New Jersey officials kick off National Blueberry Month

New Jersey Secretary of Agriculture Douglas Fisher, and state and local officials, visited Russo’s Fruit and Vegetable Farm this week to highlight National Blueberry Month.

Blueberry season for New Jersey lasts through the end of July, according to a news release. At peak blueberry season, production can be as high as 250,000-300,000 crates a day.

“Blueberries are one of the primary crops in New Jersey as the Garden State is famous for growing this fabulous fruit,” Fisher said in the release. “Blueberries are for sale now at farm stands, supermarkets and farmers markets.”

Blueberries were the No. 1 crop in New Jersey for 2018 with a production value of more than $62 million, according to the release. New Jersey annually ranks among the top six states in U.S. blueberry production. Farmers in the Garden State harvested 44 million pounds of blueberries on 9,000 acres last year.

“The blueberries are looking great this year,” Anthony Russo, the farm’s owner and operator along with wife Melissa, said in the release.

Farming in New Jersey since 1940, the Russos have about 700 acres today, including about 20 acres of blueberries, according to the release.