Most of SE Georgia blueberry crop is a washout
Posted: Wed Jun 17, 2009 1:24 pm
Most of SE Georgia blueberry crop is a washout | ajc.com
The University of Georgia Agriculture Extension Service agents say colder-than-normal weather decimated high-bush blueberries early in the season and heavy rains over the past several weeks have ruined much of the rabbit-eye berries now in the field.
The area’s blueberry agent for the extension service, Danny Stanaland, said only 35 to 50 percent of the high-bush berries were harvested and some of those had quality problems and now rabbit-eye blueberries are rotting in the fields, which remain flooded or are too muddy for farmers to get harvesting equipment into them.
That's upsetting, not that I was likely to be fed any. People went to a lot of trouble trying to get those ready for market. It's not just the disappointment, it'll have messed their business plans up too. If I had to guess I'd say many of them will have been small businesses rather than big. It's a bad year for it to happen to them.
The University of Georgia Agriculture Extension Service agents say colder-than-normal weather decimated high-bush blueberries early in the season and heavy rains over the past several weeks have ruined much of the rabbit-eye berries now in the field.
The area’s blueberry agent for the extension service, Danny Stanaland, said only 35 to 50 percent of the high-bush berries were harvested and some of those had quality problems and now rabbit-eye blueberries are rotting in the fields, which remain flooded or are too muddy for farmers to get harvesting equipment into them.
That's upsetting, not that I was likely to be fed any. People went to a lot of trouble trying to get those ready for market. It's not just the disappointment, it'll have messed their business plans up too. If I had to guess I'd say many of them will have been small businesses rather than big. It's a bad year for it to happen to them.