ECONOMIC AND MANAGEMENT TOOL FOR ASSESSING WILD BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION COSTS AND FINANCIAL FEASIBILITY

摘要

The wild blueberry industry is facing record low berry prices that has resulted in major concerns for growers, especially in Atlantic Canada and the United States. Farm input and other costs to produce wild blueberries continue to increase, while farmers face record low blueberry prices (in 2016 and 2017). The cost-price squeeze has prompted growers to look for innovative methods to remain financially viable and sustainable. To ensure profitable farm operations, farmers should keep detailed production, management, and financial records that can be used to estimate production, harvest, and marketing costs, but such data and records are not typically compiled by wild blueberry farmers. Spreadsheet-based enterprise budgeting tools have been developed for specific crops by provincial and state extension specialists in Canada and the United States. However, currently there is no such decision tool that accounts for the unique two-year production cycle of wild blueberries, which farmers can use to compile and evaluate input use and rates, and assess production costs and farm economic performance.