The USPS Releases New Stamp Featuring the Blueberry, Which Mainers Will Love
Clearly what was a reaction to my Maine wild blueberry rant, the United States Postal Service has announced a brand new stamp: the blueberry.
The new stamp will be available in 2022 as a 4-cent definitive stamp. The USPS explained that definitive stamps are primarily used for additional postage for large mailers.
The stamp is a very classic design. It features four blueberries with corresponding leaves. These do seem to be more of the highbush variety, but not surprising considering it's more common.
The USPS press release does a great job in going through a quick history of the fruit, mentioning cultivation areas, and the significance of Maine being the true home of the much better, more important lowbush wild blueberry.
Blueberries have been a cash crop for America for some years now. According to the Agricultural Marketing Resource Center, in 2017 the United States exported close to 60 million pounds of fresh cultivated and wild blueberries. Ironically, America's demand in the winter months also turned the country into a net importer, having bought nearly 138 million pounds of the superfood.
The stamp is overdue for Maine and the rest of the nation's blueberry farmers and producers. For a crop that still doesn't get the respect it deserves, (even in a state with incredible blueberry history), hopefully, this new campaign will bring more attention to the berry.
Would the stamp be more effective if the government decided to highlight the true all-star of the blueberry family, the wild blueberry? Of course. Maine's most significant export would be tremendously effective on a stamp. However, I won't complain too much. At least there's a stamp.
The blueberry stamps are available now and can be found in the USPS store at usps.com/shopstamps or at your local post office.
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