With decades of experience in the blueberry industry, Chris Barnhill and Ken Patterson are the chairs of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), respectively. These two longtime industry leaders discuss the unique roles of the USHBC and NABC, and what the future looks like for both organizations.

“I recommend to everyone out there who is listening to this today to really think about joining this organization. We need more participation and other leaders in this industry. ” - Ken Patterson

Host Kasey Cronquist (president of USHBC and NABC) is joined by Chris Barnhill (USHBC chair and operator of  Blueberry Hill Farms) and Ken Patterson (NABC chair and operator of Island Grove Ag Products).

With myriad challenges and opportunities facing the blueberry industry, Chris and Ken rely on their experience to lead USHBC and NABC. Both organizations have distinct roles – USHBC deals with promoting blueberries and NABC handles policy and regulation. Together, they’re shaping the modern blueberry industry. 

This episode provides an overview of the roles of both USHBC and NABC. Topics include:

• Changes in the blueberry industry
• Importance of industry participation
• Addressing food safety concerns
• USHBC data program
• Future challenges
• Virtual Conference & Expo preview

Crop Report - August 5, 2020 

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout North America. Today, you’ll hear from Doug Krahmer in Oregon, Bryan Sakuma in Washington, Jason Smith in British Columbia, Denny Doyle in New Jersey, Pat Goin in Indiana, Rex Schultz in Michigan and Luis Vegas in Peru. This report was recorded on August 5, 2020.