Environmentalist David Suzuki, in a recent article, discusses the issue of blueberries and bees to the B.C. agricultural industry.  It is well known that blueberries are now British Columbia's largest fruit crop at over $100 million annually.  What isn't so well known however is the challenges the industry faces due to recent declines in bee populations.

If it weren’t for the wild bees that pollinate the blueberry fields in the Fraser Valley near Vancouver and elsewhere, berry yields would collapse. In fact, declines in honey bees and other agricultural pollinators as a result of habitat loss, pesticide use, and other human activities mean that farmers are now paying to replace this critical natural service.

Dr. Suzuki argues that the government should consider ecological investments such as establishment of "greenbelts" of farmlands, forests and watersheds, noting the often forgotten economic value of such ecosystems is signficant.  He points out that a few small efforts by our federal government could go a long way to ensuring that we continue to receive these benefits from nature and that we don’t incur the enormous costs of replacing them if nature is degraded.

To learn more about blueberries and the environment check out the article.  More information on environmental issues can also be found at www.davidsuzuki.org.

According to a recent story in The Gazette, the province of Quebec has seen one of its best blueberry harvests ever with a total of about 34 million kilograms produced.

Excellent growing conditions this year combine with spreading awareness of the fruit's health benefits to provide solid support for Quebec's $150-million industry.  It might not have been the best weather for tourists and local sun-seekers this summer, but it was ideal for Quebec's famous wild blueberries.

The general manager of the Syndicat des producteurs de bleuets du Québec added that "Climatic conditions were particularly favourable this year and we're very satisfied with the record volume produced".   With Quebec blueberries being exported to 22 countries, the three biggest markets being the U.S., Germany and Japan, this is great news for this important export industry.

Nova Scotia’s wild blueberry crop was slightly more than 18 million kilograms this year, which is up from the past couple of years and the fifth largest provincial crop on record.  Growers aren't worried about selling all their produce however, with a growing number of international customers showing interest in the Canadian wild blueberry. Even with a softening of wholesale prices this amounts to a $24 million contribution to the province's economy.

According to one local grower, "the financial turmoil hasn’t appeared to have had a major impact on the movement of berries".  This is great news for the industry.  

More information about this year's harvest in Nova Scotia is available in the online version of The Guardian.

Vancouver-based premium juice producer Leading Brands has just last launched their newest blueberry-based beverage, PureBlue™ SuperJuice.  PureBlue is a 100% juice blend of wild blueberries, varietal grapes and black currants.  According to the company's press release, "each bottle contains 750 mgs of polyphenols; the highest concentration of those powerful antioxidants available in your supermarket or health food store".

You may know of Leading Brands from their other widely available TrueBlue juice line.  If you've never had TrueBlue yet, it's available at many grocery stores and you should definitely give it a try.  We're looking forward to tasting this new product as soon as we can track down a store that's selling it.