new-eng-general-agriculture
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New England Agricultural Statistics Service
- - - a field office of the
      National Agricultural Statistics Service
      United States Department of Agriculture

Aubrey R. Davis, Director  Phone: (603) 224-9639
22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor      Fax: (603) 225-1434
PO Box 1444             Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/
Concord, NH 03302-1444    E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov
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Maine Wild Blueberries July 2005
     			    

July 29, 2005

The following is an abbreviated version of the report.
The entire document is available as a PDF file on
the Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/
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A special "THANK YOU" goes to approximately 400 Maine 
Wild Blueberry growers and processors who have helped 
us by completing the wild blueberry survey during May and July.


BELOW AVERAGE CROP EXPECTED


Maine's 2005 wild (lowbush) blueberry crop is expected to total 70.0 million pounds, 
based on grower reported condition of the crop through mid-July. If realized, this forecast 
places expected production 52 percent above last year's output of 46.0 million pounds, 
but 13 percent below 2003 final production, and seven percent below the five year average 
crop of 75.0 million pounds.
 
Winter kill appeared minimal on the 2005 wild blueberry crop due to adequate snow cover 
throughout the winter; however, cool weather this spring delayed crop development and 
bloom by one to two weeks.  Excessive rainfall in April and May created ideal conditions 
for blight and mummyberry, which  are  appearing  widespread  across  the  state.
Wet weather in May also caused poor, spotty pollination in many areas, but some 
growers reported good luck with pollination in early June when sunny weather 
finally arrived in conjunction with a late bloom.  Dry weather in June and July 
has growers reporting that this years crop will be average to below average.

2004 Prices Revised:  The average price per pound for Maine wild blueberries 
sold for processing in 2004 was 45 cents, a 12 cent increase over a year earlier.  
The average fresh market price per pound for Maine wild blueberries was $1.35 in 2004, 
15 cents higher than in 2003.  The total value of Maines 2004 wild blueberry 
crop (fresh and processed) was placed at $21.0 million, down 22 percent from the 2003 
value, due to decreased production.


WILD BLUEBERRY COMMENTS 2005 BY COUNTY, AS REPORTED ON THE GROWER SURVEY

CUMBERLAND, OXFORD, YORK: May/June in southern Maine had only 3 days for pollination! 
Flea beetle problem; will not harvest unless price of berries goes up. Wintered well, 
but heavy spring rains prevented spring work (tractor would get stuck in mud) and it 
rained through pollination. Blight and rain. Looking alright but lots of rain in spring. 
Bad year. A lot of blossom blight. Fence around the crop to keep land critters 
out & balloons for birds, but the birds do take lots of blueberries. Very poor 
bloom this year - excessive rain. Mummyberry, flea beetle damage. Good year, 
bearing lots of fruit. 

FRANKLIN, KENNEBEC, LINCOLN: Almost nothing was harvested; bad blight. 
The blueberry crop was VERY sparse last year; this year looks like it is going 
to be a much better year than last year; the pollination period was during a nice 
warm period so we think things will be very good. A damp May hindered pollination, 
crop looks to be average; red box berries will be a problem. Plenty of moisture 
resulted in poor weather for pollination; cold and wet, thus bees couldn't pollinate; 
Some early ones fell off. Wet spring caused poor pollination and problems with 
mummyberry and turkeys. Plenty of rain, does not look good at all. Too much grass and turkeys! 
Too much rain during pollination- crop looks spotty; berries very late and tiny. 
Too wet during pollination, looks like a small crop with a bad case of blight; some 
winter kill and bug damage. Not looking good; some patches mummyberries; wet 
pollination season 3 out of 4 weeks. 

KNOX: Good moisture and although weather during early pollination was poor 
the crop seems average. Worst fruit set I have ever seen because of lack of 
good pollinating weather. Bad weather during pollination; rain and heat resulting 
in very spotty pollination - one clone loaded with medium sized berries, next 
clone minimal fruit set; mummyberry and botrytis problems; disease control was hampered 
by poor 2004 crop. Too much moisture this spring affected pollination. Poor pollination 
weather. No winter damage - bloom was heavy but due to cold, rainy weather the bees 
didn't work during the proper time; have some mummyberry. Winter very cold, lots of 
moisture, bees couldn't pollinate due to cold and rain. Despite rain, wind and cold 
during most of the time bees were working pollination seems good; berries are late; set 
fly traps July 11. Blight and poor pollination. Heavy blossom blight. Expecting a poor 
crop; light bloom, poor pollination; the weather was too cold then too 
hot--weird weather--too much cold, early rain, then straight to 90 degrees (weird). 
Some premature ripening. Half of the crop came up with mummyberry disease. 
Everything is two weeks late; berries now just started getting blue. Very little 
winter/cold damage, insects -fleabeetle, spanworm, thrup, strawberry root weevil, 
are average; monilinia blight damage is average - treated most susceptible land, 
pollination was OK, but cold and rain kept it from being great. Poor pollination. 
20% blight. Winter injury slightly above average, quality appears very good to 
excellent at this time, moisture has been excessive but we'll need a good soaking 
again soon, disease and insect damage has been very high this year. Does not look 
good; rain during pollination, may not harvest very much at all. The lot was wet 
and green - got very poor burn, about half didn't get burned at all; expect a poor 
crop this year. 

