Alexander Ott, the executive director of the California Blueberry Commission, explained that California's blueberry farmers are struggling with a scarce, expensive labor force and a drop in market price. California produces nine percent of America’s blueberries according to the California Agricultural Statistics Review 2013-2014, and this year the state is expecting an estimated 70m-pound harvest, due to “fantastic” growing conditions.
Yet, there are problems for the farmers: “If we don’t have the labor, we don’t have a crop,” acknowledged Ott. “This is not unskilled labor, either; it is difficult to educate farmworkers, do research and other necessary things farmers must do to conduct a sustainable operation. Folks must know how to prune; how to identify ripe berries among fruit that ripens unevenly, how to pick without bruising the berries, and how to maintain stringent food safety measures. Ott reported that labor costs account for 52-54% costs of blueberry production.
Throw in the lack of national comprehensive guest worker reform to allow skilled farmworkers to come in, work, and then go home; the economy as a whole; labor lost from drought and fallowed fields; mandated food safety requirements (particularly compared to other countries); new surface water and groundwater regulations; invasive pests and plant diseases; international commodity and trade factors; shipping and transportation complexities; and the fact that “the wheels of government move at a slow pace” to adapt, as Ott views it, and the small grower disappears.
Ott sees two options for California blueberry farmers: Hire the same block of labor to conduct the six or seven picks per field of fruit or become innovative, particularly in the use of technology. With the introduction of the blueberry harvester several years ago, increased industrialization has afforded farmers the ability to dismiss worries about wage hikes and labor shortages, protection against heat stress, break periods, and overtime.
The question is, according to Ott, “How fast will the industry move toward technology?” Ott is following the issue with great interest, “As farmers go mechanical, there are more questions than answers.”
Source: californiaagtoday.com