In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the USHBC and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Noel Sakuma, farm manager at Oregon Berry Packing, for a conversation about farm-level technology. 

“Right now, we’re at a very unique time where a lot of new varieties are coming through the pipeline and if you are having the same varieties in the ground - besides Duke - in the next five to ten years and you’re not upgrading, you’re going to be in a bad spot.” - Noel Sakuma

“I’d encourage everyone to make sure we’re doing the right things on [machine harvesters], that we’re not picking when it’s too hot and I would really encourage as many people to try to [install] any kind of soft fresh kit on any machine because it really is a game-changer.” - Noel Sakuma 

Topics covered include:

• Noel’s lifelong background in the blueberry industry and with Oregon Berry Packing. 
• Fostering bumblebee hive development in Oregon. 
• How machine harvesting helped Oregon Berry Packing crews navigate the historic Pacific Northwest heatwave last summer. 
• Adopting new varieties and how that plays into ag technology. 

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North and South America. In this episode, you’ll hear from Ken Patterson in Florida, Andres Armstrong in Chile and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 16, 2022.

Marketing Boost

March is National Nutrition Month! In this week’s Marketing Boost, USHBC/NABC Vice President of Marketing and Communications Jennifer Sparks discusses how blueberries fit into this month and how you can leverage it to your customers.