Florida blueberry crop losses near 50 percent following Winter Storm Fern, expect price spike

Florida blueberry growers faced a tough start to February. In the middle of the crops’ blooming period, growers in the Sunshine State had to grapple with extremely low temperatures that exceeded the capabilities of traditional freeze-protection methods. Some Florida blueberry regions have seen total crop losses. 

Photo by UF/IFAS.

Kasey Cronquist, President of the US Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), told FreshFruitPortal.com that many growers expect yields to drop by 50 percent or more compared to previous years, a blow that will ripple through stores and households as supply shrinks this season.

The freeze not only damaged the buds but also brought the Florida blueberry season to a standstill, he explained, delaying any hope of harvest until at least April.

“Because Florida provides the bulk of the supply during these early weeks in the domestic season, consumers will likely see a three-to-four-week delay in normal supply levels and a likely spike in prices at the grocery store,” Cronquist said.

Overhead irrigation, the blueberry industry’s freeze-protection standard, usually fares well in cold snaps, creating a thermoprotective layer that keeps fruit and foliage above-freezing temperatures. However, Winter Storm Fern was more than your usual cold snap, causing the method to backfire. 

Cronquist explained that freeze protection not only failed to protect the crops but also further damaged them, as the “heavy ice that remained on the bushes over several days caused damage to the plants as well.”

Growers are now teaming up with University of Florida Cooperative Extension agents to survey the damage and check plant health, but early reports paint a grim picture.

Photo by Austin Sigety

How Florida blueberry season looks after Winter Storm Fern

According to Cronquist, observations so far indicate that many farms have suffered total crop loss and will need to begin hedging their bushes immediately to protect the viability of next season’s crop. 

For growers in that position, he urges taking clear photos and videos of the damage as it occurs, contacting crop insurance agents, and working with them to quantify losses. Cronquist also urged producers to contact their local FSA office immediately to begin the application process for the Tree Assistance Program (TAP) and/or Emergency Conservation Program.

The USHBC is joining forces with officials at every level to spotlight the devastating financial toll this freeze has taken on Florida blueberry growers and their families, many of whom were already stretched thin after enduring last year’s hurricane season.

The sentiment on the ground, said the executive, is that the industry is facing extremely difficult decisions and a great deal of uncertainty about how to move forward. Growers are worried that potential relief could take up to a year, which many might not be able to withstand.

Photo by Florida Blueberry Growers Association via LinkedIn

“It was anticipated that this year was going to be a great season for Florida’s blueberry growers, many of whom have invested in new early-season cultivars that would help fulfill consumer demand with new premium varieties that are continuing to be planted to replace older, less competitive ones,” he adds. “Unfortunately, those young plants won’t be able to be harvested this season.”

As for Georgia producers, who were also in the path of the brunt of the winter storm, they managed to escape the worst of it.

“Georgia production is expected to be less affected because the crop there wasn’t as far along and the bloom was not as advanced as it was in Florida, so plants were less vulnerable to the freezing temperatures,” he adds. “There will be some crop loss, but nowhere near the level of Florida.”

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