In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Brad Moorer, president and CEO of MBG Marketing. MBG Marketing is a producer-owned blueberry cooperative that was formed in 1936 as the Michigan Blueberry Growers Association. Moorer took over the president and CEO role from Larry Ensfield last May. Prior to that, he served as CFO and vice president of MBGs value-added business.

“The growers I've had an opportunity to get to know that we represent, not only here in Michigan but throughout the country, have been just top-notch producers, but more than that, friends and trusted advisers. I mean, there's a lot of these folks that it's not just a business relationship, where they know my family and I know theirs. I think our co-op model probably helps promote those types of relationships. And we just couldn't be more blessed to be where we're at and represent the growers that we do.” - Brad Moorer

“We're laser focused on grower profitability. There's a lot of different components to what that looks like. Obviously, the price that you're getting for your berries in the market is only one factor in that overall equation. There's things like yield that make a tremendous difference from one farm to the next. And we have a horticulture team at MBG of industry experts that focus on plant health, fruit quality and fruit yields. … And so what we're really looking for first and foremost is a producer, a prospective member, that understands and appreciates the co-op model.” - Brad Moorer

Topics covered include: 

• Getting to know Moorer and his experience in the blueberry industry. 
• An overview of the co-op model MBG Marketing uses to support its members and which producers best fit their group.
• The future of the blueberry industry and the genetics Moorer feels is shaping that future.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. In this episode, you’ll hear from Doug Krahmer in Oregon, Mario Ramirez in Mexico and Jason Smith in British Columbia. This was recorded on August 3, 2022.