PENOBSCOT, PISCATAQUIS, SOMERSET, WALDO: Excessive moisture during 
spring killed off some blossoms. Looks good this year with good pollination but 
could use more rain. Too long a rainy season while blueberry crop was in bloom; 
pollination window was only about 3 days and was not long enough; a good probability 
of disease and insect problems due to the wet season. Everything is so late; bees 
in but then got a week of rain; red blight, spotted blight, too wet to spray. 
Cold winter; spring very rainy; blight and mummyberry took half the berries. 
It was a pretty crappy spring, but things are looking up. Weather conditions over 
the year stressed the fields. Winter kill. Cold wet spring, late bloom - late harvest. 
Insect or disease has taken 5% of total fields. Bad pollination! Too much 
rain=no bees. The flowers were not pollinated very much by bees because of the rain; 
it's been wet and cool during the blooming time of the berries and few bees 
in the field. More mummyberry than pervious years, fields too wet to spray Velpar, 
very little pollination because of rain. Little winter damage; plenty of 
moisture but too much rain during blossom during which the bees couldn't work 
resulting in lack of berry set; some mummy berry. Expect 50% of 2003 crop. 
Bad year; good bloom but bad weather during pollination. Things were going great 
until the damp cold wet weather of May; bees weren't able to work until June 1 
and had been on since May 12. Problems with mummyberry, blight, and pollination 
because weather cool and wet. 

HANCOCK: Looks good as of 6/29/05. Heavy snow fall, and very wet all spring; 
insect problem minimal, prospect looks ok. Some winter damage on high ground; 
berries are small and not pollinated, rainfall has been good; some mummyberry 
disease - less than average crop. No significant winter damage; wet spring 
caused some blight and bees didn't work well; should be a good crop overall 
if the weather cooperates. Little winter damage; bloom was 1-2 weeks late 
due to wet spring. Will not be harvesting any for the commercial market as it 
doesn't cover the expense! Little winter damage given extensive and late (April 5) 
snow cover; very heavy rains April to mid-May. The bees had very little chance 
to do a proper pollination as it was damp, cold, foggy and rainy. Pollination 
season terrible; wet due to rain, bees lazy and even when good weather bees didn't 
work well. Little winter damage but rain, rain and more rain this spring, with a 
great deal of blossom blight and a poor chance for bees to work. Bad winter; no 
blossoms. No winter damage; wet conditions affected pollination; some flea beetle 
outbreaks; getting dry as of 7/4/05; need 3/4" rain by 7/10. 2005 spring bloom was 
very heavy but due to wet and cold conditions the blossoms simply turned brown and 
rotted on the vines; I expect a very small 2005 crop. Worried because very wet 
during pollination. Very bad year. All blighted; wish that the price would go up. 
Does not look good at all. No winter damage; however, continuous 24 hour spring 
rains until middle of June has caused heavy blight, less bloom and bees unable to 
pollinate; outlook very bleak. No winter damage; very wet spring. 15% winter damage; 
good moisture but some blight and some insect damage. So wet that bees did not 
get the job done. No money + no work = no blueberries. Several weeks of wet and 
cold; blight has caused 50% loss. Wet spring with heavy rain is not good; didn't 
get to burn last year. No pollination this spring. Some late frost damage; wet spring, 
some disease and poor pollination. Bad blight; no harvest. Several weeks cold and wet, 
blight caused 50% loss this year. Too much rain. A lot of rain damaging the crop. 
Little winter damage, heavy blossom but cold wet spring; prospect for crop should 
be average or better if we receive decent weather through this summer. Rain 
during the whole month of May; need good weather, but it has been a terrible year. 
Too much rain=no pollination. Severe blight damage everywhere, large areas 
completely wiped out, at this time, poorest crop ever seen. Late blossom, little 
frost damage. Very wet spring; bees didn't work in rain; no bees = no berries. 
Poor year. Pollination light due to rainy season. No winter damage, spring rains 
during blossom time so the bees didn't work. No winter damage, lower than expected 
pollination because of weather. Too much rain for a good crop. The plants did not 
grow like they should have, they are short. A lot of witch grass this year. 
Grass has taken over and hasnt allowed blueberries to grow. Weather was bad. 
Cold and rainy during pollination period; bees don't like the cold! 

