‘Pure devastation’: Drought takes big bite out of Maritimes wild blueberry harvest

Wild blueberry growers across the Maritimes are counting their losses after a dry summer shrank crop yields. Maria Sarrouh reports

After a summer of scorching heat and dry fields, wild blueberry growers across the Maritimes are counting their losses.

On Prince Edward Island, estimates suggest drought shrank berries and cut yields by about 13 per cent provincewide, with some pockets harder hit.

“There’s a lot of stress and worry out there… it’s got a really big impact because we’re farming a wild crop. You really are at the mercy of Mother Nature for a lot of this,” said JoAnn Pineau, executive director of the P.E.I. Wild Blueberry Growers Association.

Pineau said yields can drop in some years because of pollination challenges or a late frost. But this season began with favourable conditions, until drought dominated the summer. Blueberries have a high moisture content and need wet weather, she said.

But Islanders seem to be faring better than their neighbours.

“It’s pure devastation,” said Donald Arsenault, general manager of Bleuets NB Blueberries. “Almost 70 per cent of the crop has been lost this year, due to these severe conditions.”

Arsenault said the average crop in New Brunswick over the past three years has been 68 million pounds. This year’s estimate is 22 to 24 million - a shortfall of more than 40 million pounds.

The heat also had another consequence. A provincewide burn ban paused harvesting on Crown land for about one week earlier this year to reduce the risk of fires.

With a harvest window of only three to five weeks, that stoppage was significant.

“We also have to try to mitigate, as much as we can, the economic impact these decisions have,” Arsenault said. His organization is preparing a request for provincial financial relief for farmers.

Across the Bay of Fundy, Nova Scotia growers are also facing steep losses.

In an email to CTV News, Janette McDonald, executive director of the Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia, said total production is estimated at about 20 million pounds - down from a typical 45 million.

“We are down about 55 per cent provincewide,” she said.

Back on the Island, some farmers face tough choices.

Production costs - roughly 60 cents a pound - are higher than field prices paid by processors, which range from 40 to 50 cents. Pineau said most growers sell to large processors and rely on volume to make up the gap. With lower yields, some will struggle to turn a profit.

“It’s a big challenge for them. And it means they have to change a business model from what they’ve been doing for maybe decades,” Pineau said.

Still, she added there are opportunities.

“We’ve got a fruit that is very healthy… so I think maybe it’s a matter of getting these into the markets where it’s valued.”

Despite the drop in supply, Pineau said retail prices have not shifted so far - good for customers but another squeeze for businesses.

That could change once official tallies are released.

Final yield numbers are expected in early October, with the next couple of weeks determining just how deep the dent is.