III
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 309
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
July 25, 2023
Ms. Stabenow (for herself, Ms. Collins, Mr. Peters, Mrs. Hyde-Smith, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Scott of Florida, Mr. Booker, Ms. Cantwell, Mrs. Murray, Mr. King, Mr. Ossoff, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Menendez) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to
RESOLUTION
Recognizing the importance of the blueberry industry to the United States and designating July 2023 as National Blueberry Month
.
Whereas blueberries are a native North American fruit, first managed and harvested as wild blueberries by the native Wabanaki;
Whereas wild blueberries continue to be managed and harvested in Maine by farmers, including the Wabanaki, as a native, naturally occurring crop;
Whereas the pioneering work conducted in New Jersey in the early 1900s by Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville, a botanist at the Department of Agriculture, to domesticate wild lowbush blueberries resulted in the development of the hybrid variety of cultivated highbush blueberries;
Whereas, because of these early efforts, highbush blueberries are large, sweet, juicy berries that can be commercially produced and shipped;
Whereas wild blueberries—
are small and sweet; and
are not planted, but still grow and are harvested where they have naturally occurred for thousands of years;
Whereas the blueberry industry in the United States is an important sector of United States agriculture with an annual economic impact of $4,700,000,000;
Whereas highbush and wild blueberries have a total harvested area estimated at more than 140,000 acres and are produced in 48 States by nearly 13,185 farms;
Whereas blueberry production in the United States has continually increased, with particular growth in the first 2 decades of the 21st century, to reach a harvest of 731,400,000 pounds in 2022;
Whereas blueberries are low in fat and are a source of fiber, vitamins, and minerals;
Whereas blueberries are being studied to examine the role the berries may play in promoting good health in areas such as cardiovascular health, brain health, exercise, insulin response, and gut health; and
Whereas blueberries are harvested in the United States from March through early September, with the harvest reaching its peak in July: Now, therefore, be it
That the Senate—
designates July 2023 as National Blueberry Month
;
recognizes the contributions of blueberry growers in the United States and their families; and
recognizes that purchasing blueberries grown in the United States supports farmers, jobs, communities, and the economy of the United States.