[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 128 (Tuesday, July 25, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S3527]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SENATE RESOLUTION 309--RECOGNIZING THE IMPORTANCE OF THE BLUEBERRY 
 INDUSTRY TO THE UNITED STATES AND DESIGNATING JULY 2023 AS ``NATIONAL 
                           BLUEBERRY MONTH''

  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:

                              S. Res. 309

       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--
       (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 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
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) designates July 2023 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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