By Malinda Geisler, content specialist, AgMRC, Iowa State University.

Revised December 2007.


Overview

Raspberries continue to rank as the third most popular berry in the United States for fresh use, after strawberries and blueberries. Raspberries come in red, black, purple and yellow varieties. There are summer-bearing varieties that produce one crop between July and August. Fall-bearing raspberries grow a large crop in the fall and a small crop the following summer.

The United States is the world’s third-largest producer of raspberries. Although production occurs across much of the country, most of it is concentrated in Washington, California, and Oregon. Washington State leads the nation in red raspberry (Rubus idaeus) production. In 2006, Washington raised 57.6 million pounds of red raspberries valued at $20.5 million. Oregon leads the United States in black raspberry (Rubus occidentalis) production with 4 million pounds grown in 2006, valued at $9.8 million.

• Fruits and Tree Nuts, Economic Research Service, USDA.

Marketing

• Demand, Supply and Trade: National and Northwest Raspberries, Blueberries, Strawberries, Sweet Corn and Snap Beans, University of California and Oregon State University, 2004 - Reviews principal trends during the past two decades in the national and Pacific Northwest markets for selected berries and vegetables. The authors looked at the sources and types of apparent shifts in U.S. supply and demand for these products, and the apparent effects of import competition on domestic production and prices.
• Noncitrus Fruits & Nuts, National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA.
• North American Bramble Growers Association - A professional association dedicated to the advancement of the raspberry and blackberry industries.
• Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission - This commission promotes raspberries, blackberries and other caneberries.
• Raspberries (Domestic Production & International Trade Info), FASonline, USDA.

Production

• Brambles – Production management and marketing, Ohio State University - This online document reviews the management, pests and marketing of blackberries and raspberries.
• Crop Profile for Red Raspberries in Washington, Washington State University, 1998 - This site provides a general overview to raspberry production.
• Organic Culture of Bramble Fruits, Appropriate Technology Transfer for Rural America (ATTRA), 2003 - This publication addresses the production and marketing of organic blackberries and raspberries.
• Pest Management Guide for Commercial Small Fruits, Washington State University - This research-based document outlines cultural and chemical controls for raspberries as well as blueberries and strawberries. It includes integrated pest management methods for insects, diseases and weeds.
• PlantFacts, Ohio State University - This Web site provides a full-text search engine of all extension and academic department information from all land-grant universities in the United States. Additionally, there are significant image and video databases, a FAQ database and a glossary.
• Raspberries, Fruit and Tree Nuts Outlook, ERS, USDA, 2006.
• Raspberries and More, University of Illinois Extension - This site features information on raspberry varieties, planting, pruning, pest management and nutritional facts.
• Raspberries and Related Fruit, Cornell University - This link provides information on the commercial importance of raspberries, handling and storage.
• Red Raspberry Production, Penn State University - This six-page online guide provides information on establishing and marketing red raspberries. It includes three sample budgets for fresh market raspberries. 
• Small Fruit, Tree Fruit & Berry Pathology, Cornell University - This Web site provides links to other berry resources. 

Businesses/Case Studies

• Beach Street Farms, California - This business was established in 1995 by four growers to be a premium quality berry-growing company. In addition to raspberries and blackberries, Beach Street Farms is a grower and exporter of strawberries. The company has since developed packaging to meet customer needs and increased efforts in organic berries.
• Hurst’s Berry Farm, Sheridan, Oregon - Established in 1980, the farm itself includes 70 acres of berries. The operation, which specializes in the wholesale distribution of fresh berries, now ships and packs berries from more than 50 of Oregon’s top growers. All berries shipped throughout the United States and the world are packed in clamshells.
• Planeview Enterprises, Jefferson, Iowa, 2005 - This diversified, value-added agricultural company has three separate businesses: raspberries, Berkshire hogs and consulting services. Proprietors of the Central Iowa company are Larry and Pam Thomsen.
• Sand Hill Berries, Mt. Pleasant, Pennsylvania - This family small fruits farm specializes in precooled, packaged raspberries that are shipped to supermarkets in the mid-Atlantic region. In addition to red and yellow raspberries, Sand Hill also grows red, black and white currants, gooseberries and blackberries.
• Wood Orchard and Market, Door County, Wisconsin - In addition to raspberries, this family-owned fruit farm grows strawberries, sweet cherries, apples and sweet corn on 200 acres. The farm sells fruit directly to customers at its own market located on State Highway 42.

 Links checked February 2008.