Good Fruit Grower

February 15

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www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower FEBRUARY 15, 2016 25 in North America totaled 143,636 acres. Worldwide, the total was 273,929 acres. Shelford sees no slowdown in plant- ings, thus the basis for his cautions. He sees a number of competitive threats to blueberry growers. For starters, said Shelford, the industry itself is parting ways. Wild blueberries are no longer an "aligned competitor" with highbush blueberries. They are now a direct competitor. Wild blueberry growers now differen- tiate their product as "the better blue- berry." Wild blueberries taste better and provide twice the amount of antioxidants of planted blueberries, says the trade group Wild Blueberries of North America. Second, Shelford said population growth is slowing in the United States, the indus- try's most important market. As a third dynamic, Shelford said blueberries as a consumer choice grow or hold market share at the expense of some other food choice, such as apples; he calls that "share of stomach." Shelford sees big change. Thus far, consumer demand and prices were strong, so much so that growers could expect profitability. Those days are end- ing, in Shelford's view. He sees pressures on profitability for U.S. blueberry grow- ers. He expects a softening in demand, greater competition from imported fruit, higher production costs and stagnation in prices, making it harder for higher-cost producers to make a profit. He's watch- ing to see if the blueberry market goes the way of the apple market, in which proprietary varieties fetch higher prices at the supermarket. In the United Kingdom, blueberries can be found packaged with labels stating the blueberry variety. Shelford sees added regulatory costs coming from the Food Safety Modernization Act that will especially disadvantage smaller producers. Regulations are far stricter on frozen ber- ries than fresh berries, for example requir- ing testing for Escherichia coli 0157:H7 (E. coli), Listeria monocytogenes (listeria), salmonella and other pathogens. And yet, Shelford wonders when a kill-step will be required for fresh blueberries as a means of eradicating pathogens. On the positive side, Shelford said the message that blueberries are healthy continues to drive sales. More than half of Americans have seen news stories about the health benefits of blueberries. Consumers today are twice as likely as they were nine years ago to buy blueber- ries in the coming year, said Shelford. Fresh blueberries have moved up in con- sumer preference over other berries. In rankings with strawberries, blackberries, boysenberries, raspberries and cranber- ries, Shelford reported, blueberries have replaced strawberries as consumers' first choice. Shelford challenges growers to strengthen their businesses by taking a number of steps, such as dedication to cost containment, food safety, strong marketing and a focus on quality. Those are key to winning "the share of the stomach." • TJ MULLINAX/GOOD FRUIT GROWER A young blueberry field in Gleed, Washington. The quality of our trees is matched only by the quality of our service. At ProTree Nursery we understand that you rely on quality — both in product and in service. That's why we plant only the very best varieties and cultivate lasting customer relationships. We work hard to make your job worry-free — fulfilling your orders completely and standing by our trees, even after you've planted them. For a reliable tree resource, call ProTree Nursery today. 10500 Brentwood Blvd., Brentwood, CA 94513 800.634.1671 or 925.634.2191 (Alison Clegg or Richard Chavez) 877.457.6901 (Henry Sanguinetti) M E M B E R O F w w w . p r o t r e e n u r s e r y. c o m Apples Aztec Fuji ® (DT-2 cv) Banning Red Fuji (USPP 16,624 P2) Buckeye ® Gala (USPP 10,840) Cosmic Crisp™ (USPP 24,210) Firestorm™ Honeycrisp Honeycrisp™ (USPP 7197) Lady in Red * (USPP 18,787) Royal Red Honeycrisp ® (USPP 22,244) September Wonder™ Fuji (USPP 11,193) Ultima™ Gala (USPP 13,753 P2) Available on B10 ® , B-118, EMLA, Geneva ® , M-9 T337, NIC -29™, or Pajam #2. ** * Trademark license for Pink Lady ® brand available upon request. Cherries Benton™ Bing Black Tart BlackPearl ® Brooks™ BurgundyPearl ® Chelan™ Coral Champagne Cristalina™ EbonyPearl ® Available on Colt, Gisela ® , Krymsk ® , Mahaleb, or Mazzard. * * ** Not all varieties are available on all rootstocks. Call for specific grafting information. Lapins RadiancePearl ® Rainier Selah™ Skeena™ Sweetheart™ Tamora Tulare™ Vans NEW! NEW!

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