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USDA blueberry referendum sparks debate over proposed assessment increase
Some blueberry growers are concerned approving the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council’s five-year referendum could lead to a doubling of their assessment.
Michigan Blueberry Advisory Committee President Chad Reenders tells Brownfield the referendum this month gives growers one of the last opportunities to weigh in on a likely increase in assessments.
“I just want growers to realize the severity of this vote for this week or two and what it is tied to, as well as what is coming down the pipeline,” he says.
He says raising rates from $18 to $36 per ton is difficult to justify with the current farm economy.
“In the farming world, we don’t get a lot of chances to actually vote on our concerns, so this is one of our major opportunities to voice how we feel about it,” he says.
Reenders says using a larger marketing budget to increase demand does not automatically mean improved returns for growers.
Domestic fresh blueberry production has increased about 30 percent over the past decade, and imports have nearly doubled.
Chair of the USHBC Assessment Increase Committee and Michigan grower Tom Bodke tells Brownfield the USDA petition under review came as a response to those growing supplies.
“It was about a two-year process,” he shares. “We didn’t rush. We met in all the different production areas of the country, some of them more than once, and there were hundreds upon hundreds of conversations.”
Cornell University research estimates growers could see about a 10 to one return on investment from the additional promotion spending over six years.
Bodke says growers will still be able to vote on the assessment if USDA advances the petition.
“I think the industry is open to challenging ideas,” he says. “A lot of the things we’re doing now are different than before because somebody had a better idea.”
The USHBC proposal would increase assessments to $30 per ton for processed blueberries and $36 per ton for fresh blueberries and imports.
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