NEW HAMPSHIRE: Experiment Station Researchers Develop Online Kiwiberry Production Guide for the Northeast
Prospective kiwiberry growers in the Northeast now have a roadmap to help them grow this emerging specialty fruit crop. Researchers with the New Hampshire Agricultural Experiment Station at the University of New Hampshire have produced an online guide that provides in-depth, regionally relevant information.
Comprised of a statewide market assessment, a detailed production manual, and an enterprise analysis, Growing Kiwiberries in New England: A Guide for Regional Producers reflects information gathered over five years since the experiment station initiated its kiwiberry research and breeding program in 2013 at its Woodman Horticultural Research Farm.
Developed by experiment station researcher Iago Hale, associate professor of specialty crop improvement, and graduate student Will Hastings, manager of the kiwiberry vineyard, the guide supports ongoing development of kiwiberries as a high-value fruit crop for the Northeast. Globally, kiwiberry production is on the rise. With the information presented in the guide, experiment station researchers are hopeful producers in the Northeast will be better prepared to decide whether to grow kiwiberries.
According to the researchers, there is great potential for growth of a kiwiberry sector in the Northeast due to consumer interest, an established valuation of local produce, the area’s unique culture of direct-market horticultural crops, and the extremely low level of regional production to date.
This material is based upon work supported by the NH Agricultural Experiment Station, through joint funding of the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under award numbers 233561 and 1006928, and the state of New Hampshire.