Information on Managing Wild Blueberry Fields when Farm Gate Prices are Low

Hi, everyone

This production season is a very challenging year for the wild blueberry industry. Due to many significant weather events, Nova Scotia’s wild blueberry yield was down (Est. 38 million lbs, about a 33% reduction from last year) in 2023 and on top of that, we are seeing low farm gate prices.

A low farm gate price impacts the farm's financial situation in the current season and brings up challenges for future seasons’ management. Many of you already started thinking about next season’s management input, but are unsure what the blueberry market and price might look like next year, which can be stressful and challenging.  

In this post, I want to share some information to help with your planning and your personal wellness.

Yes, farming is full of uncertainties and challenges, but there are hopes. After mowing your fields, a new production cycle will start, that’s hope; When you start to see new sprouts in the spring, that’s hope; When you observe bees working hard around blueberry blooms, that’s hope. There will be good years ahead of us, let’s keep our hopes up!

 

Supporting the Mental Health of Nova Scotia Farmers

We Talk, We Grow. https://wetalkwegrow.ca/.

I hope you take care of your wellbeing and if you need support to get through this challenging time, there is a good resource developed by Farm Safety Nova Scotia. Please go to their website, and find the information or contacts for your needs.

 

Two Useful Wild Blueberry Factsheets

 

In 2017, Perennia published two factsheets related to managing wild blueberry fields when farm gate prices are low.

Managing Good Wild Blueberry Fields when Farm Gate Prices are Low: this factsheet focuses on how to manage good wild blueberry fields. https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/managing-good-wild-blueberry-fields-when-field-prices-are-low.pdf.

 

Integrating Rest Periods into a Wild Blueberry Production Cycle: many of you might want to rest fields or cut inputs. This factsheet introduces some great points and things to consider while resting fields, especially on weed management. https://www.perennia.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/integrating-resting-wbb-fields.pdf. Resting fields doesn’t mean you should forget about the weed management program as by the time you want to bring those fields back to production, the recovery cost could be high. A minimum weed management input is recommended if you want to continue production in the near future.

A minimum weed management input can be mowing, cutting above-canoy weeds and repeated cutting throughout the growing season, spot treatment (spreading dogbane, goldenrods etc.) and selecting low-price herbicides for major weeds (sheep sorrels, hair fescues, goldenrods, annual grasses etc.).

This 2022 herbicide price table can be found under the wild blueberry management tool, and you will also find other chemical and fertilizer prices. I strongly recommend you use this tool and plan your input based on your comfort level.

Management Tool: Go to: https://nswildblueberries.com/., Click on Grower Resources, then click on “Management Tool”. The Excel sheet will be downloaded automatically.

 

Please feel free to reach out to me if you need to get a second opinion on your input planning.

 

Thank you!

 

Hugh Lyu, Wild Blueberry Specialist, Perennia

hlyu@perennia.ca

902-890-0472.

Early Season updates

After 3-4 days of really nice weather, I expect some early fields will start to have buds swelling by early next week.  We won't be at a susceptible stage when it comes to Monilinia for a little while yet, but it might be a good time to get out in your fields and take a look at your fruit bud numbers. Of course there will still be some snow in later developing fields and on higher ground.

I will start Monilinia updates, particularly for South-West Nova, starting next week.

Upcoming events:

1) Just a reminder Travis Essau is putting on a session next Wednesday, at Dal AC to help people maneuver through his new cost management tool. Registration is required!

Please RSVP to Janet and mention if you will be bringing your own laptop to use or if you would prefer to use the provided computers on campus.

Janet Geldart, Wild Blueberry Producers Association of  Nova Scotia

Email: info@nswildblueberries.com

Tel: 902-662-3306

2) Also the NSDA session at the Glengarry is a go for  April 20th from 1-3.

Blueberry Management During Low Prices.

Contact Marie Williams to secure a spot
902-893-6575
E-mail: marie.williams@novascotia.ca

I will be going over ways to minimize financial risk, optimize production on good fields and factors you should consider if you are thinking about resting fields,

Have a great weekend!

CoP and Planning Tool

Travis Esau spent a lot of time this winter pulling together a planning tool to help wild blueberry growers make decisions when margins are tight.

http://nswildblueberries.com/index.php?option=com_rsfiles&layout=download&path=Travis+Esau+-+Wild+Blueberry+Management+Tool+-+V1.0+NS.xlsx&Itemid=176

Click on this link and it will take you the WBPANS page where you can download the excel file he has developed.

It is a field by field management tool that allows you to see where you might end up, from a profitability standpoint.  You can adjust the inputs and make assumptions on your yields and price per pound.

It allows you to go through multiple scenarios very quickly and really make informed decisions about each of your fields.

I recommend downloading it and saving a version for each field you are managing.

If you decide to use this, it is critical that you make realistic assumptions regarding yield and price. For example, If I reduce input A and B, is it realistic that I will get the yields I have been getting? Run a couple of scenarios with regard to price.

This tool does not guarantee anything of course, but it really does help you understand costs and can limit losses and optimize returns on better fields.

Workshop Postponed

Spring will come, spring will come... Just not today.

Looks like we have to postpone our workshop "Blueberry Management During Low Prices" scheduled for today from 1-3 pm at the Glengarry in Truro.

It has been Rescheduled for April 20th at the Glengarry in Truro 1-3 pm.

