SMALL FRUIT UPDATE | WEEK 29 |  

JULY 14, 2021

Black Raspberry Post June 2021 Heat Event.

WHAT'S INSIDE
Julie Pond
INDUSTRY RESOURCES NORTHWEST BERRY FOUNDATION

GROWER RESOURCES
With the peak harvest season comes Field Days. While the mask optional, in-person
Oregon caneberry field day was a breath of fresh air (because no masks and in-
INDUSTRY NEWS person) it was also a firm reminder of what growers are facing with the recent heat
wave. Most of the research updates trickled back to how the heat might alter results
PEST MANAGEMENT and thoughts on how to move forward after this event with regards to future industry
needs.

SFU SPONSORS
The question on everyone's mind is: does this indicate a hotter and drier ‘normal’
weather pattern? We asked a similar question regarding the Valentine's Day cold event
too. I think it's prudent to consider being proactive vs reactive. Going through the
caneberry breeding plots with Dr. Michael Hardigan, our new USDA Caneberry Breeder,
you could see clear differences on how heat affected some selections more than
others. He did a great job discussing how he’ll be modifying his evaluation of
selections after this heat event by placing a higher priority on selection characteristics
that would mitigate economic losses caused by hot, high solar radiation days.

Note the Washington Machine Harvesting Field Day today, Wednesday, July 14th and
Oregon Blueberry Field day tomorrow, Thursday, July 15th.
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 Blueberry Bud Development

DUKE STARTED HARVEST 6-22-21 DRAPER STARTED HARVEST 7-5-21

PATR I O T BLUEJAY DUKE DRAP E R TOP S H E LF LIBE R T Y AURO R A LAST C A L L CALY P S O

WEEK 28 7/9/21
WEEK 27 7/11/20
WEEK 27 7/5/19
WEEK 27 7/6/18

PATR I O T BLUEJAY DUKE DRAP E R TOP S H E LF LIBE R T Y AURO R A LAST C A L L CALY P S O

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 03
 Grower Resources

REGIONAL FIELD REPORTS

Northern Washington, Whatcom & Skagit Counties (7/12) From Lisa Wasko Devetter, Small Fruit Horticulturist, WSU NWREC, Mount
Vernon
Blueberries: Harvest marches forward in northwest Washington. 'Duke' harvest has started for several operations and will
continue on this week. Some 'Duke' fields that seemed less affected by the heat wave are showing losses in fruit quality in
terms of softness and storability for fresh, but it's still difficult to draw alot of conclusions at this stage. 'Draper' and
'Liberty' fields also continue to look like they weathered the heat better than other cultivars and there appears to be some
good fruit from these cultivars out there. For raspberry, later fruit seems to be developing adequately in fields marginally or
slightly impacted by the heat. Fields further east in Whatcom county are still struggling (these were the fields most
impacted by the heat), but several operations are still continuing on with harvesting them. I haven't been to eastern WA for
couple weeks, but what I've heard is that the blueberry plants there seemed more acclimated to the heat and fared better.
Note, eastern Washington blueberry growers also frequently employ evaporative cooling and some have shade structures
to reduce UV.

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (7/12) From Bernadine Strik, OSU Small Fruit Horticulturist, Aurora, OR
Black Raspberries: We could not machine pick our black raspberries after the heat event – they would not come off or
were hard as a rock. Later selections are being hand picked (breeding trial).

Red Raspberries: machine pick continued but a lot of sort out of heat damaged fruit needed until that’s all gone. Decent
fruit on later breeding selections.

Blackberries: We finished machine harvest of Columbia Star last week; sorted out the heat damaged fruit which was a
significant portion

Trailing Blackberries: We selectively hand picked our trailing blackberries in the breeding plots; some had significant heat
damage. We are seeing some heat damage to king fruit on any erect or semi-erect cultivars that had any red coloring in
those berries but only on the west side of the row or more sun-exposed fruit.

Blueberries: In blueberries, we have no evaporative cooling. We finished our Duke harvest last week and noted some
sunburn on exposed fruit and some softening. We have relatively little damage in Liberty which we plan to starting picking
next Monday. Damage to Aurora which was 100% fruit loss is progressing as scorched leaves are dropping. Laterals with
all leaves dropped are dying as are 2-year-old canes with significant leaf loss on attached current season growth. This will
likely impact growth pattern on plant and increase pruning costs next winter. The impact on yield next year in Aurora and
some other cultivars remains to be seen. In contrast, we have no damage whatsoever in Elliott.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (7/12) From Chuck Mouritzen, Southwest Crop Consulting, Chilliwack, BC
Blueberries: More machines are entering the Duke fields at this time and more will follow later in the week. It's still a bit
early in some fields I think and a bit more hang time would improve size and weight. A good portion of the heat damaged
fruit has fallen off but earlier picks last week had considerable sort outs. Berry size has been and is a concern but losing
some fruit to the heat will probably benefit size gain on the remaining crop. There is a bit of soft fruit out there that wasn't
apparent directly after the heat wave but is a carry over from that event. Very little of the crop will be hand picked as labour
is a real issue. Even getting full crews for machine harvest has challenged some growers. Fruit intake at the packers has
been light so far.

