By:
Chelsea Ellis (352) 392-1773Source:
Tom Obreza taob@mail.ifas.ufl.edu, (941) 658-3400
Richard and Florence Nogaj dhfh@ix.netcom.com, (239) 657-4888
IMMOKALEE, Fla.—Skeptics said it couldn’t be done, but University of Florida researchers have demonstrated that blueberries can be a commercial success in South Florida’s hot climate, giving farm workers another source of income.
Until recently, the crop had never been grown south of the Lake Placid area because it was thought the plants required 200 to 400 “chill hours” under 45 degrees Fahrenheit to produce a crop the following spring.
“Blueberries were never tried down here because skeptics said the winters were simply too warm for the fruit crop,” said Tom Obreza, professor at UF’s Southwest Florida Research and Education Center in Immokalee. “However, plant growth and initial yields during the past three years on 36 acres suggest that blueberries can be a commercial enterprise in South Florida. The only thing that might cause this venture to fail would be unfavorable market conditions or some other factor beyond the grower’s control.”
Richard and Florence Nogaj, founders of the not-for-profit Harvest for Humanity Inc. and its 110-acre Harvest Farm — 36 acres of which are blueberries — said the UF research breakthrough on blueberries is providing a new niche crop for their growers, helping farm workers find more stable employment and earn a “living wage.”
Obreza, a professor of soil and water science, was able to grow blueberries in South Florida by using existing low-chill varieties and increasing fertilizer rates. He said the Gulf Coast and Sharpblue varieties produce excellent yields when they are fertilized at the rate of about 200 pounds of nitrogen per acre per year and supplemented with municipal solid waste compost.
Sharpblue was developed by UF in 1975, and Gulf Coast was developed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in 1987.
As the state’s southernmost blueberry crop, berries from Harvest Farms are ripe weeks before crops from farms in North Florida, which gives producers a real leg up on marketing and profitability, therefore ensuring a strong return on investment, Obreza said.
“The Harvest for Humanity farm needed a niche crop in order to make their model work, and blueberries really turned out to be the right choice,” Obreza said. “If they tried tomatoes or peppers, they would have been drowned out by competition from the big guys. Harvest Farms is the only major blueberry producer in South Florida.”
Richard and Florence Nogaj said their first commitment is to their employees, though. Workers are paid a living wage of at least $8.50 an hour. Future plans include selling Harvest Farm to the farm workers with a no-interest, no-profit loan from Harvest for Humanity Inc.
Obreza said credit for the idea of growing blueberries in South Florida goes to Robert Reeder, an undergraduate student in UF’s horticultural sciences department, and Rebecca Darnell, a professor in the department. Obreza also said the success of the new blueberry crop was the result of a team effort involving other UF scientists, including Paul Lyrene and Jeff Williamson, professors in the horticultural sciences department in Gainesville.
Obreza and his colleagues at UF’s research and education center in Immokalee also are advising Harvest Farm managers on pest control, irrigation and fertilizer, and other horticultural practices.
“None of this would have been possible without the help of Tom Obreza and other faculty at UF’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences,” Richard Nogaj said. “As a result, we are now able to produce blueberries at a time when other U.S. production areas are not producing at their peak. The income from this one crop has been a real boost to the area’s economy.”
-30-
0
