” said Hurst. “So with Oregon starting earlier and other growers going later, we clashed more than we normally clash.” But he added that the market firmed up as the season progressed. As of July 30, prices for blueberries out of Washington and Oregon were in the range of $13 to $16, according to the USDA, with demand reported as moderate.

“Prices weren't that great at the peak of the season, and I think it's just timing,” explained Hurst. “It seems like we hit bottom earlier this season, around the first week of July, but that will correct itself later in the season.”

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