At one of the largest blueberry farms in the United States, rows of bushes stretch to the horizon.
Ray Biln, whose family owns a sprawling 1,500-acre farm in Franklin County, Washington, proudly presents his blueberry bushes, highlighting the Draper variety.
Biln’s farm is a key player in Washington state, which leads the nation in blueberry production.
Each year, his farm produces tons of blueberries from various cultivars, contributing significantly to the state’s output.
The berries often travel to Canada for packing, processing, and cold storage before returning to American consumers.
However, the Trump Administration’s recent tariffs, though not currently applied to U.S. and Canadian blueberries, have raised concerns for growers like Biln.
With potential retaliatory tariffs on the horizon, they fear being squeezed from both sides of the border.
Around 800 workers are employed during the harvest season on Biln’s farm alone.
Biln acknowledges, “Our decisions do impact other people.”
These decisions include navigating the complexities introduced by tariffs.
Biln is contemplating investing in additional wind machines and a modular cooling system, but the ongoing uncertainty makes him hesitant to overextend financially.
He understands that tariffs could increase costs associated with growing, harvesting, processing, shipping, and purchasing blueberries, but the exact implications for his business remain undetermined.
“That’s why it’s important to stay even-keeled and try to make the best decisions in the landscape we’re given,” Biln remarked.
His family operates other large farms in the U.S. and Canada, underscoring the interdependence of the blueberry industry across the border.
Most of Biln’s fruit is processed and packaged in British Columbia before returning to the U.S. as stickered produce.
On February 1, the Trump administration implemented nearly universal 25% tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico.
Exceptions were made for oil and energy products from Canada, which faced a 10% tariff.
This led Canada to respond with its own 25% tariffs on numerous American goods.
Just a day before tariffs were set to take effect, both nations agreed to a one-month pause, allowing for further negotiations.
As it stands, blueberries remain exempt from tariffs under the United States Mexico Canada Trade Agreement (USMCA), facilitating cross-border trade for these fruits.
Yet, for Biln, the prospect of double tariffs on his produce raises serious concerns about the feasibility of his planned projects.
“You know we have projects on pause now on both sides of the border,” he stated.
Biln is particularly interested in installing a large cooler to better preserve the quality of his fruit; however, the associated costs are daunting in this climate of uncertainty.
The potential for tariffs could create a significant backlog for blueberry shipments.
Each year, about 40 million pounds of Washington’s blueberries are exported to Canada for processing and packaging.
During the peak summer months, the urgency to sell fresh or frozen blueberries intensifies.
Should tariffs be applied to both Canadian and U.S. blueberries, blueberry distributors might find it economically unfeasible to transport fruit across the border.
This scenario could result in rotting piles of berries in regions like Whatcom County, where farmers may lack the means to move their products to processing facilities or cold storage.
Paul Sangha, a blueberry farmer in northern Washington who distributes large quantities of fruit across the country, shared his worries.
He envisions a summer overwhelmed with surplus berries in his shipping yard.
“How do we in such a short window handle that?” Sangha questioned.
Meanwhile, Alyssa Houtby, a director with the North American Blueberry Council, is advocating for better market access for U.S. blueberry producers.
Houtby seeks to address tariffs in markets such as Vietnam, Japan, Malaysia, and Taiwan, which import significant amounts of frozen, fresh, and dried blueberries.
She believes that if the Trump administration can strike beneficial agreements, it could provide relief for some in the domestic blueberry sector.
Last week’s announcement of a 90-day pause on some tariffs, alongside news of negotiations with certain countries, offers a glimmer of hope.
“We hope that any forthcoming agreements will tackle tariff and non-tariff barriers that hinder blueberry exports,” Houtby explained.
Japan and Vietnam are currently seen as priority markets for the blueberry industry, making the potential negotiations extremely significant.
Houtby noted that in her extensive experience in the industry, she had never witnessed anything quite like this situation.
“Usually, trade agreements take a very long time — it’s a shock to the system,” she remarked.
“This is not typically how trade agreements are negotiated.”
As the uncertainty lingers around tariffs and international trade agreements, blueberry farmers like Biln and Sangha remain in a precarious position, hoping for clarity and stability in the market.
image source from：https://www.opb.org/article/2025/04/14/washington-blueberry-industry-canada-tariffs/