Raspberries: Meeker raspberries are coming off quite well at the moment. But fruit is generally smaller than normal and
light weight. Not a lot of juice in the berries as well. Been a while since I've seen truck decks this stain free. Early varieties
have 7-14 days left to pick by the looks of it depending on the condition of the field.Some fields seem to be struggling a
little with primocane growth after the heat "storm". I'm hoping this is a temporary thing. The full impact of this event on
both the blues and raspberries for next season is somewhat of an unknown at this moment. It's really seems like an
eternity since we had a rain shower and a bit of moisture would be really beneficial. But I say that with reservation as it
usually backfires. But I and everyone else (human or plant) that spends a lot of time in the field has just about had it with
dust.

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Northern Washington, Whatcom & Skagit Counties (7/13) From Tom Walters, Walters Ag Research, Anacortes, WA
Raspberries: Raspberry fruit quality in Whatcom county is looking pretty good now, with minimal amounts of sunburned
fruit in the most recent picks. Cascade Premier is holding up well for size, but continues to tend soft if not picked
frequently. The spot mold seen last week seems to be dropping off, as well. Wakehaven fruit quality is good, making IQF
grade, although size is off.

British Columbia, Fraser Valley (7/13) From Jason Smith, Grower, Abbotsford, BC
Temperatures look good over the next week or so. Agree with Chuck about needing some moisture and being sick of the
dust. Also agree that harvest is happening too early in some fields and size and weight could be gained by letting them
hang a bit longer. I don't expect to go into fields in Abbotsford area, heavier soils, until some time on weekend or early
next week.

Saw a couple fields that I am a bit concerned about fruit releasing from plants normally. Single drip lines and not enough
water going on during that heat. Also seems to be some "spongy" / soft fruit out there.

Reka seems to be coming on a lot earlier than normal and usually harvest it after 2nd pick Duke but this year it may be
before.

Western Oregon, Willamette Valley (7/13) From Julie Pond, PCM, Portland, OR
Blackberries: Blackberry size was affected for sure but not sure if that is directly related to the heat event alone. There are
buyers looking for local blackberries and are having a hard time sourcing them, which speaks for itself.

Blueberries: Fields are getting picked through, working around any remaining damage that might be on the plants. The
burned fruit is light on the plants so machine harvesters are trying to blow that fruit off the line. Dukes are mostly finished
and Drapers are half way through. Keeping up with picking needs is tricky with the current labor supply.

Eastern WA Day Neutral strawberry update from Cody Edwards, Yakima Berry Company:
We lost a fair amount to sunburn but the quality of the ones that help up were surprisingly in good condition. We had to
move from picking every three days to every other day. Only about 10-15% were damaged due to the heat. Mites are hitting
plants hard right now in addition to perhaps some residual heating effects from the black plastic beds. A lull in flowering is
happening right now.

Day Neutral production in Yakima Valley, WA. Cody Edwards, Yakima Berry Company. July 13, 2021

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Regional Monitoring

July 8, 2021

VIEW FULL REPORT SIGN UP HERE

REGIONAL MONITORING

Welcome to this week's Agragene Regional SWD Report.

It has been a very chaotic past couple of weeks. The unprecedented heat event caused a lot of
heartache for growers out there. Foremost, we want to express our deepest sympathies to all the
growers for the hardships caused by this event. The ultimate struggle with farming is that all the
right choices can be made, but factors outside of anyone's control can entirely negate good
decisions and hardwork. We hope that everyone can find opportunities throughout the rest of the
growing season to recoup some of what was lost and salvage a semi-productive season that sets
you up for many good years ahead.

Location Total SWD

SAUV I E I S LAND 16

BANK S 1

FORE S T GROVE 0

CORN E L I US 6

HILL S B O RO 4

YAMH I L L 3

DUND E E 0

MCMI N N V ILLE 1

WILS O N V ILLE 0

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 06
 Industry News

Survey: How do you get your blueberries pollinated?

As part of a USDA-funded project to improve blueberry pollination, a research team across the US is trying to get a
better understanding of how blueberry growers get their fields pollinated. In addition to the fieldwork being conducted
at blueberry farms in MI, OR, WA, and FL, we want to learn about pollination practices from blueberry farms across the
US. Whether you have 1 acre or 1000 acres, are a U-pick or large scale commercial farmer, please fill out the short
survey below.

