After strong crop volume in 2024, where Washington set a record for production, the Pacific Northwest blueberry industry seems primed for another huge harvest. (Capital Press file photo)

The Pacific Northwest has a long time until its blueberry harvest is complete, but conditions appear to be aligning for another large crop, experts said.

“It’s looking like Washington and the Northwest are going to have a very nice year for growers, processors, fresh packers and consumers,” said Alan Schreiber, Washington Blueberry Commission executive director.

The harvest was strong in 2024. Washington, the nation’s top producer, had a record harvest of 210 million pounds, up about 35 million pounds over the previous largest haul, Schreiber said.

This year, blueberry bushes across Washington had virtually no winter injury or damage from spring frost, and there were excellent pollination conditions, he added.

Oregon, the No. 2 state for production, also had favorable weather and an ample snowpack, so water won’t be an issue, said Bryan Ostlund, Oregon Blueberry Commission administrator.

Oregon’s 2024 harvest was 153 million pounds, up from recent seasons, Ostlund said.

“We’ve had six years in a row of kind of off yields and it’s all related to Mother Nature,” he said.

The state has never reached its harvest potential, Ostlund said.

The USDA has slightly different production figures, but valued Washington’s crop at $205 million in 2024, up 51% over the previous year, followed by Oregon at $195.5 million, up 34%.

California was third for production value at $190 million, down 26%, as its price per pound plummeted.

The U.S. blueberry harvest was worth $1.15 billion in 2024, up 6%, as utilized production rose 23% to 789 million pounds, according to USDA data.

This year, California has a good crop but slightly less volume than anticipated, said Joseph Vargas, North American Blueberry Council director of business intelligence.

Early southeastern states experienced abnormally low temperatures that caused a smaller packout than expected, he said in an email.

High demand, less in storage

Vargas said the 2024 season was the best ever for U.S. blueberry consumption and prices held steady.

“I think if you asked growers from different regions they would say that overall it was a solid year,” Vargas wrote.

Schreiber said there’s a scarcity of blueberries this spring because of high demand, particularly on the processed side.

“It is my opinion at this point that it is a seller’s market,” he said.

“I was in India about a month ago, and there were buyers in India that were calling around the Pacific Northwest trying to buy blueberries and nobody had any,” Schreiber said.

A May USDA report estimated 89 million pounds of frozen Pacific blueberries were in storage April 30, down 28% from the previous year.

Acreage increase

Area harvested rose for the West Coast and the U.S. in 2024, according to the USDA.

Vargas said he expects acreage to continue to grow, but replanting will have the biggest impact on volume.

New varieties can boost production 400% to 800% per acre, he said.

“We may actually see stagnant acreage numbers but increasing production numbers with new varieties and technology,” Schreiber said.