Berry growers in British Columbia are busy picking, packing and shipping berries. Growers like Driediger Farms say that all berries, with the exception of blackberries, are just about at their peak and volumes are good.
"We started receiving blueberries from one of our growers around June 14, while the first pick blueberries from our fields was on June 19," said Rhonda Driediger of Driediger Farms. "For strawberries, we finished our first harvest and have just begun the second harvest. With raspberries also in the middle of their peak, we are seeing good volumes on all berry varieties and shipping all the way to eastern Canada and the United States."
Good pollination results in large sized berries
During the late spring and early summer, British Columbia enjoyed some ideal berry growing conditions. Only in July did growers face some difficulty with rain causing production to slow and to make life more difficult when it came to harvesting. However, growers are pleased with overall conditions, which has resulted in large-sized fruit.
"Most of June was great," Driediger recalled. "At the end of June, beginning of July, there was a bit of a struggle with rain. It was intermittent and resulted in sporadic picking. However, fruit quality is excellent and sizing is phenomenal - the berries are huge! We had a good amount of time for pollination, and as a result, our crop is producing large-sized berries this year."
She continued by describing the company's blueberry crop, which is their largest by volume. "We are picking Dukes right now and shortly will move onto blue crop. This year's crop is expected to be big, and this is the case with all other subsequent varieties we grow."
Market is good, especially for the East Coast
Some of the US growing regions are seeing more moderate volumes and weather factors in places like Michigan is resulting in a delayed harvest. Therefore, supplies are more strained and the market is strong. Additionally, inventories of frozen berries are reportedly low. Growers in BC are in a good position to benefit from this.
"The market is good so far," Driediger explained. "The New Jersey crop has passed its peak and the Michigan berries are yet to arrive in any great volume. As a result, we are looking forward to a good market, particularly on the East Coast. Frozen inventories are also low and this should provide us with a nice, smooth and steady market for the balance of the season."
For more information:
Rhonda Driediger
Driediger Farms
Ph: +1 (604) 888-1685
rhonda@driedigerfarms.com
www.driedigerfarms.com
www.blueridgeproduce.com