COMPLETE SURVEY

PODCASTS OF THE INDUSTRY

The Business of Blueberries: A podcast from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council hosted by
Kasey Cronquist and Rod Cook.
FROM THE FIELD: GEORGIA BLUEBERRY UPDATE WITH MICHAEL THOMAS

PolliNation: A podcast from Oregon State University Extension Service hosted by Dr. Andony
Melathopoulos.
185 - KATHLEEN LAW - KEEPING BEES SAFE DURING BLUEBERRIES

NEWSLETTERS OF THE INDUSTRY

Oregon IPM Center: Quick News for July 2021

Blueberry IPM Newsletter

OREGON GROWER SUPPORT - 3 PROGRAMS

COVID_19 Food Assistance Program - No deadline as of right now READ MORE

Water Conservation Enhancements - Due July 12th READ MORE

NonInsured Crop Assistance Program - Due Nov 20th for the 2022 crop READ MORE

Triple Crown Blackberry

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 07
FEATURED LINKS
Manufacturers race to build blueberry harvesters that can pick without bruising (7/7, Good Fruit Grower)

Global overview of blueberries (7/9, Fresh Plaza)

Heat takes toll on NW blueberries (7/9, Blue Book Services)

Some Whatcom farms may not survive after last week’s heat. Here’s how they’re coping (7/5, Bellingham Herald)

Blueberry industry cautioned against sending substandard fruit to the market (7/12, Fresh Plaza)

Canada: Cherries and berries severely damaged by heat (7/8, Fresh Fruit Portal)

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Federal judge sours on fight over California strawberry variety patents READ MORE
(7/9, Courthouse News)

THE WEST
Washington State: Berry growers put dairies’ plentiful waste products to use READ MORE

(7/13, The Cattle Site)

Manitoba berry farmers experience extreme weather crunch READ MORE

(7/12, Winnipeg Free Press)

WEATHER/CLIMATE
NOAA says watch for La Nina next winter to boost snowpack READ MORE
(7/9, Capital Press)

IMPORTS

U.S. Imports surge so far in 2021, Berries up 25%

READ MORE
(7/7, The Packer)

Columbia Star Blackberry post June 2021 heat event

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 08
Slimmer supplies on blueberries meet stronger demand
READ MORE
(7/12, Capital Press)

LABOR

Labor crisis could open the door for Congress to act on immigration reform
READ MORE
(7/8, The Packer)

Washington State sets heat rule for farmworker

READ MORE
(7/11, Capital Press)

Growers casting wider nets when recruiting professionals

READ MORE
(7/7, Good Fruit Grower)

COMPANIES

Naturipe celebrates National Blueberry Month, provides season outlook

READ MORE
(7/8, Fresh Fruit Portal)

How Driscoll’s pivoted from fresh in-store to fresh online

READ MORE
(7/12, Semrush)

SOUTH AMERICA

Argentine blueberry committee campaign proves fruitful

READ MORE
(7/13, Fresh Plaza)

Caneberry field day research discussion.

NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 09
 Pest and Crop Management
Please note that our Pest and Crop Management section will return in
the near future.

Industry Calendar

JULY 2021

Washington Raspberry Field Day

14
WEDNESDAY, JULY 14TH 1-3PM AT THE HONCOOP FARM: 9696 NORTHWOOD ROAD, LYNDEN, WA.

Blueberry Field Day View Agenda

15
THURSDAY, 1:00 – 5:30 PM (END TIME IS APPROXIMATE AS DEPENDS ON LIST OF SPEAKERS/PRESENTATIONS)

AUGUST 2021
NASGA 2021 Summer Tour in Portland, OR
17 - 18
REGISTER HERE

SEPTEMBER 2021
Washington Red Raspberry Commission Board Meeting
15
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2021, 1PM -5 PM

OCTOBER 2021
Washington Blueberry Commission Meeting
12
TUESDAY, 10AM. CONTACT ALAN SCHREIBER FOR MEETING LINK AT (509)226-4300

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industry through education, research and information access. The SFU is made possible through the generosity of our sponsors and readers like you. Donate
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NWBERRYFOUNDATION.ORG PAGE 10
 THE SMALL FRUIT UPDATE
WEEK 29 | JULY 14, 2021

This is the sole industry publication, For more information or requests please
gathering grower and producer news, contact:
and regional field reports to unite,
stabilize, and strengthen the Northwest Abby Gearing,
berry growing region (Canada and US). SFU Designer & Editor
abby@nwberries.org
Production is independent of
government and commercial control Tom Peerbolt,
and made possible by the following NBF Director & Editor
commission & councils. tom@peerbolt.com.