Wild Blueberry Technical Assistance Curriculum

1. Wild Blueberry Technical Assistance Curriculum David Yarborough, the University of Maine

4. Blueberry Production North America 250 200 150 100 50 0 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 Million pounds Maine Canadian Cultivated

5. Wild Blueberry Production and Price Maine Process Market 120 100 80 60 40 20 0 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 Million pounds Maine Field Price

6. The Future of Wild Blueberries Competition from Cultivated blueberries and Canada will continue Prices will be similar or less for the processed berries Increases in production to reduce production costs per pound will be necessary to stay competitive Investment in improved production and eliminating practices that give poor returns will be necessary Alternatives such as fresh market, value added or organic production need to be considered

13. Blueberry Enterprise Budget Fact Sheet No. 260 UMCE No. 2016 On web at http://www.wildblueberries.maine.edu in fact sheet section or paper copy at your County Cooperative Extension Office Budgets list the costs and returns of production to help you make wise management decisions

14. Reducing pruning costs By mowing and Harvest cost by Mechanical harvesting Reduced cost of production From $0.39 to $0.26 per pound Increasing fertilizer, herbicides, Pollination and fungicides improved the yield from 2197 to 4123 lb/a Grower reduced land from 500 to 400 acres to improve efficiency

15. Uses for the Enterprise Budget Identifying the costs and returns in your operation will help you direct your resources where they will provide the best return. Identifying fields that lose money and removing them from production will improve the return for your operation. It is not only the cost but what return you get for it that is important. The Production Efficiency segment will focus on identifying the best production practices to improve the efficiency of your wild blueberry operation.

16. Improving Production Efficiency Reducing the costs of inputs only part of the process Identifying and investing in the inputs that give you the best return Preventing loss of insect or disease protects your investment

17. Improving Production Efficiency Maine production vs acres, hives and irrigated acres 80 Acres Harvest(5 yr average) x million Hives x 1000 Irrigated acres X 1000 60 40 20 0 1980 1990 2000

18. Quality Introduction

19. Five Factors You Can Control to improve quality There are five factors you can control. 1. Raking 2. Winnowing 3. Tote Color and Filling 4. Holding time 5. Holding Temperature

20. Market Alternatives- Introduction 99% of Maine blueberries sold to processors Increased return from: Cooperatives Fresh market Direct Market Pick your own Value Added Organic production Diversify Products

21. Market Alternatives Develop alternative markets or enterprises Need to consider marketing alternatives to processor sales or diversify in order to increase income for your wild blueberry enterprise.

22. ProgramResults Survey was sent following the blueberry harvest in late summer of 2004 to 91 producers Of the 91 surveys sent, 50 were returned for a 55% response rate

23. ProgramResults Of the 50 respondents, 33 received their Technical Assistance Training in group meetings or counties were group meetings were held and 16 in smaller sessions or one-on-one.

24. ProgramResults Asked to rate the usefulness of the information they received (1 being low and 5 being excellent), only three producers said the information was of little or no value. The remainder, 43 producers, rated the TA information average or above in terms of its usefulness with thirteen rating it at 5, the highest rating.

25. ProgramResults Conclusion This financial assistance and training provided to Maine wild blueberry growers will give them the educational resources to produce a wild blueberry crop that will be competitive with Canadian wild blueberries and other cultivated blueberries produced in North America.