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Big data breeds next gen blueberries

Advances in genomics and statistical modeling are shaving decades off breeding programs for blueberry growers.

Head of MBG Marketing Brad Moorer tells Brownfield the very first cultivated blueberries took decades to develop in southwest Michigan.

“What we would consider legacy varieties, second and third generation cultivars from the 1950s and ’60s, would take seven to 10 years for full maturity for northern highbush,” he explains. “Today we’re seeing significant fruit loads in year three.”

He says the 90-year-old grower-owned company has switched its research focus to select for the consumer, and the newer cultivars are finally available for the public this season.

“It’s really been a 10-year transition for our organization,” he shares. “It’s been incredibly expensive. We’ve invested hundreds of millions of dollars in this transition, but the outcome is consumers today have far more choices.”

Katelyn Craig with DeGrandchamp Farms says her family’s operation has been one of the first adopters.

“It does take a while for the blueberries to grow and mature in the field before we can harvest them and get them out to consumers,” she tells Brownfield. “We’re lucky that most of them have been successful in that the berries are firm and big, and they taste great, and they’re going to be very popular in the marketplace.”

Moore says machine harvestability is a top priority for the industry moving forward.

“Technology is improving at a rapid rate, and I suspect that in 10 years from now, we’ll probably see somewhere in the neighborhood of 90 percent less hand labor in our industry than what we see today.”

Moore says growers hope the improvements will also help consumers choose domestic berries first.

Brownfield interviewed both during the recent Naturipe Farms’ Berry Blue Breeding Media Tour in Grand Junction, Michigan.