The blueberry season in several states is expected to commence early this year. Though it's too early to tell with much certainty, total production is expected to be similar to last season.An estimated 533 million pounds of highbush blueberries were cultivated in North America last year, according to Mark Villata, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. That was up from 2010's total of 489 million pounds, and though production numbers are still up in the air, Villata expects 2012's production to be similar to 2011's.
The harvest in the United States starts with Florida in spring, and due to warm weather throughout the nation, Villata says several states will get an early jump on the season.
“Some regions are running a bit early at this time as weather has been unseasonably warm,” he says, “particularly Michigan and New Jersey.”
Similarly, California should get started early, according to Alexander Ott, executive director of the California Blueberry Association.
“We are running ahead of schedule due to the weather,” he says.
Both Villata and Ott agree that, because major production is still several weeks away, it's hard to determine exactly how the season will play out.
“We don't have production totals projected because it's still too early to tell,” says Ott. “We still need to get through the month of April.”