Cold Weather

Bitter cold here in Polk County this a.m. Cold spots in the county went down to 22- 24 degrees last night. The good news it's very early in the bud stage for blueberries so there is no need to run water for freeze protection. There have been some growers running water and I don't know why unless they are protecting snowchaser. Can anyone enlighten me as to the purpose of running water all night at this point in time? I have some fruit on emeralds but it is not something we are going to sell therefore not work protecting.

Upcoming Events

Take a look at the FBGA website if you haven't recently. It is getting better day by day. We now have a calendar of events which lists most relevant upcoming events.

Speaking of events we have a marketing seminar planned for Jan 18. It will be in Plant City at the Trinkle Center on the HCC campus. The purpose of this meeting is to further growers education regarding the marketing of Florida blueberries. We will cover where Florida fits into the global picture. Numerous marketers will give their point of view as to where our market is heading. Their will also be speakers discussing the formation of cooperatives and exchanges. Retailers will give their thoughts on our market as well. The meeting will end with a discussion on post harvest physiology and the importance of quality to the retail buyer. I have not formalized the details but will in the next couple of weeks. Once we have the agenda set it will be posted on the FBGA website.

Fall Grower Association Meeting

The date of the next meeting is October 21. It will be at the Sumter County fair grounds, the same place as last year's fall meeting. Booth space is limited. If you are interested in having a booth please contact Teresa Steffey as soon as possible. Her email address is: testeffey@aol.com

Upcoming Events

July 31-Aug 1 Small Farms and Alternative Enterprises Conference
www.smallfarms.ifas.ufl.edu

September23-25 The Landscape Show
www.fngla.org

September 19-21 FFVA Annual Convention
www.ffva.com

September 29- Oct 1 FFVA Annual Ag Labor Seminar
www.ffva.com

October 13-15 Florida Farm Bureau Annual Meeting

October 15-16 USHBC Fall Meeting
www.blueberry.org

October 15-18 Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit
www.pma.com/freshsummit

October 19-21 Sunbelt Ag Expo
www.sunbeltexpo.com

October 21 Florida Blueberry Growers Fall Meeting
www.floridablueberrygrowers.com

November 10 Florida Ag Expo
www.floridaagexpo.com

November 29-Dec 1 Southeast Vegetable and Fruit Expo
919-334-0099

December 5-7 The Irrigation Show 2010
www.irrigationshow.org

January 6-9 Southeast Regional Fruit and Vegetable Conference
www.gfvga.org

February 8-10 World Ag Expo
www.worldagexpo.com

February 16-19 National Farm Machinery Show
www.farmmachineryshow.org

Season Comparison

Growers, Sheri Brothers has received sales price info for almost every marketer. She still needs sales info from Driscoll growers. Anyone with this information and wanting to share it needs to email Sheri ASAP. Her email is berrygirl629@hotmail.com

The sales price comparison is a tool for growers to determine where they stand. We realize every grower has a different deal with their marketer and the sales price does not necessarily represent the best grower net income. A high sales price with a high commission and high packing charges may result in a lower net to the grower. As a grower I urge each of you to look hard at your costs. Our margins are only going to get thinner in the future.

The summer newsletter should be finished this week and in your mailbox by the end of next week. I am trying to put together a "buyers guide" to be published in the fall. If you have an interest in advertising in it please let me know . You can email me at wcbraswell@hotmail.com

We are always looking for new and fresh info to put in the newsletter. If you have a topic you would like to see covered in the newsletter let me know at the email address above.

Bill

2010 Season sales prices

Shari Brothers is compiling a comparison of returns from as many different marketers as she can. The information will be shared with those who participate. What she is looking for is the price a flat sold for through your marketer. Example if you marketer runs a once a week pool you might enter the info as follows;

pool week ending 4/24 4.4 oz $35.15
5/1 4.4 oz $16.25 6.0 oz $18.45 pint $30.00

If you are not in a pool you can just put a pack size and price next to the date.
Do not take any deductions from the sales price. The point is to see the sales price only. She does not want to know the cost of packing, handling, commissions etc. Each grower has a different deal with their marketer and various deductions. The sales price before these are deducted are what she is comparing, not your individual returns.

You can contact Shari at berrygirl629@aol.com

BMP workshops need your input

BMP Rule Workshops scheduled

The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, in cooperation with other agricultural industry stakeholders, has developed a best management practices (BMP) manual for specialty fruit and nut crops in Florida. These crops include blueberries, tropical fruits, pecans, peaches and grapes. Three rule development workshops have been scheduled to gather input on the draft manual and associated issues. These workshops are: July 12 at 4 p.m. at the Alachua County Extension Office in Gainesville; July 13 at 2 p.m. at the Gulf Coast Research and Education Center in Wimauma; and July 14 at 2 p.m. at the Miami-Dade County Extension Office in Homestead.

