blueberry

July is blueberry month and blueberries just happen to grow across the Pacific Northwest, with great success in Oregon!

The blueberry industry is no longer a multi-regional market but has become a global market amidst supply-chain issues.  Senior Analyst in Horticulture David Magaña is one of the key researchers in a recent Rabobank study tracking the progression of the blueberry industry over the past decade.   In shor...

The state of Oregon has been awarded $2 million in Specialty Crop Block Grant Funding for Fiscal Year 2022.  The funds from USDA will be used for 15 projects statewide.  Among the projects:   A Northwest Cider Association project to address domestic market development and access issues that will benefit up to 80 Oregon cideries. The association will ho...

The blueberry season is peaking for Northwest producers.  Brian Bocock, Vice President of Product Management at Naturipe Farms, said the season started slow this year but ramped up as growers began picking the Duke variety.  According to Bocock, the quantity has been good so far but yields have been a challenge. "The ...

Washington State University is looking for cherry and blueberry growers, as well as consultants, to participate in an advisory group for spotted wing drosophila. There are multiple grants looking at area-wide, chemical, and parasitic control of SWD. Th ...

Last week, the Department of Agriculture announced a $2.3 million investment as part of the USDA Small Business Innovation Research Program. USDA’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture recently awarded eight grants totaling $812,900 to small businesses to improve plant production and protection. Add ...

Officials with the Washington state Department of Agriculture said last week they are on the search for a nest of Asian Giant hornets. WSDA crews want to find any nests so they can be destroyed before anything happens to the local honey bee population ...

Blueberry harvest is underway across the Northwest, and growers are expecting a sharp increase in production numbers. Alan Schreiber, Executive Director of the Washington Blueberry Commission said the trend has been developing for some time ...

Scientists at Washington State University have teamed up for a $12.8 million research effort, funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to reveal genes and valuable traits for new and tastier blueberries and cranberries.   Washington is one of the top berry producing states in the U.S.  ...

Mechanical harvesters.   Typically when we discuss that technology, focus turns to the tree fruit industry, or vine and plant fruit crops, such as grapes and berries, bound for processing.   However, researchers at Washington State University and a host of other Land Grant institutions continue to push for harvesters that can pull fruit destined for fresh markets.  WSU’s L...