Economics of the Berry Basket: David Magaña on Supply, Pricing and Growth

In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by David Magaña, senior vice president and senior analyst at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness. Magaña is responsible for covering and analyzing the U.S. and North American fresh fruit and vegetable industries for RaboBank, and his insights are deeply relevant to anyone in the ag industry. In this episode, Magaña shares the current economic picture for global blueberry supply and demand, and provides a taste of what he’ll share in his keynote presentation at the upcoming 2026 Blueberry Convention, Sept. 22-25 in Monterey, California.

“ When we look at how much blueberry availability has been increasing over the past decade, that's an impressive story to tell. But still, with a lot of room for growth. We're talking just in the U.S., when we look only at the fresh segment, about three pounds per person per year, and still with a lot of room for growth.” – David Magaña

Topics covered include:

• An introduction to Magaña and his work at RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness.
• A discussion of the current economic drivers of global blueberry supply and demand.
• A recap of a recent presentation Magaña delivered at the 16th Aneberries Conference in Mexico.
• The outlook for the economic opportunities and potential challenges ahead for the blueberry industry.

Crop Report

The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Emilie Parkanzky in Michigan, Alan Schreiber in Washington, Liczy Sotomayor in Mexico, Luis Vegas in Peru and Sunny Brar in British Columbia. This was recorded on August 27, 2026.