<p style="text-indent:0px; line-height:12px;"><span style="font-weight:bold;line-height:130%"> Lakeland, FL</span><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">By Eric Anderson<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">4.25.13</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Florida blueberry growers continue to ride the "blue wave" despite a second consecutive season of weather-induced production problems.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">Amongst other complications, temperatures during the month of March, which dipped into the 30's and 40's, delayed the Florida blueberry crop for growers in the region. However, growers have proven resilient. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><img src="https://cdn.andnowuknow.com/legacyWriterImages/body_blueberries.jpg" alt="April_24_13" /></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>"The industry calls it the 'blue wave.' Production will continue to grow and we're seeing demand keeping up with production," said Kathy Blake, a spokeswoman for US Highbush Blueberry Council in Folsom, Calif., which sponsors industry-related research and marketing programs, according to The Ledger. </p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>In 1995, annual per capita consumption of blueberries in North America was just 15.5 ounces, Blake said.<hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">In the late 1990s, a wave of publicity labeled blueberries a "superfood" came following research showing blueberries have the highest antioxidant levels among 40 common fruits and vegetables, she said.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>Per capita blueberry consumption jumped 15 percent to 17.8 ounces in 2000 and soared through the rest of the decade, reaching 39.5 ounces in 2011, the most recent data available, Blake said.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>The blue wave came soon after another scientist, Paul Lyrene, a horticulture professor at the University of Florida, developed new blueberry varieties suitable for Florida's warmer climate based on native bushes he found in the Winter Haven area, said Jerry Mixon Jr., a Haines City-based grower and director of domestic production for the Dole Berry Co.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p> Florida commercial blueberry production has grown from 2.1 million pounds on 1,200 acres in 1992 to 17.1 million pounds on 4.500 acres in 2012, according to the US Department of Agriculture. Total value of the state's blueberry crop rose from $3.4 million to $62 million over that time.</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p>"It's still the best money crop in Florida, yielding the best return per acre," said Ryan Keel, the manager for Keel Farms, part of Keel & Curley Winery in Plant City, which has 30 acres of blueberries. "Overall, I feel pretty good. I think this season's going to be a success."</p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding"><p><a class="btn btn-sm btn-primary col-lg-12" style="white-space: normal;" href="http://www.theledger.com/article/20130424/NEWS/304245018" target="_new">Blueberry Update</a></p><hr class="legacyRuler"><hr class="invisible minimal-padding">
