Maine's blueberry farmers could be imperiled
Photo / Lori Valigra
Maine's wild blueberry industry faces competitive challenges from cultivated blueberries as well as a steep decline in the price paid to farmers.
The low price of Maine wild blueberries may drive some growers out of business.
The Associated Press reported that the price paid to farmers dropped from about $1 a pound in 2011 to 25 to 30 cents last year.
Wild blueberries are smaller and, some argue, more flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. But Maine officials say wild blueberry growers in Washington and Hancock counties are seeing annual losses of $70 million.
While the number of growers and acreage devoted to blueberries has held steady, farmers have been hurt in some unexpected ways. For example, the AP reported, the number of bees imported to Maine to pollinate blueberry crops declined by 20% between 2015-16, said David Yarborough, a horticulture professor at the University of Maine.
Gov. Paul LePage’s proposed budget that would use $2.5 million to market agricultural products, including blueberries.
“These are challenging times for the blueberry industry,” Homer Woodward, vice president of Jasper Wyman & Son, told the AP. “Everyone is trying to rethink their farm management plan.”
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