OTTAWA COUNTY— Local blueberry farms are adapting to high temperatures causing berries to ripen faster than usual, shortening this year’s harvest season, and wildfire smoke complicating harvest operations.
Two businesses — Reenders Blueberry Farms and Bowerman Blueberries — say the recent heat has accelerated ripening while smoke has created new challenges for workers.
“There’s no such thing as a normal year in blueberries,” Bowerman’s Operations Manager Andrew Van Til told The Sentinel. “Every year is vastly different.”
Van Til said moderate temperatures during pollination benefited this season’s crop, but the recent heat is encouraging the fruit to ripen faster.
“Our harvest has been pushed a little bit earlier than normal,” Van Til said. “Blueberries are generally three distinct pickings. What we’re seeing is … a lot of that fruit is ripening all at once with all of the heat.”
Reenders is facing the same challenge. The heat is making berries from their main variety, Blue Crop, more delicate.
“We have to try and get the customers to understand about fruit quality and what’s going on with the berries,” Onalee Reenders told The Sentinel. “They taste amazing. They look amazing. It’s going to be a bit on the softer side.”
Reenders recommends storing blueberries in the refrigerator and washing them just before serving. Blueberries have a natural protective coating called “bloom” that helps preserve the fruit, and washing removes it.
Each business has decades of blueberry growing experience — 75 years at Bowerman and 70 years at Reenders — so ownership is used to weathering unexpected challenges.
“I mean, it’s Michigan,” Reenders said. “We’ve had it one week (in) the field handpicking and my uncle would bring us hot cocoa … and then the next week it’d be like, get us anything cold.”
“We’ve seen droughts, we’ve seen insane heat, we’ve seen rain, we’ve seen cold,” Van Til said. “We pretty much have a plan for everything.”
While the heat poses a problem, it’s not “nearly as bad” for the overall health of the plants as a drought like the one seen in 2025, according to Van Til.
While the smoke is providing the berries relief from the heat, it’s also caused both farms to take steps to protect their employees from poor air quality.
Reenders, an open-air farm market, is rotating staff to indoor positions, such as the bakery. Bowerman has paused hand-picking operations, with workers taking extra precautions while machine harvesting — including wearing masks and taking additional breaks.
U-Pick operations at both farms remained open as of July 16. Van Til said now is an ideal time to pick, as berries are ripening quickly and in droves. He recommends bringing water and sun protection.
“Even though you have similar seasons, every single season is different,” Reenders said. “That’s what I love about it. Not one season is the same.”
— Cassidey Kavathas is the politics and court reporter at The Holland Sentinel. Contact her at ckavathas@hollandsentinel.com. Follow her on X @cassideykava.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: Heat, wildfire smoke affecting blueberry farmers in West Michigan
Reporting by Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel / The Holland Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Cassidey Kavathas, Holland Sentinel | USA TODAY Network
