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LCA Survey - Blueberries (Growers)

Survey Introduction

Researchers at the University of California, Davis (UCD), with support from the US Highbush Blueberry Council, have developed this survey to support baseline data collection efforts for a nationwide blueberry industry Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) project. Findings from this LCA will be used to demonstrate the positive practices implemented by the American blueberry industry and to make credible marketing claims about the sustainability of blueberries, helping to solidify their position in the global market. The survey will also help identify key sustainability hotspots and guide future research, mitigation strategies, and industry reporting efforts.

Data Privacy

No identifying information will be made public in any way; results will be presented in aggregated form only (e.g., state- or county-wide). Individual survey responses collected will be accessible only to UCD researchers and US Highbush Blueberry Council staff and consultants directly involved in this project. This effort is not related to regulatory pressures or requirements. Individual or identifying information will not be shared with any regulatory agencies. This project is designed to provide value back to the American blueberry industry.

Instructions

Please complete the survey for your most representative blueberry farm site. This survey may take multiple days to complete as information is gathered. We understand the challenges of collecting primary data and we prefer your best estimates or an expected value for the next growing season. You can leave questions blank if you are unsure or if you are uncomfortable with the information requested. The project team is happy to walk through the survey with you and help in filling it out. Please email emarvinney@ucdavis.edu for assistance. It may be helpful to have records like utility bills, etc. readily available for reference.
Grower Survey Questions
Farm Information
This section collects general farm information used to characterize your blueberry farm. Please respond based on your total blueberry acreage for Question #2; for all other questions, respond based on your most representative field.
1.What is the total acreage of blueberries?

Example answer: 50
2.What was the average year your blueberries were planted?

Example answer: 2012
3.Please indicate if planted blueberries were bare-root or container-grown.

Example answer: container-grown
4.What varieties do you grow, and how many acres are planted for each?

Example answer:

Jewel: 5
Star: 20
Emerald: 30
5.What is the average density of the blueberry fields in plants per acre?

Example answer: 500 plants per acre
6.Where is (are) your field(s) located? (city, county)

Example answer: Woodland, Yolo County
7.Did you remove any plants this year, if so, will it be replanted with blueberries? Why were these taken out of production?

Example answer: Yes, 15 acres removed due to low productivity and replant disease. Will be replanted to blueberries in 2027.
8.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the acreage of these fields? Please describe these other fields, noting any important differences from the above.

Example answer: Yes, 20 acres under organic transition with lower fertilizer inputs and mechanical weed control.
Fertilization
This section collects data to help us understand nutrient management practices and calculate nutrient use efficiency. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. It may be helpful to contact your PCA or CCA for these values. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
9.How much nitrogen fertilizer is applied annually?
(Unit options: lbs per acre and per year)

Example answer: 180 lbs N per acre and per year
10.Please indicate main nitrogen sources applied. (Check all that apply.)
11.Please indicate the main application methods used to apply nitrogen. For example, broadcast, fertigation, foliar application, banding.



Example answer:
UAN solution - method: UAN-32 via fertigation
12.How much phosphorous fertilizer is applied annually?
(Unit options: lbs per acre and year)

Example answer: 40 lbs P₂O₅ per acre
13.Please indicate main phosphorus sources applied. (Check all that apply.)
14.Please indicate the main application methods used to apply phosphorus. For example, broadcast, fertigation, foliar application, banding.



Example answer:
Fish meal: foliar application
15.Please indicate main potassium sources applied. (Check all that apply.)
(Unit options: lbs per acre and per year)

Example answer: 120 lbs K₂O per acre and per year
16.Please indicate main potassium sources applied. (Check all that apply.)
17.Please indicate the main application methods used to apply phosphorus. For example, broadcast, fertigation, foliar application, banding.



Example answer:
Potassium sulfate - method: foliar application
18.Are any other fertilizers or soil amendments (Example: Compost) applied annually? How much? (Unit options: Pounds)

Example answer:
Compost – 2 tons per acre annually
19.Do you have any other innovative practices related to fertilization you would like to share?

Example answer: Using leaf tissue analysis to fine-tune in-season fertigation rates
20.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe these other fields, noting any important differences from the above.

Example answer: Organic block (10 acres) uses fish emulsion and compost only.
Yields
This section collects data which will be used to estimate productivity and output per area to assess overall system efficiency. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
21.Please estimate average annual blueberry yield (Unit options: Tons, tons per acre, pounds, pounds per acre)

Example answer: 2.8 tons per acre (in-shell)
22.Do you have any other fields that have drastically different yields? If so, what is the yield and total acreage of these fields?

Example answer: Young blueberry plants, planted 2 years ago (15 acres) averaging 1.2 tons per acre
Equipment Inputs
This section collects data which will be used to calculate the impacts of fuel combustion and the benefits achieved through potential or realized renewable energy use. If you can estimate breakdown by equipment type, we can make a more precise calculation for fuel combustion. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
23.Please estimate annual diesel fuel use relating to blueberry production.
(Unit options: Gallons)

Example answer: 4,500 gallons
24.Please estimate annual gasoline fuel use relating to blueberry production.
(Unit options: Gallons)

Example answer: 300 gallons
25.Please estimate annual electricity use relating to blueberry production.
(Unit options: kWh, kJ, MJ)

Example answer: 85,000 kWh
26.Please list main processes in which equipment was used for blueberry production (Example: Shaking, sweeping, mowing, etc.) If possible, estimate % of total fuel use for each process.

