Brooksville Florida becomes new home to Florida Blueberry Growers Association
Every April since 2012, the Florida Blueberry Festival has attracted between 40-50,000 locals and out-of-towners to a weekend long street festival in downtown Brooksville, Florida. Because the festival has been so well received in that area, Brooksville has been officially named the home of the Florida Blueberry Growers Association. The association’s president, Dudley Calfee, said Brooksville is the first permanent home the organization has had in its 22-year history. Before now, meetings were held in several towns across Florida, but primarily in Plant City. “As the association has grown, we’ve realized that having a physical office would bring a lot of benefits we don’t presently have” said Calfee.
The FBGA will be sharing the space in Brooksville City Hall with the Florida Blueberry Festival’s headquarters. Michael Heard, the festival’s chairwoman and paid director, noted that it would benefit both organizations as well as Brooksville itself. The festival has given Brooksville much welcomed attention since it started in 2012. The city has already proven itself as a hard-working supporter for the blueberry industry, and it seemed to be the perfect location for the growers association.
According to Calfee, Central Florida’s “blueberry belt” is comprised of 17 counties and up to 8000 acres that are dedicated to growing the finest Florida blueberries. The area’s harvest lasts about two months and is responsible for the earliest Florida blueberries to enter the market every spring. With continued research, new methods, and new varieties, Central Florida continues to have successful harvests with additional growers entering the market. Blueberries have also shown to make a nice profit for area growers.
This year, the Florida Blueberry Growers Association Fall Seminar will be held in Plant City on Tuesday, October 7, and Hillsborough Community College in Tampa will be the home of the association’s annual trade show and winter meeting. However, Brooksville hopes to eventually have both events held there.
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