It’s blueberry season in Michigan. This year’s crop is shaping up to be a good one, in volume and flavor.
Michigan accounts for about one-fifth of the American blueberry market. Nearly 20 thousand acres of plants is expected to produce about 90 million pounds of blueberries this year.
There were some problems early in the season with heavy rainfall keeping some growers from getting fungicides out. And also with sunscald when the weather got really hot.
Mark Longstroth is a small fruit educator with the Michigan State University extension service. He says now they have other problems.
“Now we’ve got good volume and good quality, good flavor fruit and the big problem is just getting it off the bush as fast as it’s ripening.”
Longstroth says some growers are having difficulties getting enough pickers. Blueberries for the fresh market are usually picked by hand because they’re a pretty delicate fruit.
He says there may also be some issues with timing irrigation with picking as little to no rain across the state means growers will have to water their bushes and they can’t do that with workers in the field.