[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 56 (Thursday, March 25, 2021)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1833-S1834]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 139--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BLUEBERRY 
 INDUSTRY TO THE UNITED STATES AND DESIGNATING JULY 2021 AS ``NATIONAL 
                           BLUEBERRY MONTH''

  Ms. STABENOW (for herself, Mr. Warnock, Mr. Peters, Mr. Booker, Mr. 
Menendez, Ms. Collins, Ms. Cantwell, Mr. King, Mr. Merkley, Mrs. 
Murray, and Mr. Wyden) submitted the following resolution; which was 
referred to the Committee on the Judiciary:

                              S. Res. 139

       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 for 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--
       (1) are small and sweet; and
       (2) 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

[[Page S1834]]

     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 
     730,000,000 pounds in 2020;
       Whereas blueberries are low in fat and 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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates July 2021 as ``National Blueberry Month'';
       (2) recognizes the contributions of blueberry growers in 
     the United States and their families; and
       (3) recognizes that purchasing blueberries grown in the 
     United States supports farmers, jobs, communities, and the 
     economy of the United States.

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