The Fruit Growers News - October 2001


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Highbush Blueberry Council to Promote Health Possibilities

By Greg Brown Associate Editor

“The health properties of blueberries look very, very promising,” says Donnie Morris, Georgia’s representative on the USA Blueberry Council (USABC). Morris is one of the many USA Blueberry Council members anxious to get the work of the organization started. The council will administer the Blueberry Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Order under the supervision of the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service. Members of the council are excited about the promotion opportunities that they see on the horizon for their crop, especially health benefits. Particularly, growers are pointing to the findings published in September 2000 by James Joseph and Barbara Shukitt-Hale of the USDA’s Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging at Tufts University. That study, which showed an improvement in short-term memory in rats that had a diet high in blueberries, along with research from Tufts researcher Ronald Prior that found blueberries topped a list of 60 fruits and vegetables for potency of antioxidants is reason enough to be excited. Joseph released a major study on the impact of blueberries in improving short-term memory and restoring coordination. Joseph and his colleagues also found that blueberries actually improved balance and coordination. “What struck me was the ability to change motor behavior (for the better),” said Joseph, a professor of nutrition at Tufts. “There is virtually nothing out there that can change motor behavior in aging.” Growers are obviously anxious to start using their fees to spread the word. Their promotions could capitalize on the positive blueberry press garnered from The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, MSNBC, ABCNews.com and a variety of radio and news programs that have already covered Tufts’ findings. Rusty Bell, owner of Bell Farms in Bristol, Ga. is excited to get the group up and running, having waited since the elections held in January 2001 to meet. “We need a voice out there to get people talking about blueberries, someone who is always going to put that message out there, said Bell. “We need to get our message out there through advertising.” Bell said that the national promotion group hopes to have a hand in promoting the valuable research being done on the health benefits of blueberries by researchers like Joseph and Prior. He said he hopes the council will consider and discuss a proposal for the funding of this research in cooperation with the wild berry industry. “We want to be ready to promote positive results,” said Bell. The research excites Morris as a blueberry grower, but even more so on a personal level. He said he is especially excited with any research being done that could discover possible benefits of blueberries related to Alzheimer’s disease. “The blue part of blueberry is a powerful antioxidant,” said Morris. “We already know how powerful they might be in eyesight and in the urinary tract.” If the fruit was found to be a natural combatant for Alzheimer’s that would provide more than profits, it would provide hope for those who have watched their loved ones suffer. But the research is not that far yet, according to Morris. A personal friend, his former Sunday school teacher, has suffered from the disease for 15 years. Calling the disease the most devastating thing that can happen to a person and their loved ones, he said watching the progression of the symptoms is enough to tear your heart out with vice grips. The promotion order, which became effective July 17, 2000, authorizes the council to conduct a coordinated program of promotion, research, and consumer and industry information in order to maintain and expand the market for cultivated blueberries, according to USDA. The group is meeting in Denver Oct. 5-6 to organize their board, elect officers and set a course for promoting blueberries. The initial meeting day will be spent learning about USDA requirements in managing the program and how the council is expected to function. The second day will be spent actually setting up the USABC program, developing a strategic plan, electing the remaining four council members (importer, exporter, handler and public member), naming council officers, establishing committees, naming administrators, selecting promotional agencies and developing an initial budget. The council will follow this initial meeting with a second meeting held in conjunction with the North American Blueberry Council (NABC) Fall Meeting, Oct. 4- 6 in Denver, Colo. This second meeting the council will complete any activity not finalized in Washington, D.C. and approve an initial market promotion plan for 2002. This plan will be sent to the Secretary of Agriculture for approval before implementation. Assessment obligations on domestic and imported highbush blueberries began Jan. 1, 2001. Domestic producer assessments of $12 per ton are to be collected by the first handler throughout the season and sent to the new council office by Nov. 30. Though U.S. Customs has not started to collect import assessments on highbush blueberries entering the United States, the USDA has reported that they will provide the new council with the necessary information to enable it to collect assessments directly from importers. Members of the cultivated blueberry industry have selected representatives to fill the council member and alternate positions of the newly formed Blueberry Promotion, Research and Information Order. Votes were cast for nominees for nine council member positions, with the final four seats on the 13-member council (importer, exporter, handler and public member) to be nominated by these nine producer members once they assume their council duties at the October meeting. Growers from the top five cultivated blueberry productions states picked representatives for the council. Michigan growers chose Beverlee DeJonge of Holland, Mich. North Carolina growers will be represented by Henson Barnes of White Lake, N.C. Georgia will be represented on the council by Morris of Baxley, Ga. New Jersey growers will be represented by Tim Wetherbee of Hammonton, N.J. New Lisbon, N.J. Oregon growers selected Mark Hurst of Sheridan, Ore. Voters in the Western region selected David Brazelton of Lowell, Ore. Midwest region voters selected Ronald Bodtke of Grand Junction, Mich. Northeastern blueberry growers selected Arthur Galletta of Hammonton, N.J. Southern region growers chose Russell Bell of Bristol, Ga. Producers and importers approved the establishment of the national promotion program through a USDA referendum conducted. According to USDA, 67.8% voted in favor of implementation of the order; votes in favor represented 73.2% of the volume of cultivated blueberry growers voting.