New Jersey Blueberry Advisory Council champions NJ blueberries

With blueberries being a signature crop for New Jersey growers, everyone is excited that the season is just about here. After all, New Jersey has a rich history of blueberry production and is an ideal region for growing the popular fruit.

“Things are looking really good right now, with our first harvest going to be about June 10,” said Denny Doyle, chairman of the New Jersey Blueberry Industry Advisory Council. “Those in the Southern region, the Hamilton region, will start even sooner.”

In 2023, New Jersey had a big crop of blues, and things were rolling along really strong, but about mid-season, large storms hit and that was very disruptive.

“It was very regional and certain areas got a lot more rain than other areas,” Doyle said. “The overall result was it got pretty tough out here for fresh, and New Jersey is really a large fresh packing state.”

New Jersey’s average crop size is around 40 million pounds, according to Doyle, who noted 32 million are fresh and 8 million frozen.

“This year, we anticipate a great balance, the relationship between leaves and new growth and fruit is just wonderful this year,” Doyle said. “Some years, we get more of a vegetative growth and it shortens up the crop, or some years, it’s so heavy, the blueberry plant has some difficulty.”

Most of the blueberries grown in the state head to big box stores and a variety of traditional retailers on the East Coast, as well as to farm stands and farmers markets throughout the region.

“We go all across the U.S., with our target markets including Chicago, Minneapolis and all around the Detroit area until Michigan starts,” Doyle said. “We reach Canada, and so it’s big business there until the Vancouver crop comes in. There’s a rule with the Canadian government that once those Vancouver berries start, they chase us out. They protect their own blueberry growers.”

Labor remains an issue with New Jersey growers, but another big challenge in 2024 is tied to legislative issues.

“We are in the midst of a Heat Stress Bill right now which is being talked about in Trenton where anything above 80 degrees, we would have to pull our pickers out of the field,” Doyle said. “That is an issue that is of high concern with us at this point and time because it could be really disruptive. It doesn’t take much for New Jersey to get to 80 degrees.”

Other regulatory issues are popping up as well, and Doyle wishes the New Jersey Blueberry Industry Advisory Council and other ag experts would be included in some of the early talks.

“Agriculture here in the state is not as high as it used to be, but it’s still very important,” he said.

New Jersey has a rich history of growing blueberries, being among the first states to grow them back in the 1800s.

“Our flavor profile here in New Jersey has always been excellent,” Doyle said. “It’s such a vast array of different varieties of things coming out.”

The New Jersey Blueberry Industry Advisory Council has plenty of promotional ideas this year to help New Jersey growers, including flying a banner down on the shore and promoting blues on billboards throughout the state.

“We’re excited to give our consumers a wonderful experience with our berries,” Doyle said. “We’re working real hard to make that the best berry they’ve ever eaten.”