Source: US HIGHBRUSH BLUEBERRY COUNCIL


Introduction and Purpose

In December 2019, the United States Highbush Blueberry Council (hereafter, USHBC), retained The Tootelian Company to assist it in conducting a study to assess the economic impact blueberry growers (hereafter, growers) have within the State of North Carolina (hereafter, North Carolina, State). This impact includes the increased business activity created by growing blueberries, the jobs created as a result of this activity throughout the various sectors of the State’s economy, the increased labor income generated for those employed, and the indirect business taxes that are created.

The specific issues addressed in this study of blueberry growers in North Carolina were:

• How much business activity do growers create and how is the overall impact diffused through the various sectors of North Carolina’s economy?

• How many jobs does this business activity create?

• How much labor income is created and how could that income be diffused within the State’s economy? • How much does this business activity generate in indirect business taxes? Economic impact is a function of spending within a defined geographic area. Accordingly, two models were used in this analysis.

A specially designed feeder model was created to help define expenditure levels by growers in an average year. Then, IMPLAN was used to compute the overall economic impact.

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