AgBioResearch

This story is part of a series highlighting the impact of MSU AgBioResearch’s work with Michigan agriculture and natural resources told through our stakeholders' perspectives. Through partnerships with the State of Michigan and industries, MSU AgBioResearch is finding solutions to some of the most timely problems facing our state. To view the entire series, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.

EAST LANSING, Mich. — Compared to many of Michigan’s more than 300 agricultural commodities, the blueberry industry is relatively new. Blueberries were first cultivated commercially in the state in the 1920s after Dr. Stanley Johnson, a horticulture professor at Michigan State University, set up test plots throughout the Lower and Upper Peninsulas.

Johnson discovered that blueberries thrived, particularly in the sandy soils near Lake Michigan, and his work over the following decades would position MSU as a nationwide leader in production.

The MSU breeding program realized its most significant growth from the efforts of Dr. Jim Hancock, a professor emeritus in the Department of Horticulture, through the development of six varieties. Two of these, Liberty and Draper, remain among the most widely planted northern highbush varieties in the world.

Today, Michigan’s blueberry industry contributes more than $529 million in economic activity annually, according to a 2025 report from the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.

Nancy Nyquist, executive director of the Michigan Blueberry Commission, says MSU deserves ample credit for the proliferation of production across the state.

“The Michigan Blueberry Commission started in 2017 with its main purpose to support industry-driven research,” she said. “We don’t deviate from that mission. Research is critically important for our growers to stay on the cutting edge of production strategies, variety development and selection, disease management and all of the other factors that go into producing what’s become an important part of Michigan’s agricultural economy. The commission can’t support the volume of research needed to do that alone, and MSU helps us every step of the way.”

Nyquist noted that with commission funding, new variety trials began last year at MSU’s Southwest Michigan Research and Extension Center in Benton Harbor. She said the goal is to evaluate properties that are advantageous to growers, while also acknowledging consumer preferences around taste and overall fruit quality.

In addition to the breeding program, MSU AgBioResearch scientists and Extension educators have worked for decades with blueberry growers and partners on emerging and persistent problems. The MSU small fruit team interacts regularly with the Michigan Blueberry Commission on setting goals, advancing research on the highest-priority topics, and troubleshooting production challenges.

“I’m biased, of course, but I think the small fruit team at MSU is the best in the nation, if not the world, in terms of the services they provide to our communities and farmers,” Nyquist said. “There are a number of areas of expertise, whether it be pollination, disease resistance, pest issues or new cultivars. We have people doing world-renowned research at MSU. Our growers know the researchers, the Extension educators and the lab managers. It’s really a full circle, which also has included MSU Plant & Pest Diagnostics to do testing for us. MSU has its hands on the industry in so many ways, and it’s really phenomenal.”

A primary driver of research breakthroughs with blueberries has been Project GREEEN, a partnership among MSU, the Michigan Plant Coalition, and the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Now in its 27^th year, Project GREEEN has supported research and outreach to combat urgent problems facing plant agriculture.

“Project GREEEN is an incredibly important program to commodities like blueberries because it’s often where a problem can start to be solved and evolve from there,” Nyquist said. “It’s been a steady resource to help bridge the financial gap in our research funding. It’s one of the crown jewels at MSU that’s so broadly supported around the state. I know when I meet with new faculty or educators, Project GREEEN is one of the first things I talk to them about.

“The reality is that specialty crops don’t have the same stature at the national level as some other crops. That makes Project GREEEN dollars vitally important to us so we can continue to put a fresh, safe product on the table for consumers. It makes the partnership between MSU and the industry stronger by having this kind of program that doesn’t exist anywhere else in the country.”

Through Project GREEEN, researchers began tackling one of the primary challenges facing blueberry growers over the past 15 years — spotted wing drosophila (SWD). SWD is an invasive insect from Asia that attacks soft-fleshed fruits such as berries, cherries and grapes. It emerged in Michigan in 2010, and Project GREEEN funds allowed MSU scientists to rapidly test management strategies.

“One of the main ways MSU has helped in recent years is through recommendations developed on how to deal with SWD,” Nyquist said. “This was an emerging issue we hadn’t dealt with before, and MSU researchers got right on it. The work that’s been done in the last 15 years has been remarkable. There were added costs with sprays, and growers weren’t prepared for it to the extent necessary. MSU helped us learn which ones would be most effective. On top of chemical controls, researchers such as Dr. Rufus Isaacs are looking at biological controls, and it could be a game-changer moving forward. We still have a ways to go to solve the problem, but we couldn’t do it without MSU.”

Along with SWD management, Project GREEEN supports a variety of blueberry projects, including efforts on water use for irrigation, harvest timing and flavor quality.

Nyquist also touted advancements in the Enviroweather network, which positions weather monitoring systems across the state that help farmers make real-time decisions on pest and disease control, plant development strategies and natural resources management. Each site consists of a solar-powered tower that collects information on temperature, rainfall, relative humidity, dew point, soil temperature, wind direction and more.

This work is critical to the sustainability of blueberry operations, Nyquist said. Without it, growers would be at a disadvantage in the marketplace.

“It’s really about having that trusted resource and partnership,” Nyquist said. “If we have a problem, MSU listens and responds. We’re a small-but-mighty industry, and to have that close relationship, that’s the secret sauce to me.

