Michigan’s blueberry industry contributes more than $529 million in economic activity annually, and Nancy Nyquist, executive director of the Michigan Blueberry Commission, says MSU deserves ample credit for the proliferation of statewide production.
“The Michigan Blueberry Commission started in 2017 with its main purpose to support industry-driven research,” she said. “Research is critically important for our growers to stay on the cutting edge of what’s become an important part of Michigan’s agricultural economy. The commission can’t support the volume of research alone, and MSU helps us every step of the way.”
Nyquist noted that with commission funding, new variety trials began last year at MSU’s Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor. The goal is to evaluate properties that are advantageous to growers, while acknowledging consumer preferences around taste and overall quality of fruit.
Did you know?
Blueberries were first cultivated commercially in Michigan in the 1920s after horticulture professor Dr. Stanley Johnson set up test plots throughout the Lower and Upper Peninsulas.
Johnson discovered that blueberries thrived, particularly in the sandy soils near Lake Michigan, and his work over the following decades would position MSU as a nationwide leader in production.
LEARN MORE about Michigan State's impact on the blueberry industry and the research being done by Spartans.