Example answer:
Harvest – 10%
Mowing – 40%
Spraying – 25%
Pruning & hedging – 25%
27.Do you use any renewable energy sources for your blueberry fields operations? If so, please describe how these renewable systems are used in the field. (Example: Solar integration on pump, etc.)

Example answer: Solar panels power irrigation pumps
28.What is the installed KW capacity of solar, if applicable?

Example answer: 75 kW
29.Do you have any other innovative practices related to equipment use you would like to share? (Examples: In-field trials of new technology, etc.)

Example answer: Using GPS-guided tractors to reduce overlap
30.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe noting any important differences from the above.
Pruning
This section collects data which will be used to calculate potential carbon addition back to the soil, contributing to the net climate benefits of blueberry production. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. These questions will be gathering data surrounding biomass that will stay on-site for field incorporation as well as biomass taken off-site for management. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
31.How are prunings and other wood or harvest waste managed?
32.How many blueberry replants did you purchase?
(Unit options: Number of plants)

Example answer: 1,200 plants
33.Do you conduct pruning, if so, please estimate percentage of each plant that is removed during pruning?

Example answer: 10–15% canopy removal annually
34.How much do you spend on pruning practices?

Example answer: $350 per acre per year
35.Are you pruning mechanically, by hand, or both?
36.Do you have any other innovative practices related to pruning you would like to share?

Example answer: Testing low-dust shredders for air quality benefits
37.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe noting any important differences from the above.
Irrigation
This section collects data which will be used to calculate water use efficiency of blueberry production, as well as potential groundwater recharge benefits. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred. No information from this (or any other) section will be shared with regulatory agencies.
38.During which months are irrigations performed? (Check all that apply)
39.What irrigation systems are used (please check all that apply)?
40.What water district are you in?
41.If you have an ag. well, what is the average groundwater depth? (Unit options: feet)

Example answer: 180 feet
42.What kind of pumping system is used (please check)?
43.What is the source of energy for the irrigation system?
44.How much irrigation water is applied annually for blueberry irrigation? This information will not be shared with any regulatory agencies. (Unit options: acre-feet per acre, gallons per acre, acre-inches per acre, or cubic meters per acre).

Example answer: 3.2 acre-feet per acre
45.About how much (%) of this water comes from on-site groundwater pumping compared to surface water sources? How do your water sources vary in dry vs. wet years? Estimate the percentage.

Groundwater: ___% dry year / ___ % wet year
Surface water:___% dry year / ___% wet year

Example answer:
Dry year: Groundwater 70% / Surface 30%
Wet year: Groundwater 40% / Surface 60%
46.Please provide information on pumping practices. Please include pump type, horsepower, water volume pumped per year (in acre feet or gallons), and annual operating hours.

Example answer:
Electric, 15 HP, 3,170,000 gallons/year, 600 hours/year
Diesel, 75 HP, ~22,450,000 gallons/year, 1200 hours/year
47.Do you have any other innovative practices related to irrigation you would like to share?
48.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe these other fields, noting any important differences from the above.
Cover Crops
This section collects data which will be used to inform soil carbon storage model, as well as to estimate benefits to biodiversity from blueberry production. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
49.Do you plant cover crops?
50.If not, how are you managing weeds in field rows? (Select all that apply)
51.If yes, what mix, or species do you use? (Select all that apply)
52.What are the management goals for the cover crops?
53.Do you have any other innovative practices related to cover cropping you would like to share? (Free response)
54.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe these other fields, noting any important differences from the above.
Pest Management
This section collects data which will be used to put pesticide use records into context and estimate benefits to biodiversity and communities from adoption of IPM practices. Please answer based on your most representative blueberry field. Estimates or predictions for next season are preferred.
55.What pests are you targeting with pesticide applications?
56.What equipment do you use for the application?
57.Do you use any hedgerows or natural habitat for beneficial insects or wildlife? Please describe this effort.

Example answer: Hedgerows with native flowering plants along field edges
58.List any other integrated pest management strategies you use, including physical, cultural, biological or integration of soft-chemistry pesticides? (Examples: traps, bird boxes, beneficial insects, stakes, tree paint or wraps, grazing, etc.)

Example answer: We use a comprehensive integrated pest management (IPM) approach that combines regular field scouting and trapping to monitor pest populations, particularly for key pests such as spotted wing drosophila. Sanitation practices include frequent removal of overripe, damaged, or dropped fruit to reduce breeding habitat. Pruning is used to improve canopy structure and airflow, which helps reduce disease pressure and improves spray coverage. We maintain beneficial insect habitat through hedgerows and non-cropped areas to support natural enemies. Cultural practices such as weed management and optimized irrigation scheduling are used to limit pest-favorable conditions. When chemical control is necessary, we prioritize selective, reduced-risk (“soft-chemistry”) pesticides and apply them only when economic thresholds are exceeded, rotating modes of action to reduce resistance development.
59.Do you have any other innovative practices related to pest management you would like to share? (Free response)

Example answer: Drone imagery to detect early mite hotspots
60.Do you have any other fields that are managed differently from responses above? If so, what is the total acreage of these fields? Please describe noting any important differences from the above.
Thank you for completing the Grower Survey. We appreciate your participation!