Two of the leading blueberry-producing states in the southeastern United States - Florida and Georgia - are experiencing delayed starts to their seasons, with production volumes expected to decline.

In Florida, production is spread across three distinct regions: South, Central, and Northern Florida.

In recent years, the southern region has shifted from deciduous to evergreen varieties, with about 90% of the region now producing evergreen trees. Central Florida has approximately 60% deciduous and 40% evergreen trees, while northern Florida has around 90% deciduous and 10% evergreen trees.

Michael Hill, the CEO and owner of H&A Farms, which has operations in Florida and Georgia, told Freshfruitportal.com that production in Florida's southern region was down around 40% compared to its typical production. 

"We are not exactly sure why that was, but we did have hurricane damage, and the season started slow," Hill said. 

H&A Farms works with over 60 growers in both states and harvests more than 10 million pounds of blueberries annually.

Hill noted that the shift to evergreen production is creating a more extended harvest window without a sharp peak.

"I think this will be a recurring theme in Florida, with more elongated production," he said.

Central Florida

As the season advances, the state's central region comes into production; however, this year, it started late as well, with peak volumes in weeks 16 and 17 instead of the usual 14 and 15. 

"We were about ten days behind, but the volume was what we projected it to be," Hill indicated. 

A similar trend occurred in North Florida, with peak production between 16 and 18, behind typical volume. 

Overall state production and impact on the market

Hill said the state's total production will probably be down 25% this year, mainly due to the drop in production in the South. 

However, "this created a strong market, where we could keep pricing high throughout April, above past years, so overall grower returns should be higher."

Hill estimates that north Florida is currently 65% through its total crop, past its peak, and should continue towards next week. 

"This season, Florida will probably produce around 17,5 million pounds of blueberries," Hill said. 

Blueberry sales and consumption

Most of the blueberries produced by H&A are sold in North America, with some volume being sent to Canada. In the U.S., the company distributes throughout the country. 

"We are seeing an increase in consumption all over the country," Hill said.

Georgia

The state of Georgia is a more prominent blueberry grower than Florida. It has higher volumes and a season that starts a bit later, which tends to overlap with the final weeks of the Florida season. 

However, Hill said the state also started around two weeks late this year compared to previous years. May is the peak season for Georgia's fruit, with around 85% of the crop produced in May. 

"Typically, there is a big overlap between both states, but there won't be much this year," he said. "In past years, when Georgia would start around week 16, the market would be unstable and pricing would drop below where it should be. However, with the later start this year, I think the market will stay strong throughout May and continue into June."

This leads Hill to believe that grower returns in Georgia should also be better this season. 

Georgia production volume

Overall, volume out of the state will also be down this season, especially on early varieties like Star, Rebel, and others, with a drop of around 30%. 

Week 20 will probably offer the highest volume of blueberries from Georgia, and Hill believes "the market demand is strong enough to get through the peak, setting up for a strong summer."

Hill indicated that the full Georgia crop will be down 20 to 25% from last year. 

However, the difference with last year is that since the market was flooded with fruit, a lot of fruit had to go to the processed and frozen market. 

"This year, even though the total crop will drop, the numbers for fresh sales will remain, while frozen production will be reduced because the fresh market is very strong," he explained. 

The season in Georgia should extend until early July. 

Looking ahead at Southeastern blueberry production

Asked about his view on the future of both states, Hill explained that Florida has been focusing on changing to better and higher-quality varieties during the last five years, especially with the breeding program of the University of Florida. 

"I think we will continue to see new, higher quality varieties that are machine harvestable for fresh blueberries," he said. 

With more evergreen production, labor costs in Florida are very high because the harvest lasts longer. That is why growers have focused on quality, higher yields, and machine harvestability.  

New varieties are already being planted, replacing old varieties that can only be hand-harvested. "Once that happens, we will see more production coming in. However, not a lot of new acreage is being planted, as it's mostly being converted."

Hill said they are also replacing old varieties with new plants and adding new plantings in Georgia. 

"Overall production should increase steadily by single-digit percentage year over year in Georgia, with around 20% of old varieties being converted to new ones annually," Hill predicts. 

In general, Hill observes that demand for blueberries in the U.S. is up, which he thinks will set up for a good market and fruit movement this summer.

Photos courtesy of H&A Farms