NEW CASTLE, Va. (WFXR) — The 2023 Virginia blueberry crop is coming in a little late, but there is a fair abundance of fruit. Craig County blueberry farmer Lewis Woodall says the cool June weather has slowed the ripening and frosts in the spring will affect yields.

“It’s a fair crop,” Woodall said while walking the rows of blueberry bushes on his farm just west of New Castle. “We had a couple frosts in April that hurt the crop a little bit.”

While Woodall has been farming blueberries for decades, other farmers are just getting into berry production. Woodall says that while the harvest is in the summer, farming blueberries is a year-round proposition.

“I have to mow around the berries in the summer, and right before we open for picking, I have to weedeater around every bush,” said Woodall. “In the winter, I have to prune the berries, which takes a long time.”

Pruning and bush management ensure a better yield and bigger berries.

Soil chemistry is also a consideration. Woodall says blueberries do better on soil with a lower pH, so he measures for that. Deer are another concern because they can deplete a crop.

Rows of blueberry bushes at Woodall Blueberry Farm near New Castle (Photo: George Noleff)

“They’re real bad,” Woodall said gesturing to an eight-foot-high fence he constructed around one of his berry patches. “The deer browse on it (the patch) in the wintertime, and in the summer, they actually eat the berries.

Blueberry demand has grown as people have become more health conscious. Blueberries are high in antioxidants and many nutrition experts and doctors encourage their consumption. That increased demand is one reason more farmers are turning to blueberries.

Woodall’s farm is a pick-your-own operation. That means people can visit the farm and harvest their berries. Woodall charges by the gallon. Because of inflation, the price has gone up this year.

“We charge $14 a gallon,” said Woodall.

Woodall is not just a blueberry farmer, he is also a blueberry consumer. He says he still eats them every day.

“I’ve eaten as much a gallon a day,” Woodall said laughing. “That night you know, you might be sick of them, but you wake up the next morning you’re ready to start all over again, eating blueberries.”