Record Yields for Washington Blueberries

Record Yields for Washington Blueberries

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report.

Washington Blueberry Commission Director Alan Schreiber shares although Washington ranked sixth last year in U.S. blueberry production, with an increase in planting of new varieties, using some new planting techniques and new production technologies, Washington ranking is on the rise.

Schreiber: “We are having record production in Washington. We are on a trajectory to becoming one of the leading producers, if not the leading producer of blueberries in the United States.”

So how many pounds of blueberries are produced in Washington?

Schreiber: “Three years ago Washington produced 20 million pounds of blue berries. Last year we produced 60 million pounds. In five years, Washington will be producing 100 million pounds of blueberries.”

Schreiber says that Washington blueberries are very high quality, have a long shelf life and is a leader of organic blueberry production. Although traditionally blueberry production has been located in Western Washington, Schreiber says there is a new trend.

Schreiber: “Ten years ago there were no blueberries in Eastern Washington. now a third of the blueberries come from that side of that state. In two years half of the blueberries will come out of the eastern portion of the state.”

I’m KayDee Gilkey with the Northwest Farm and Ranch Report on the Northwest Ag Information Network.