Last week (April 11th and 12th) the Atlantic Tech Transfer Team for Apiculture attended the Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference in Moncton, NB. This was a joint event between the three Maritime wild blueberry associations: Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries, Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers Association. The event was well attended with over 200 representatives from the three Maritime provinces. To learn the highlights of this event read this week’s blog.
Maritime Wild Blueberry Conference 2025 Review
Last Friday
and Saturday the three Maritime wild blueberry associations held a joint
meeting in Moncton, NB. The first presentation of the event was from Patrick
O’Neil (Wild Blueberry Association of North America – WBANA) who provided an
overview of WBANA’s activities for the past year. The association has been busy
marketing the benefits of wild blueberries on a global scale, and working with
various partners to spread that message widely.
Next there
was a presentation from Jupia Consultants Inc. entitled “The Future of Agriculture and Food
Sustainability” (David Campbell – president and Patricia Seamans – strategist).
The Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick (AANB) commissioned Jupia Consultants
to a partner in developing a Strategic Plan for the advancement of the
agriculture sector in the province of New Brunswick. This plan laid out a range of actions to
develop agricultural in that province.
Stephanie
Tuttle (Agri-Commodity Management Association - ACMA) gave an update on the
federal Advance Payments Program. The program advances up to 50% of the market
value of a product during production, to be repaid as the product is sold. ACMA administers the program in Nova Scotia,
New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Manitoba,
Saskatchewan, Alberta and nationwide with advances available for various
commodities.
Darcy Herauf
(Farm Credit Canada AgExpert) discussed the AgExpert Sustainability Tool which
tracks both carbon sequestration and carbon emissions on farms, and users can
generate a report to share with their financial institution and also identify
profitable land management practices of farms.
One of the
final presentations of day one was from Massimo Bergamini (Fruit and Vegetable
Growers of Canada - executive director) who discussed some of the challenges
and opportunities for wild blueberry growers and other farmers across Canada.
The day
wrapped up with a panel discussion from the three Maritime Ministers of
Agriculture (Hon. Pat Finnigan – NB Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and
Fisheries, Hon. Bloyce Thompson – PEI Minster of Agriculture, and Hon. Greg
Morrow – NS Minister of Agriculture). The panel discussed some of the greatest
challenges facing the wild blueberry industry, including land access, climate
change, pollination demand, and cost of production. The Ministers discussed the
opportunities for collaboration between the Maritime wild blueberry industries.
They discussed both the risks and impacts of recent United States tariffs.
Finally, the Ministers discussed the pollination demand of each province and
current status of importing and exporting pollinators.
Donald
Arseneault (Bleuets New Brunswick Blueberries – general manager) concluded day
one of the event.
Peter
Burgess (Wild Blueberry Producers Association of Nova Scotia - executive
director) welcomed everyone to the second day of the event. The first
presentation of the day was from Marion Tétégan Simon and Irina Randrianalidera
(Valores) discussed restoring wild blueberries using transplanting services,
and the various growing conditions required. Additionally, they discussed
monitoring research for spotted wing drosophila and blueberry maggot and
various tested control products such as Bassidor.
Dr. Scott
White (Dalhousie) presented information on water sources used for pesticide
applications in wild blueberry production, and the various impacts water
quality and characteristics can have on the efficacy of products. Depending on
the type of pesticide being used the pH of the water source can have an impact
on the product’s efficacy. Continued research is required to identify optimal
water sources for various products being used in wild blueberry production.
Kim Lipsett
(Agriculture Alliance of New Brunswick) gave an update on the tools available
to help address seasonal workforce needs on farms. The AgriNB Job Bank is a
comprehensive online platform that connects agricultural employers with job
seekers in New Brunswick.
The final
presentation of the event was from Paul Kelley (Koppert) who discussed the
benefits of using bumble bee quads to meet wild blueberry pollination demand.
Paul generally explained the process of bumble bee production, and provided
some guidelines for securing and using quad boxes to pollinate.
JoAnn Pineau
(Prince Edward Island Wild Blueberry Growers Association) closed the event.
This event was a great opportunity for the three maritime industries to network
and to share both their challenges and successes within the wild blueberry
industry. Despite the many challenges the industry has, the wild blueberry
industry is resilient, and it works to produce a quality product for which
there is an ongoing demand. Thank you to all members of BNBB, WBPANS, and
PEIWBG, who helped organize this great event. Also, thank you to all the
sponsors of the event, and to those who work to support the wild blueberry
industry.
Connecting with ATTTA Specialists
If you’d like to connect with ATTTA specialists or learn more about our program, you can:
visit our website at https://www.perennia.ca/portfolio-items/honey-bees/
Email attta@perennia.ca