Early fears of a weather-beaten blueberry crop in South Georgia this season were off-base as many growers are seeing a bounty of berries.
While heavy rains and frost damaged much of the early blooming highbush blueberry varieties, the more commonly grown rabbiteye varieties are bursting with fruit, experts and growers said.
Highbush blueberries account for just 10 to 20 percent of Georgia's blueberry production, according to Steve Mullis, president of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association and himself a commercial grower.
Because of a late freeze followed by heavy rains that delayed the highbush harvest in Southeast Georgia, highbush yield was down 40 to 45 percent, Mullis said. Highbush harvest ended in late May.
However, Mullis and University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Agent Danny Stanaland said many of the state's 300 commercial blueberry growers, as well as independent farmers, are seeing higher-than-average yields of rabbiteye blueberries.
"Unless some freak event of nature gets us, we've got an exceptional crop of rabbiteye this year," Mullis said. "It should set a record crop."
Last year, commercial growers harvested 35 million pounds of rabbiteye and highbush varieties combined, with some 10 million pounds of highbush, Mullis said. This year, they're estimating to harvest more than 30 million pounds of rabbiteye alone.
Blueberry production in Georgia is a $60 million industry, Stanaland said. While growers took a minor hit in lower-than-average highbush production, it's possible to make up some of the shortfall with a robust rabbiteye harvest.
Farmer Paschal Brewer, of Brewer's Christmas Tree-Blueberry Farm in Liberty County, says he has a "bumper crop of berries" this year. His rabbiteye berries are more plentiful and larger in size than usual, the Midway-based farmer said.
Because highbush varieties bloom in the spring and are more susceptible to cold temperatures and rain, the few highbush berries he grows for himself did take a hit, he said.
Woodstock blueberry grower Debbie Durden, of Berry Patch Farms, said her farm's blueberry yield is right on track this year, but she knows what it's like to lose a crop. Two years ago, all of her blueberries were ruined by a late frost. But with the heavy rains that came this spring, Berry Patch's eight acres of blueberries are flourishing and should be ready to pick in late June or early July, she said.
Grower John Marshall of Marshall's Farm, a pick-your-own farm in Statesboro, Ga., said he's seeing above average yields this year despite early fears of freeze.
"I've got a great crop. We're in good shape," said Marshall, who only grows rabbiteye varieties.
"I was sweating bullets this spring because it seemed like we'd have some cold weather freezes," he said.
Luckily, his fears didn't come to fruition. Just his berries.
"With farming, it's always something," he said.
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