Why Maine's Blueberry Farmers Are Losing Millions

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