Why the USHBC Matters Now More Than Ever
by ELLIE NORRIS
Owner, Norris Farms
USHBC Chair
The origin of my family’s blueberry farm is a bit unconventional. My dad — a now-retired ER doctor — began farming as a hobby with a very specific outcome in mind: Keeping his three daughters out of trouble.
What started as a prescription for hard work became a lifelong passion for our family. We began with just five acres. Over time, five acres became 10, then 50, and today, we’re farming upward of 700 acres just outside of Roseburg, Oregon.
Growing up in this industry, what I fell in love with — and what I still love today — is the community. I remember when the blueberry world felt incredibly small and deeply personal. It was the kind of industry where you knew absolutely everyone. As we have grown, I have always cherished that sense of connection, and I’m always excited to reconnect with those tight-knit roots.
Working on a family farm gives you a very practical perspective on life and business. You quickly learn to understand risk, manage a long timeline and appreciate exactly what it takes to build something that is meant to last. But even the most resilient family farm cannot stand alone in today’s marketplace.
That’s why the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) is so vital. Growers and importers created USHBC 25 years ago because our industry needed a unified voice – an organization solely focused on growing demand across all regions, all growers, and all states. Over the last quarter of a century, it has proven to be incredibly invaluable.
The work the USHBC does is precisely what makes it possible for a family farm like mine in Oregon to compete in a global market. It levels the playing field. It helps the small, individual grower have a voice, a place and a permanent foothold in this increasingly global business.
I am a true believer in the work of the USHBC because I have seen it work with my own eyes. I’ve watched how their strategic marketing, advertising and research have stabilized demand and pricing for blueberries. You only need to look at other commodities that lack a category demand organization like the USHBC to see the difference. They simply haven’t accomplished what we’ve accomplished on behalf of their growers.
But as successful as the past 25 years have been, the USHBC has never been more important than it is today. And the reason is simple: We’re not done yet.
We’re not done growing the demand. Across the country and around the world, new acreage is going into the ground, and new plantings are maturing. Our industry's volume is growing rapidly, and we absolutely must grow the consumer demand to match it. If we don’t keep the pace, we risk overwhelming the market.
And let’s be honest: It’s a tough time to be a grower, particularly in the United States. We’re facing a lot of operational pressures. Labor costs are skyrocketing, while labor availability is declining. Input costs continue to rise, and the heavy financial investments required for new varieties and field technology are increasingly make-or-break decisions for family operations.
When margins are tight, the knee-jerk reaction can be to retreat. But this is exactly why the moment to keep the USHBC working is so critical. This month, our industry will vote on the USHBC continuance referendum. It is a vital opportunity to secure our future, and I hope you’ll join me in getting behind it.
When the headwinds are strong, that’s the exact moment we need our unified voice to be at its loudest. We cannot afford to lose the momentum we’ve built together. This is a moment that we should be leaning into, stepping forward, and pushing ahead —not pulling back. By supporting the USHBC, we ensure that as our yields grow, the world's appetite for blueberries grows right along with them, securing the future for the next generation of our farming families.
