Economics of Blueberry farming - Part 3
Healthy blueberry plant stock
We discussed the pros and cons of buying either bare land or a pre-planted field in Economics of Blueberry farming - Part 2. In case you decided to buy bare land, we will discuss the importance of healthy plant stock for successful blueberry farming in the Fraser Valley. Since blueberry plants are productive for as long as 50 years in some cases and take up to 8 years to mature and be fully productive, it is essential that you start off with a healthy plant stock. Replacing unproductive blueberry plants is neither easy nor does it make sense financially for the above reasons.Cost of procuring healthy blueberry plants is high, second only to the cost of land.
Also see: Fraser Valley Blueberry Cultivars
Depending on the variety you choose, you can expect to pay anywhere from CA $2.75 to CA $4.00 per plant for certified virus-free plants. For mechanically harvested fields, you would plant around 1400 plants per acre. So the cost of blueberry plants per acre works out to around CA $3850 to CA $5600 per acre. Realistically, your cost would be around the CA $5600 mark if you buy from a reputable nursery that specializes in blueberry plants.
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BC Blueberries - Some Facts
While I work on the part 3 of the “Economics of blueberry farming” here is some information on blueberries and their nutritional value.
What the heck are blueberries?
In case you don’t know, here are some facts about blueberries:
They are native to North America and eastern Asia, although they can be found in countries all over the world. Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus.
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BC farm labour crackdown
The attention being paid towards the vehicles used by contractors to transport farm workers is understandable and long overdue. However, would this solve the root cause of the problem? Is it enough to step up enforcement for a month or two during the peak berry season and then hope that the problem goes away?
Some of the inspectors from the CVSE think so. According to them, there was a similar issue with the dump truck industry and when they focussed their attention to that industry, the problems started to disappear. But at what cost? Is it fair to say that when they were focusing on that one industry, there was no one watching the farm labour contractors? Then, are they not somewhat at fault for the current situation?
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Economics of blueberry farming - Part 2
In this post we will examine the pros and cons of either investing in bare land for the purpose of blueberry farming or a pre-planted blueberry field.
Bare Land
Bare land is considered to be either uncultivated, unimproved land or land used to purposes other than blueberry farming. If the land is used for some other form of farming (e.g. raspberry farming) there would be additional costs involved in preparing the land. It may or may not be suitable for blueberry farming and would have to be amended to allow successful blueberry production.
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Economics of blueberry farming in Fraser Valley ~ Part 1
Are you considering buying a blueberry farm in the Fraser Valley?
Since I am a Realtor in the Surrey and Langley communities of BC, and being a berry farmer, I figure that I am a good person to write about this.
With blueberry demand and prices skyrocketing year after year; most people feel that getting into the blueberry business is a sound investment. I agree. It is a sound investment, however, it probably is not a sound investment for everyone. In this post, let us consider how the cost of land effects your success as a blueberry farmer.
Buy land, they don’t make it anymore
The Lower Mainland and Fraser Valley account for about 95% of the cultivated blueberry production of Canada. This area is very well suited for blueberry production due to our mild winters (but enough chilling hours) and warm (but not hot) summers. Blueberries thrive on peat, with low pH (4.5 - 5.2), excellent drainage and a good water supply for irrigation.
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The Urban Farmer
I am Sapanjot Behar, the Urban Farmer. I live in Langley, BC and I am in the blueberry agri-business.
Blueberries? What? You have never heard of blue berries? Well, I’ll post info on blueberries in another post. This post is all about me.
Why do I call myself “The Urban Farmer”. Because I am hip, smart, educated and totally not your typical farmer. I farm in an area that cannot be considered rural, isn’t even classified as a rural area.
I don’t wear coveralls, or hip-waders. I do ride a tractor. It has a nice and comfortable cab and air conditioning. I don’t roll around in the dirt, although at times I do get my hands dirty. I also maintain two blogs:
blog about technology and real estate
blog about Fraser Valley real estate
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