Yesterday, I had the opportunity to meet with the United States Department of Agriculture in D.C. to discuss an array of issues that our Ag industry is facing.
One specific question that we brought to the table yesterday was looking for a way to stabilize our blueberry market in our county. It has been difficult for our blueberry growers to remain in business due to the imports of blueberries from South America.
According to Fox 17 on July 23, 2024 from 2000-2002, imports of fresh blueberries were at 44M pounds. For contrast, from 2018-2020 there were 450M pounds of imported blueberries which is approximately 62% of domestic blueberry disappearance.
Additionally, China now outranks the U.S. in blueberry production.
Michigan is ranked number 4 of the top 10 blueberry producing states in America. According to the 2022 US Census of Agriculture, there were 462 blueberry farms in the state. Most of the blueberries in Michigan are cultivated in the southwestern region, particularly in Van Buren, Allegan, Ottawa and Van Buren counties.
In Ottawa County, we are losing hundreds of acres of blueberry farms, which will never be returned to Ag land. Our small to mid size farms make up a large percentage of our economy, which affects all of Michigan and beyond.
We need to protect blueberry producers and our farmland in America. I look forward to seeing what tools the national level has to address this. I am hopeful that connections that were made in D.C. will bear good results on behalf of Ottawa and the state of Michigan.
Sylvia Rhodea for Ottawa County Commissioner, Joe Moss for Ottawa County Commissioner and Kendra Wenzel
