Wild Blueberry Technical Assistance Curriculum

David Yarborough, the University of Maine

Outline for Today

• Overview of TAA

• Where am I?

• Where do I want to be?

• How can I get there?

National TAA Technical Assistance Website

• A one-stop site for Extension’s Technical Assistance effort

• Host for all training materials and presentations for each commodity

• 120 page printed version provided to growers

http://www.agrisk.umn.edu/taa

Blueberry Production North America

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Million pounds Maine Canadian Cultivated

Wild Blueberry Production and Price

Maine Process Market

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Million pounds Maine Field Price

The Future of Wild Blueberries

Competition from Cultivated blueberries and Canada will continue

Prices will be similar or less for the processed berries

Increases in production to reduce production costs per poundwill be necessary to stay competitive

Investment in improved production and eliminating practices that give poor returns will be necessary

Alternatives such as fresh market, value added or organic production need to be considered

Evaluating Financial Viability

Three Major Financial Objectives

• Solvency to track changes in net worth

• Profitability to monitor earnings

• Liquidity to estimate cash flow

Evaluating Financial Viability

Adding up the Evidence• Financial analysis may reveal problems but

may not point to specific solutions• Understanding your financial position is key

to evaluating what specific adjustment will work for you

• Remainder of the TAA Technical Assistance materials will help you dig deeper into those options

Inventory of Resources and Talents

Factors Affecting the Future Directionof Your Business

• What you want to do (your goals)• What is happening within the industry• Your skills, resources, interests, and talents

This presentation help ask a number of questions tohelp you evaluate your skills, resources and talents.

Inventory of Resources and Talents

Summary

• Are your skills, resources, interests, and talents well matched with your prospective business plan? If not:

–Look for educational opportunities to improve your skills, or

–Consider alternative business plans.

Options to Improve Profitability

There are four general options available

to increase profits:

• Improve the profit margin

• Expand the business

• Create innovative alternatives

• Exit/transition to new business or job

Goals

Summary

• Goal setting is especially important for family farms and small businesses because of family and business interrelationships

• Goals give structure to the management and decision-making process

• Reviewing and revising goals as a family should be an annual part of the business management routine

Blueberry Enterprise Budget Fact Sheet No. 260

UMCE No. 2016

On web at http://www.wildblueberries.maine.edu in fact sheet section or paper copy at your County Cooperative Extension Office

Budgets list the costs and returns of production to help you make wise management decisions

Reducing pruning costs By mowing and Harvest cost by Mechanical harvesting Reduced cost of productionFrom $0.39 to $0.26 per pound

Increasing fertilizer, herbicides,Pollination and fungicides improved the yield from 2197 to 4123 lb/a

Grower reduced land from 500 to 400 acres to improve efficiency

Uses for the Enterprise Budget

Identifying the costs and returns in your operation will help you direct your resources where they will provide the best return.

Identifying fields that lose money and removing them from production will improve the return for your operation.

It is not only the cost but what return you get for it that is important.

The Production Efficiency segment will focus on identifying the best production practices to improve the efficiency of your wild blueberry operation.

Improving Production Efficiency

Reducing the costs of inputs only part of the process Identifying and investing in the inputs that give you the best return

Preventing loss of insect or disease protects your investment

Maine production vs acres, hives and irrigated acres

1980 1990 20000

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80Acres Harvest(5 yr average) x million

Hives x 1000 Irrigated acres X 1000

Improving Production Efficiency

Quality Introduction

Five Factors You Can Control to improve quality

There are five factors you can control.

1. Raking 2. Winnowing 3. Tote Color and Filling 4. Holding time 5. Holding Temperature

Market Alternatives- Introduction

99% of Maine blueberries sold to processors

Increased return from:

CooperativesFresh marketDirect Market Pick your ownValue AddedOrganic productionDiversify Products

Market Alternatives

Develop alternative markets or enterprises

Need to consider marketing alternatives to processor sales or diversify in order to increase income for your wild blueberry enterprise.

Program Results

Survey was sent following the blueberry harvest in late summer of 2004 to 91 producers

Of the 91 surveys sent, 50 were returned for a 55% response rate

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Surveys Sent Surveys Returned

Percentage of Surveys Returned

Program Results

Of the 50 respondents, 33 received their Technical Assistance Training in group meetings or counties were group meetings were held and 16 in smaller sessions or one-on-one.

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Workshop Individual Meeting Other

Type of Assistance

Program Results

Asked to rate the usefulness of the information they received (1 being low and 5 being excellent), only three producers said the information was of little or no value. The remainder, 43 producers, rated the TA information average or above in terms of its usefulness with thirteen rating it at 5, the highest rating.

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Usefulness of Assistance

Program Results

Conclusion

This financial assistance and training provided to Mainewild blueberry growers will give them the educational resources to produce a wild blueberry crop that will be competitive with Canadian wild blueberries and other cultivated blueberries produced in North America.