GARDEN OF EDEN – With a pick date set for Aug. 15, wild blueberry farmer Calvin Fraser said the amount of berries in his crop is lower than usual this year.
Fraser owns a sprawling blueberry farm off Sherbrooke Road in Garden of Eden. He said poor weather this spring along with a number of wild animals such as bears, deer and coyotes eating the crop has led to smaller numbers of wild blueberries in his fields this year.
“I did everything I should have but our berries are down,” he said. “I’d say it’s because there was too much rain and it was too cool and damp in the spring.”
But just down the road, he said, neighbouring farms are seeing mixed results with some yielding high numbers and others in the same situation as him.
“I hear both. Some fields are better and other fields are not as good,” he said. “But I know my fields are down.”
Fraser said he has been farming blueberries in the area since the 1970s.
According to the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia, the provincial production of blueberries in Nova Scotia is over 40 million pounds. It’s also the number-one fruit crop in acreage export sales and value.
The wild blueberry is high in antioxidants and has many health benefits including anti-aging effects, cancer inhibiting properties, heart health, urinary tract health and vision health.
Nova Scotia’s wild blueberries are exported to the U.S., Japan, Germany, the U.K. and other countries.
The harvesting of wild blueberries takes place in Nova Scotia from August to late September.
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