Why Maine's Blueberry Farmers Are Losing Millions

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Blueberries have grown wild in Maine for 10,000 years. These aren't your typical grocery store blueberries. They're smaller, sweeter, and healthier. They're the backbone of a valuable industry in Maine, especially for Indigenous groups who've returned for generations to hand-harvest the fields. But in 2025, wild blueberry farmers in Maine experienced one of the worst seasons this decade, losing $28 million. So what happened? And how are farmers, processors, and scientists racing to save their ancestral wild blueberry? You can see more of David Stess' work at: https://www.instagram.com/davidstess?igsh=N2szYWcydGJqcTNo Additional Production from Kashif Khan Productions 00:00 - Intro 00:28 - Wild v. Bred Blueberries 02:18 - Processing at Wyman's 03:56 - Growing Wild Blueberries 05:02 - Han Harvesting: A Dying Art Form 06:47 - Tariffs On Machine Harvesters 08:02 - Why Maine Farmers Are Losing Millions 09:26 - Inside A Passamaquoddy Harvesting Campsite 11:53 - Wild Blueberries Are Sacred To Wabanki 13:08 - A Photographer Archives the Barrens for 30 years 15:57 - How Tribal Blueberry Land Was Stolen 18:12 - Wyman's Diversifying 18:25 - Scientists Fighting For Wild Blueberries 19:53 - Irrigation Could Save Wild Blueberries 22:08 - Emergency Funding 22:35 - A Superfood On The Rise 23:21 - Credits ------------------------------------------------------ #blueberries #wildblueberries #maine #usagriculture #bigbusiness WATCH MORE BIG BUSINESS EPISODES How The Cheesecake Factory Runs One Of America's Biggest Menus https://youtu.be/rNNyEUxrPOY This Mad Science Lab Invented MREs https://youtu.be/s80mBDNJ5lo Inside Rikers Island’s Jail Kitchen https://youtu.be/X05BsYqZSdg Business Insider is a global newsroom covering business, technology, innovation, and the economy. Visit our homepage for the top stories of the day: https://www.businessinsider.com/?utm_source=youtube Sign up for our newsletters: https://www.businessinsider.com/subscription/newsletter?utm_source=youtube Find Business Insider on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/businessinsider ... on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/businessinsider ... on X: https://x.com/BusinessInsider ... on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@businessinsider Why Maine's Blueberry Farmers Are Losing Millions | Big Business | Business Insider