BRISTOL - Georgia blueberry growers estimate they lost at least 15 percent of the crop during a freeze earlier this month. <br>
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The president of the Georgia Blueberry Growers Association, Rusty Bell of Bristol, said it will take another couple of weeks to see the full damage because the flowers still have to open. <br>
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Bell added, ``Then we'll be able to see how much damage has been done. And when we harvest, we'll know a lot more, too.'' <br>
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Meteorologists said the freeze, about two weeks ago, was caused by a dip in the jet stream, the high altitude airstream that influences weather. Frost advisories were issued for southern Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and northern Florida. <br>
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Blueberries have been a successful crop in southeast Georgia, where the acreage has climbed from almost nothing in the 1970s to 4,500 acres. They are a ten million dollar crop. <br>
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The bulk of the berries are grown in Pierce, Bacon, Appling, Clinch and Ware counties. <br>
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Georgia growers begin harvesting their earliest varieties as early as mid-April and May. The main harvest of later varieties starts in June.
