By Clint Thompson
Blueberry harvests are winding down across Florida. Quality and quantity were high in certain fields, though others observed negative impacts from Hurricane Ian last September.
Doug Phillips, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) blueberry Extension coordinator, discussed the state of harvests across Florida this year.
“Quality wise for sure, it’s been a good year. Production wise, for most, it’s been a good year, too,” Phillips said. “As you might expect, some of those farms in those South Florida counties that had hurricane damage and a lot of defoliation, some plants blown over and some flooding, they’re going to be down on production this season. Of course, in central and North Florida, it’s been a good season production wise.”
The hurricane’s impact in late September devastated growers in the southern part of the state, specifically in Arcadia, Florida, not far from where Ian made landfall.
Harvests are in their final stages in some fields, according to Phillips. The culmination of Florida harvests coincides with diminished prices and Georgia blueberries maturing and coming on the market. Hand harvests have likely wrapped up, with machine harvests soon to follow.
“It’s a lot cheaper to machine harvest than it is to hand harvest. With prices dropping, you could still economically continue to harvest for a while if you’re using machines,” Phillips said.