UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
Office of the Secretary
Washington, D.C. 20250
NATIONAL BLUEBERRY MONTH
JULY
By the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America of America
A PROCLAMATION
WHEREAS blueberries are a native North American fruit produced in 35 States;
WHEREAS the pioneering work conducted in New Jersey by Elizabeth White and Dr. Frederick Coville in the early 1900's to domesticate wild highbush blueberries resulted in the development of the hybrid for cultivated highbush blueberries;
WHEREAS from these early efforts, highbush blueberry production has become an important U.S. agricultural industry with acreage doubling between the 1970's and 1980's and expected to reach more than 63,000 acres by the end of the 1990's;
WHEREAS highbush blueberry production in the United States has increased from an average of 114 million pounds in the late 1980's to 141 million pounds in 1998, with more than 48 percent of all highbush blueberries shipped to the fresh market in 1998 and the balance frozen for use by consumers and food manufacturers worldwide;
WHEREAS blueberries are low in calories and sodium and a source of fiber and their consumption contributes to achieving the Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommendation to choose a diet with plenty of fruit;
WHEREAS highbush blueberries are harvested from mid-April through early October with the harvest reaching its peak in July;
NOW, THEREFORE, to promote the greater appreciation and use of highbush blueberries, I, Dan Glickman, Secretary of Agriculture of the United States of America, do hereby proclaim the month of July 1999 as "National Blueberry Month" and call upon all citizens to recognize and celebrate the highbush blueberry with appropriate ceremonies and activities.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this 8th day of May 1999, the two hundred twenty-third year of the Independence of the United States of America.
DAN GLICKMAN Secretary
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