Mike Klackle, part of the blueberry sales team at Curry & Co. in Brooks, OR, said this year’s blueberry season is shaping up well. “On the marketing side, the window looks to be pretty dynamic,” he told The Produce News June 11. “It looks to be an interesting season.”

According to the Oregon Blueberry Commission, the state’s producers are expected to harvest over 70 million pounds of the fruit this season. If reached, the volume will be another production record.

“Oregon growers routinely realize the highest crop yields per acre compared to any other state, an estimated 10,000 pounds per acre,” the commission’s website states. “Oregon farms range from large operations that ship their crop to both national and international buyers to small family farms with less than 10 acres offering on-farm sales.”

For the first time, domestic blueberry producers will be moving product to South Korea. All eyes are focused on Oregon, the first and only state in the nation to have executed such a fresh market agreement.

Renwick Wachenfeld of West Hollywood, CA, floral designer for Gelson’s Markets, a 17-store upscale chain with headquarters in Encino, CA, won the Iron Designer contest June 22 at the International Floriculture Expo. He led a field of seven designers from the United States and the Netherlands who had only 20 minutes, a surprise package of flowers, a vase and other ingredients, and the theme of “Romantic Love” to guide them.

Among the 140 education sessions at the OFA Short Course in Columbus, OH, July 14-17, will be 30 for garden centers. The show is expected to draw 10,000 growers, suppliers, wholesalers and retailers and offer 1,500 exhibits at the Greater Columbus Convention Center.

Sessions on topics such as water scarcity, wildlife control, post-harvest care, social media and how to hold on to the family tree farm are on the minds of Christmas tree growers and on the agenda when they meet in Sacramento, CA, Aug. 8-11 for the National Christmas Tree Association Convention & Trade Show.