Wade Jackson on Berry Genetics at Family Tree Farms

The Business of Blueberries

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Wade Jackson of Family Tree Farms. Jackson is a third-generation family farm owner and a board member at Family Tree Farms. He has also developed expertise in genetics and breeding blueberry varieties. He shares about how Family Tree Farms is thinking about genetics and where that’s driving their partnership with Mountain Blue Orchards (MBO).

“We're always going to hang our hat on flavor at Family Tree Farms. … We have weekly tastings with our whole family, and there's always one of us bringing our kids. … Who drives consumption? It's the kids. So, a lot of what runs our business is what these kids that are 11 years old and younger gravitate to at these tasting tables.” – Wade Jackson

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Jackson.
• A summary of the partnership between Family Tree Farms and Mountain Blue Orchards, and the varieties this partnership has produced.
• A discussion of what farmers care about most in new genetics and where that’s pushing the industry

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today, you’ll hear from Brittany Lee in Florida, Derrin Wheeler in Georgia, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Luis Vegas in Peru. This was recorded on March 13, 2025.