Ellsworth American speaks with Yarborough for report on blueberries, August weather
The Ellsworth American spoke with David Yarborough, emeritus wild blueberry specialist with the University of Maine, for an article about August weather and blueberries. The predicted yield is up from forecasts earlier in the season, partially due to cooler temperatures and thunderstorms, according to Yarborough. Last year, wild blueberry growers raised “an unusually small crop,” Yarborough said, with a freeze in June as the biggest factor in the low yield. This past winter, many plants experienced winter kill, when stems freeze and die, killing existing buds and preventing the production of new ones, according to the article. “If those buds get killed, no buds. You’ve killed the reproductivity of the plant,” said Yarborough. And the growing season had a slow start due to cold, rainy weather in the spring, which made pollinators less efficient. Yarborough said this means blueberries will be smaller than usual. The harvest started about a week later than usual this year, and is predicted to run a little later than usual too, according to the article. Yarborough said prices appear to be increasing, with growers getting about 46 cents per pound, up from 26 cents per pound last year. But overall prices are still speculative. “It really depends on how many berries are produced in Canada as well,” he said. “Nobody really knows what [the price] is going to be until they get a check in the mail.”