The U.S. blueberry industry may see ripple effects from the extreme heat that is hitting the Pacific Northwest this week, an industry member told FreshFruitPortal.

Though the weather in the area was cooperative this spring and producing a steady volume, the challenge now is to prevent loss and damage of the crop.

"Going forward the extreme heat in the Pacific Northwest could create some disruption," Brian Bocock, Vice President of Sales at Naturipe Farms said.

"The good news is that so far, Michigan appears to have decent volumes and should fill things nicely on the East Coast despite the potential Northwest crop disruption."

Demand is lining up with supply for the most part and trends are similar to what has been seen in the past.

April and May's pricing was strong compared to previous years and June was "down just a touch".

Looking forward, if there is significant damage in the Northwest due to the extreme heat, there could be price inflation in July and August, Bocock said.

The blueberry market continues in a state of transition and is starting to fill windows that have traditionally been low in production. Margins are also getting tighter for all producing areas, he said.