“In agriculture, we’re tasked with feeding the world. People want fresh, wholesome and safe food. Maintaining agriculture research is national security because being able to feed ourselves is one of the most important things we can do. For example, we see a lot of pressure from imports. If research funding went away in Michigan or nationally, it would be devastating.”

Creela Hamlin and Ryan Wysocki have collaborated closely with MSU researchers and Extension educators for years. Hamlin is a fifth-generation farmer and member of the Michigan Blueberry Commission who owns Lake Michigan Berry with her husband, Matthew. Wysocki is a certified crop advisor at Keystone Cooperative focusing on blueberry production.

Below is a Q&A with Hamlin and Wysocki describing their experiences with MSU.

How does MSU research currently support your goals?

• Hamlin: The main thing for me is that MSU research has helped us find solutions to invasive species very quickly, and without that quick response, it would have taken growers a lot longer to come up with those answers. It’s an ongoing process, but that support from MSU has cut out a lot of the guesswork. I’m also really interested in the biological controls because growers wouldn’t have had the resources to explore that. We’re all hopeful that can be effective moving forward. I have also found that Enviroweather and the modeling that’s available is really useful.
  
  
• Wysocki: I work quite a bit with Rufus (Isaacs) on insect-related issues and Dr. Tim Miles on the disease side. Dr. Josh Vander Weide (blueberry production systems) is someone I’ve worked with more recently on issues with production. They’re all very helpful when I have an immediate need or want to discuss a problem growers are having.

What outcomes or benefits do you expect from MSU research?

• Hamlin: It’s really about doing projects that directly translate to real-world field operations. We need research that is translatable and can be implemented directly into the field. It may be about the effectiveness of pest controls, for example, and MSU has tested a lot of that in the past and continues to do so. We’re looking at ways to make sure we’re using the most effective tools and lessening negative environmental impact, and all of that is targeted toward increasing the sustainability of blueberry growing in Michigan.
  
  
• Wysocki: One of the biggest things is that I think MSU gives credibility to product performance with insecticides and fungicides. If a manufacturer comes to me with a new product, my first response will be to have someone at MSU put it in a trial. It’s hard in my position to try a bunch of new things in the field because we need to make sure what we’re doing is going to work. I see MSU as the gatekeeper in that situation because they can vet these products and check that the claims the manufacturers make for product performance are truly happening in the field.

Can you share an example of when MSU research has positively affected the industry or helped it overcome a looming challenge?

• Hamlin: SWD has been the biggest thing for me and the controls we’ve been able to implement. There has also been a lot of herbicide testing, and we’ve taken those recommendations. Rufus (Isaacs) and Tim (Miles) are the two I work with the most on those pest and disease issues. Josh (Vander Weide) has helped us with horticultural practices and variety trials as well. Cheyenne Sloan (Extension blueberry educator) is a great resource for growers as well. Being able to reach out to her with questions is great, and she helps direct us to the answers. I look forward to working more with Dr. Josh Miranda, too, in his new role as the specialty crop weed scientist. That’s a position we’ve needed at MSU for quite a while.
  
  
• Wysocki: Most recently, Tim (Miles) has worked at identifying some new diseases in blueberries in Michigan. It’s tough to fight a battle with a disease when you don’t know what you’re fighting or what you need to use against it. On the insect side, Rufus (Isaacs) is trying new strategies with SWD, which we’re hopeful about.

How can MSU research help to position the industry to thrive moving forward?

• Hamlin: Making sure that we’re addressing the needs of the growers is obviously key. Filling key positions that we haven’t had for a while, like Josh (Miranda) in weed science. The need for quick answers in agriculture is so important, so to see MSU working to fill those gaps is very encouraging.
  
  
• Wysocki: The people who know what they need are the growers. There must be constant communication between growers and MSU. One of the challenges is how we look for solutions that work and are cost-effective but aren’t biased in terms of choosing a particular strategy like a chemical control. The potential of biological controls is one example, but cost is a prohibiting factor. Research needs to be focused on the most relevant things moving forward, particularly with things like soil health, non-chemical controls and nutrition. To me, that’s the future.

What would you say to legislators to advocate on behalf of continued research funding? What would it mean to not have this funding support moving forward?

• Hamlin: It would be catastrophic to our industry if we weren’t able to do this research, whether it’s on invasive species or diseases we haven’t seen before. MSU is doing in-field research and lab research, and it’s been huge for our industry. I like to be an involved grower in helping dictate research priorities to ensure we’re focusing on the most important things. MSU is receptive to those conversations, and that’s what we as growers desperately need.
  
  
• Wysocki: SWD and the problems it causes is a good example of the industry needing research to be immediately responsive. Having researchers who are able to deal with those types of problems immediately is helpful, and that type of funding was necessary. At the same time, I think it’s a good time for MSU to look at what they’re doing and the value it provides. Of course we don’t need research for the sake of research, so looking at how MSU is able to use those funds in the most efficient and effective ways will be crucial for the blueberry industry. It all comes back to constant communication between MSU and growers.

Michigan State University AgBioResearch scientists discover dynamic solutions for food systems and the environment. More than 300 MSU faculty conduct leading-edge research on a variety of topics, from health and agriculture to natural resources. Originally formed in 1888 as the Michigan Agricultural Experiment Station, MSU AgBioResearch oversees numerous on-campus research facilities, as well as 15 outlying centers throughout Michigan. To learn more, visit agbioresearch.msu.edu.