An early start to the Oregon blueberry season put it in competition with several other blueberry-producing regions in the country. That made for a crowded market with plenty of fruit available at competitive prices. But as production throughout the country winds down, Oregon's shippers are seeing better prices for their fruit.
“We usually start our season around June 20, and this year we started picking blueberries at the end of the first week in June,” said Billy Townsend with Townsend Farms in Fairview, Oregon. “That means we bumped heads with California. We're also usually able to ship early to the East Coast, but we weren't able to do that this year. So, at the same time, you had production from Washington, Oregon, the tail-end of the California season and production from New Jersey. British Columbia doesn't usually start until July, and they got started in mid-June, so it was very crowded early on.”
With lots of supply, prices were down. Townsend noted that the crowded market prompted some growers in the Pacific Northwest to put their berries into controlled atmosphere storage so they could sell them when the market could offer better returns. More berry growers have already been making the move into controlled atmosphere storage, but the early crowded market may have sped along that conversion for some.
On August 4, prices for flat or medium and large berries from Washington and Oregon were between $15.00 and $20.00, and prices for a flat of berries coming into the Northwest from British Columbia were also between $15.00 and $20.00.
A warm, dry spring brought good conditions for pollination, so the quality of berries has been good throughout the summer. But, as the season gets into its last phase, quality has been spotty. It's either really good fruit or poor quality fruit that's available, noted Townsend, and there's little in between.