Summer Leaf Diseases

Summer leaf disease time is now. In central Fla daily thunderstorms are keeping bushes wet for extended periods of time. Dr Phil Harmon has an excellent power point regarding identification and treatment of the most common leaf diseases. The address below will take you to a copy of the presentation.

http://www.docstoc.com/docs/17069763/leaf-diseases

2010 Season

Well it's May and we still haven't hit full stride. I believe the state has harvested approx 2 million pounds of berries so far. How large the harvest will be is now in the hands of the marketers. Those with large deals in Georgia and North Carolina are already pushing larger pack sizes and lower prices. There is not enough fruit at the moment to fill orders and prices are going down. Does that make sense to anyone besides a marketer. As growers we need to rethink the way we choose the handlers of our fruit. Do they have a stake in something bigger that is contrary to our interest, Chile, Georgia?? As Florida growers we are concerned with only one thing, THE FLORIDA CROP. I don't care if they have gotten themselves in over their head with another states bumper crop. It is my opinion that some marketers drop the ball every season. When this occurs we all pay the price. If one marketer is selling cheap the retailers expect everyone to sell cheap. Maybe it's time the Florida growers explore a better and more rational way to market fruit. Do we need an exchange that sets the price and pack size. Do we need a marketing order in place to restrict fruit from Chile. Perhaps we just need to place the fruit only in the hands of a few marketers instead of so many. What is your marketers excuse?

Where are the berries

It's April 13 and our season has finally started. I know there were some Primadonna picked in Polk, Hardee, and Desoto counties last week. This week we continue with the Primadonna and add a few Emeralds, Southern Belles, and Spring High and Wide. Things are verrrrrrrrrrry slow. Some early varieties are starting at Brooksville and Ocala farms. The days have now warmed up but the nights remain on the cool side.

Some of the forecasts I have heard regarding our crop are ridiculous. We will probably harvest more fruit than ever but some marketers are forecasting outrageous numbers. Let's keep in mind Florida probably produced 20 plus million pounds last year. We only brought 14 million to market because of the economics. If the economics get bad quickly we may see a smaller crop this year.

Remember this when you talk to your marketer. Give them your best estimate of how much fruit you think you will harvest and more importantly when you will harvest it. All it takes is one marketer worried about a glut of fruit to really screw up the Florida deal. Be realistic not optimistic.

Let's face it we all looked at those leafless bushes in March and thought we had a tremendous crop. Now the leaves are on so where did all of that fruit go. Yes we had great chill this year but poor pollination and more botrytis than usual are taking their toll. The waxwings have been sitting in the trees waiting for next week.

Let's try and "KEEP IT REAL".

Please feel free to post anything and everything "Florida Blueberries" on this blog. It is for everyone to share info about our crop.

March Meeting

Thanks to everyone who attended our spring meeting. Although the weather did not cooperate early on it did get better. A special thanks to John Stickles and Joe Keel for opening up their blueberry farms for our farm tours. With over 350 attendees and 49 vendors the turnout was excellent. The facility is outstanding. As the association moves forward I would like our future spring meetings be held at the Trinkle Center in Plant City and our fall meetings be held in Webster.

Spring 2010 meeting registration

If you would like to pay your registration or vendor fees you can use the link below. Reminder, lunch is $15 for members and $30 for non-members. If you are a vendor one lunch is provided with your vendor payment. Additional lunches are $15. Please print a copy of your receipt and bring with you to avoid confusion at the registration desk.

http://fbga.info/members.html

Spring Meeting Registration

The agenda for the spring meeting is set. Registration forms will be in the mail by Feb 9. If you are not a member and would like to register or if you are a member and don't receive your form by Feb 12 please send me an email and I will send you a form or click on the link below and download the form. wcbraswell@hotmail.com

Organic Farm Tour

Farm tour, workshop in North Florida offer education on organic production practices

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - A farm tour and workshop at two North Florida farms in spring 2010 will teach participants about organic production practices, including soil fertility and preventive and cultural practices to control pests, weeds and diseases.

Suwannee River Valley Farms, with 9.2 acres of blueberries under organic management, will host a free farm tour 1 to 4 p.m Feb. 24. Florida Organic Growers Project Coordinators Juan Carlos Rodriguez and Matt Vargas will lead the tour, accompanied by UF Associate Professor Oscar Liburd, who specializes in pest management, and UF Assistant Professor James Olmstead, who specializes in blueberry breeding and genetics. White Springs is conveniently located at the intersection of I-75 and I-10, allowing for easy access for growers in Florida and Georgia. Blueberries are one of the most widely grown fruits in the United States and a well-suited crop to organic production, often selling for 20 percent more than conventional blueberries.

The 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. March 26 workshop will be held at Crescent Moon Farm in Sopchoppy, within the Apalachicola National Forest. Lunch will be provided and there is a $15 registration fee. The workshop is in collaboration with FAMU-CESTA StateWide Small Farm Programs/Cooperative Extension Service.

The farm tour and workshop are part of Florida Organic Growers' Organic Transition project, which provides conventional growers with free assistance if they choose to reduce pesticide use or transition a portion of their production to organic practices. Project participants are paired with crop advisors knowledgeable in organic production, regulations and certification, and available to answer questions by the transitioning growers.

To register for the Feb. 24 farm tour or March 26 workshop, visit www.foginfo.org/epa, call 352.377.6345 or email matt@foginfo.org.

Spring Meeting Registration

The newsletter went in the mail Jan 27. Look for it it in your mailbox this week. The registration form for the meeting is not in the newsletter. It will be sent seperately in two weeks. The agenda will be educational sessions in the morning, lunch at the Trinkle Center, then farm visits to two local farms. All of the details will be with the registration form. For more information regarding the location see the previous post.