WASHINGTON: Much rain, the bees have had a hard time; not much sun, grounds look 
like they'll bring an average crop. Very little winter damage, great bud set 
but cold wet spring caused fungus and pollination problems; above average crop; 
moisture has been adequate through June but starting to dry out. Light to medium 
blight; pollination spotty due to weather. Looks like an average crop. Cold, wet spring. 
Need water; will be starting irrigation this weekend; hope its better than last year. 
Dry spell right now, below average moisture so needs rain. Severe mummyberry problem. 
Wet weather in Maine, mummyberry abundant; there's many a slip between the 
cup and the lip! Very wet, some disease but should be a better crop then the 
past 5 years. Some winter damage, wet weather at blossom time, bees had rain 
for 2 weeks. Some winter damage, extremely wet spring caused some blossom disease, 
no insect problems yet; adequate rain so far; should be average or better crop. 
Bad blight. Some blight. Expecting an above average year for industry; pollination 
was hurt by steady rain, but a good crop that will be more than enough to affect 
next year's prices. Winter damage mild, too much moisture. Poor year, hit with blight. 
Terrible pollination; days wet and miserable. Early blossom blight. Too much rain. 
Bad pollination; way too much rain. Cold and wet during pollination. Hit pretty 
bad by winterkill this year. The weather has all but ruined the crop. Very 
little winter damage, more than average moisture. Slight winter damage, irrigation, 
no disease or insect problems. Things look bad because of rain; rotted roots. 
Snow cover all winter, bees worked very well; had no disease; bloom was late and 
very green for this time of year, 2 weeks behind. Little winter damage (good snow cover); 
too much rain caused some blight; above average crop; So far, so good. Wet spring 
will play factor in harvest and bees were out while it was raining. Not looking good 
at all! A little bit of blight and a very wet spring. Minor winter damage, very weedy, 
fields too wet to get on early; some mummyberry. Winter damage was light; poor 
pollination weather; generally average crop. Some clones got blossom blight on 
a third of their bloom. Winter damage light; pollination weather too wet; early 
fungus and blight light mostly. Spotty; too much rain when the bees needed to work. 
Heavy damage from blight and mummyberry. Some mummyberry. Bad blight and no bees 
due to rain and cold weather. Too much rain=no pollination AGAIN. Lots of rain 
and wind, pollination was not good. Not looking very good because it rained during 
the entire month of May; blight, mummy berry, and pollination problems due to the 
rain. Some spots of blight because chemicals to treat the blueberries can be expensive. 
Started with a heavy bloom but frost caused it to drop; poor year. Rain during 
pollination time; caused a lot of mummyberry. Bad year; too much rain and small 
berries. Cold wet spring but the buds looked good, areas of blight when blossoms 
came and bees didnt pollinate well because of weather. Lots of blight and winter 
kill, too much wet weather. A lot of rain and wind; pollination was not good. 
Bad weather and bad pollination; everything else is ok. Staggered pollination, 
unusually heavy bloom. Wet May set everything set back 2-3 weeks behind. 
Good snow cover, cold and wet May; 17 days of rain in a row; severe blight and 
an average crop at best. Wet spring, poor pollination. It appears that there was 
little winter damage; however, because of the heavy moisture this spring, the 
blossom quality was low and the berry set is low too. Not optimistic at all for 
this year's crop. Wet season, fields are weedy, mummyberry problems and a late 
harvest; unless July is hot and dry, price better increase or acreage will decrease. 
Very poor year; too much rain and no pollination. Not very much winter kill; 
cold and damp during blossom time, some mummyberry damage. Very little winter damage, 
quality looks good this year. Crop is a week behind. Little winter damage; some 
blossom blight; moisture adequate until now; looks like an average to somewhat 
better than average crop. High percentage of blight; continuous rain in spring, 
no opportunity to spray organic fungicide; about 30% of fields affected. Blight 
light to medium; pollination spotty, more than average pinheads. Moisture has 
been plenty so far, if it continues should be good berries but not a lot of them. 
Everything is a little late this year but other than that it all looks ok. Some 
areas of mummyberry damage. Too much rainfall during development period, bees 
didn't have a chance to work; too much predation from wild turkeys, gulls, bears 
and other wildlife. Little bit of blight and poor pollination. Very little winter 
damage but a lot of blight and mummyberry. No winter damage on any of the crop 
lots; on one lot, there are an unusual amount of weeds-barren berry, broken fern, 
bunch berry and surrell-probably making essentially half the lot as non-harvestable. 
Too much rainy weather, bees couldn't work but bushes seem to have small berries 
started; amount of harvest is questionable. Rain for 23 days straight caused 
pollination problems and then fungal problems; we could still have an average 
crop if good weather persists. Spots of frost damage on some fields and berries 
look behind for this time of year. No noticeable winter damage; too much moisture; 
mummyberry; poor crop harvest expected; too early to tell quality. Not looking 
good now, started good and now turning brown; less than normal expected. Winter 
damage light; poor pollination weather; generally an average crop. Too much rain; 
water standing in the fields in places; impossible for machinery to go into 
the fields in some areas; spots of mummyberry. Unusual year for grass because 
of wet spring. Some fruit fly; poor pollination; only 4 days without rain. A lot 
of mummyberry. The berries are small because they are late so predict a poor year.


Aubrey R. Davis, Director 
Gerald Tillman, Deputy Director 
John Miyares, Statistician                         
Carrie Ross, Summer Intern
Deirdre Davis, Statistical Assistant


*****************end of report*******************************