OTTAWA COUNTY, Mich. — (Grand Haven Tribune) - With blueberries ripe for the picking, Ottawa County is already primed for a season just as strong as last year.
The Michigan Farm Bureau says this year’s blueberry crop is on par with last season, which means that industry farmers and smaller U-pick farms have their sights set on a fruitful summer.
Audrey Sebolt, the associate horticulture and industry relations specialist for the Farm Bureau, said this week’s crop estimate places Michigan in a similar spot to last year. Overall, farmers generally see 200 million to 250 million pounds over the season.
This year, blueberries seem to have survived early freezes and the recent heatwave, which is a good sign.
“We were a little concerned because of the Mother’s Day weekend freeze,’” Sebolt said. “But blueberries blossom a little bit later, so I think they had very little damage.”
As the season unfurls, growers are harvesting Duke and bluecrop berries – with bluecrop making up 26 percent of blueberry acreage in Michigan. Moving down the line, Sebolt said Jersey berries will ripen next, with 27 percent of Michigan’s acreage growing that variety, followed by Elliot with 19 percent. Beyond that, 23 percent of the state’s blueberry acreage consists of more than 16 varieties of the berries, which leads to a lot of local diversity and helps smaller operations diversify their businesses.
Based on the 2018 Michigan Blueberry Survey, 21,700 acres of farmland are dedicated to blueberries between the 505 farms that answered, ranking Michigan fourth in the country on production behind Washington, Oregon and Georgia. Within Michigan, Sebolt said Ottawa County (6,100 acres of blueberries) is right behind Van Buren County (8,900 acres) in production, primarily because Ottawa has many smaller farms over large operations.
In Spring Lake, Stacey Bisacky said that Bisacky Blueberry Farms started its season July 17 with a record opening weekend. The self-serve U-pick farm of 5,000 berry bushes saw a full field of cars and families out picking. Between the nice weather and solid harvest, Bisacky said she is optimistic.
“We’re off to a really fantastic start,” she said earlier this week. “The bluecrop is everybody’s favorite and that was opened first. … We had a lot of pickers this weekend.”
Health concerns are lessened at U-pick farms, as people spread out to gather their berries. Providing sanitizer and ensuring customers are staying distant is key.
“I wasn’t super nervous because this is a naturally social-distancing activity, which is I think why we’ve been so busy,” Bisacky said. “It’s because it’s something people can do outside. They don’t have to wear a mask when they’re out in the field just with their family picking. We’ve noticed that everyone so far has been super respectful of each other.”
Statewide, Sebolt said COVID-19 hasn’t disturbed the blueberry industry much. However, larger farms are struggling with labor demands as 61 percent of Michigan blueberries are still hand harvested. Sebolt said she suspects the 39 percent of the blueberry crop harvested by machines will only increase.
However, with many smaller U-pick farms, better weather a bit inland means Ottawa County will see fresh berries in droves.
More stories on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
RELATED VIDEO:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.
