top of page

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES

The Wild Blueberry Commission of Maine employs a strategic planning cycle to guide our work.

Strategic Priorities: Welcome
DSC_1189 copy.jpeg
Strategic Priorities: Image

Long Term Priorities

  • Improve the level and consistency of profitability across scales of production.

  • Increase the consistency of wild blueberry supply.

  • Grow the number of Maine wild blueberry farms and businesses.

  • Build capacity for wild blueberry research and Extension at the University of Maine.

  • Support strategic wild blueberry promotion, health research, and market development to grow demand and loyalty.

​​

2023 Priorities

  • Help address labor and workforce housing challenges

  • Coordinate the development of practical best management practices to support food safety goals.

  • Develop strategic initiative(s) to reverse the trend of decreasing wild blueberry farm numbers.

  • Advocate for state and federal policies, opportunities, and regulations that support our industry.

  • Support and foster research, innovation, and opportunities that aid climate change adaptation, increase resiliency to climate change, and reduce supply inconsistencies.

  • Carry out and support promotion and health research programs to generate demand across scales and business models.

  • Catalyze research and development to increase efficiencies and address critical business and infrastructure challenges.

  • Develop and execute strategies to remove barriers to growth and innovation.

​ 

Profitability Barriers

  • Lack of price stability and predictability prevents investments in fields and equipment

  • Increasing competition from the cultivated industry (inclusive of fresh, frozen, US, and import) 

  • Lack of profitability discourages generational transfer and contributes to the loss of farms and  businesses 

  • Climate change and its influence on the consistency of supply 

  • Buyer’s substitutability between cultivated and wild blueberries, and between Maine and  Canadian wild blueberries 

Strategic Priorities: About Us
bottom of page