Saskatoon Berry Harvest Improves Over Last Year

Source: Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food

Saskatoon lovers will be licking their lips this year, as commercial growers in the province enjoyed a better-than-average harvest, according to Ken Adams of Valleytop Berry Farm near Langenburg.

Adams and his wife Kathy harvested 9,000 pounds of commercial berries this summer, on top of those gathered by patrons of their U-pick operation.

That was a noticeable improvement over last year, when cold, wet weather and an early frost left most growers in Saskatchewan with smaller crops, some of which were hit by disease.

Due to the hot, dry conditions this July, the saskatoon harvest also came and went very quickly across the province.

Ordinarily, Adams harvests his crops in two passes - one when about 60 to 70 per cent of the crop is ripe, and another when the remaining berries reach maturity.

This year, the berries on his farm ripened rapidly and had to be gathered in a single pass by the harvester, which made for a very busy season.

Adams noted that berry operations are like most other types of farming. "There are lots of overhead and input costs, and you've got to work hard at it to make a go of things," he said. And, like grain producers, he has found the price his commercial saskatoon crop fetches remains stubbornly low. As a result, Adams is studying the potential offered by export markets.

"If I've got an opportunity to improve my returns by expanding my market, that's something I have to look at very closely," he said.

In the meantime, saskatoon fans in Saskatchewan can look forward to enjoying their favourite pies, jams and jellies again this year.

Readers looking for saskatoon berry recipes should check out the website of the Saskatchewan Fruit Growers Association. Here they will find instructions on how to prepare a wide range of traditional berry favourites, as well as some unique, mouth-watering delicacies.

The website is located at www.saskfruit.com.

For more information, contact:
Ken Adams, Valleytop Berry Farm
(306) 743-2792