BlueberriesWill Eberwein

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History and Overview

• Blueberries are native to North America

• 1916 The first commercial crop of blueberries sold

• Whitesbog, N.J.

• Northern Highbush is most common variety planted for commercial production

• Sold as fresh, frozen, dried

• Also used in pet food and cosmetics

• North Carolina ranked 7th in U.S. blueberry production (2012 ag census)

HighbushRabbiteye

Commercial Blueberry Production

North Carolina Blueberry Production

• 2015 figures:

• $58.2 Million

• 39.1 million pounds

• 5500 acres harvested

• Many commercial and small-market operations

U.S. Production Locations U.S. Imports

Blueberry Imports and Exports

• 2014 United States imports:

• Net importer of blueberries

• 234.7 million pounds (fresh) valued at $530.5 million

• 60% of fresh blueberries came from Chile

• 20% of fresh blueberries came from Canada

• 2014 United States exports:

• 79 million pounds (fresh) valued at $138 million

• 56 million pounds (frozen) valued at $72 million

• Sent mostly to Canada and Japan

Sourceshttps://growingsmallfarms.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Cline-Blueberry-16feb2013.pdf?fwd=no

http://www.ncagr.gov/stats/crops/Ranking.pdf

https://blueberries.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/NC-Blueberries-Overview.pdf?fwd=no

https://www.blueberrycouncil.org/about-blueberries/history-of-blueberries/

https://blueberries.ces.ncsu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2012/10/evaluating-the-profitability-of-blueberry-production.pdf?fwd=no

https://blueberries.ces.ncsu.edu/blueberries-nc-blueberry-statistics/

https://www.agmrc.org/commodities-products/fruits/blueberries/