If anyone would like to talk to me about this topic in advance of the session, please give me a call or e-mail.

Peter Burgess
902-896-0277
pburgess@perennia.ca

Upcoming workshop

Just wanted to let everyone know about an upcoming workshop I'll be speaking at in coordination with NSDA.

It's on March 29th - 1-3 pm at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro.  Click on the link below for registration instructions

Wild Blueberry Management During low Prices

Registration is free

The intent of the workshop is to go into some detail about management strategies for the upcoming season and beyond.  We will look at Cost of Production, resting poor land and optimizing yields.

Every farm is different but we will attempt to walk through management strategies that may make sense for your operation.

Two new discussion documents

We've added two new factsheet/discussion documents on how growers might manage their production when field prices are low.  These two documents are certainly not going to solve everyone's problems but I'm hoping they might help growers form a management plan that works for them.

The first one is a way to approach resting fields that have been under performing and won't be profitable when the price is low.

Resting Wild Blueberry Fields

The second one talks about the basics, from my perspective, on how to optimize yield on your very good fields.

Managing Good Fields

I've outlined several concepts in both documents and not all of them will work on every farm, but I think many of them are worth consideration.

Feel free to contact me if you have any questions or would like to talk through some ideas.

Also take a look at our wild blueberry resource page on the Perennia Website: http://www.perennia.ca/fieldservices/fruit-crops/wild-blueberries/

Beeline and other musings

Well it appears we are in the dead of winter, I hope everyone is getting shoveled out ok.

I will be posting some discussion papers over the next week or so on how people might consider managing their farms in tight economic times. Each plan has to be based on your own situation.

If anyone wants to discuss options I can certainly be a sounding board for you.  My office number is 902-896-0277 and e-mail is pburgess@perennia.ca

I also wanted to let people know that our beeline has been launched again.  If you are looking for bees for pollination click on the link below and you will find a list of beekeepers willing to rent hive this year.  If any beekeeper wants to list their hives for rental, they can contact the Perennia office in Truro 902-896-0277 or get a hold of me.

Beeline page

The beeline is linked off of our Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture page on the Perennia Website.

ATTTA (take a peak and see what is new with Robyn and Cameron)

Hope to see many of you at the upcoming meetings in March and the twilight meetings in early June.

Peter B

Time to think about bees

We are a little over 3 months away from pollination season (although it doesn't feel like it today!!)


If you don't have pollinators lined up yet, look at our Beeline (Click here to go to beeline) and line up pollinators for this spring.


Just a reminder The CoP workshops are next week.


17th in Truro - Perennia Innovation Park (Admin Building) 6-8 pm


18th in Amherst - The Wandlyn 6-8 pm


20th in Antigonish - The Claymore Inn 6-8 pm


Note: if we have to postpone a meeting because of weather we will contact all of those registered and I will send a not on this blog.


To register call 902-896-0277

Updated Maritime CoP Workshops

Just wanted to follow-up with the confirmed dates and times for these events.  Remember space is limited to the first 40 NS blueberry farmers at each site.


Call 90-896-0277 to register


February 17th - Admin building at Perennia Innovation Park, Truro (6-8 pm)


February 18th - Wandlyn, Amherst (6-8 pm)


February 20th - Claymore Inn, Antigonish (6-8 pm)

Maritime Wild Blueberry Cost of Production Study Workshops

Perennia will be hosting a series of three workshops that will focus on the results of the Maritime Cost of Production study and how you can use this information to help guide your plans going forward.


Each meeting will be 2 hours in length (6-8 pm) with no registration fee.


Registration will be limited to 40 per event. 


Call 1-902-896-0277 to register




Truro - Admin Building Perennia Innnovation Park (room 214) - February 17th (6-8 pm)


Amherst - Wandlyn - TBD (I will update this later this week)


Antigonish - Claymore Inn - February 20th (6-8 pm)




We will discuss the findings of the report and some of the trends it shows in the industry.  Also, each participant will be given a worksheet that they can take home and use to compare their own operations against industry benchmarks.

Thinking about pollination, launching the Beeline

I know it's getting close to Christmas and pollination season is a long way away, but growers should be trying to secure pollination for next growing season now!!

Winter losses are still a reality for beekeepers, but most have a pretty good idea of the minimum number that they will have available for pollination come next late May and June.

To that end we have started up our beeline early this year.  Beekeepers can phone or e-mail Perennia and we will post their contact info, the number of hives available to rent and how far they are willing to take their hives.  Blueberry growers can contact the beekeepers directly and make arrangements for pollination.

To check the current listings click on the link below.
http://www.perennia.ca/beeline.php

In the next little while I will be posting the schedule for the Cost of Production workshop series.  I am planning sessions for January in Truro, Antigonish and in Springhill or Oxford.  Stay tuned!

Maritime Cost of Production Study Individual Reports - understanding the results

There were 26 growers in Nova Scotia who participated in the Maritime CoP study.  Either Dale McIsaac or I sat down for 2-3 hours with each growers and collected data on the 2009 and 2010 production years.  All of these growers should now have received their confidential individual reports from the George Morris Centre, comparing their own operation to the industry averages.

If these growers are having a hard time reading and understanding these reports please feel free to contact Dale or I and we will gladly help walk you through the tables and industry trends. 

We don't need to see your report and you can keep your results confidential.

My contact info:

Peter Burgess
office number - 896-0277 (ext. 233)
pburgess@perennia.ca