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July is Blueberry Month in Minnesota
July 6 , 2006

Gov. Pawlenty has proclaimed July Blueberry Month in Minnesota. July marks the peak of the blueberry harvest and is celebrated throughout the country as National Blueberry Month. In Minnesota, it’s a time when people across the state head out of the city to go blueberry picking.

Blueberries are considered one of the most healthful foods available, being very high in antioxidants that lower the risk of cancer and heart disease. They also have shown to improve balance and coordination, while improving memory.

Until 1982, there was no commercial blueberry production in Minnesota, as existing cultivars would not survive the long, cold Minnesota winters. Thanks to the University of Minnesota Agricultural Experiment Station, six new winter-hardy cultivars were developed and the blueberry has become a popular marketable crop in Minnesota.

Today a small but vibrant blueberry industry exists in Minnesota. Demand for the new plants has never been greater, with many plants going to Wisconsin and colder production areas of Europe, as well as into landscape use for Minnesota gardeners.

Dave Wildung, a longtime horticulturalist at the U's North Center Research and Outreach Center in Grand Rapids, was instrumental in creating the six new varieties of blueberries. Wildung is available to speak with media about the rise of commercial blueberry production and discuss the reasons why blueberries are so close to Minnesotans’ hearts.

To interview Wildung, contact Asim Dorovic at (612) 624-0214 or dorovic@umn.edu.