JONESBORO (AP) – Maine’s blueberry growers are upbeat about the upcoming harvest following two poor years.

That was the forecast at the annual blueberry grower field day Wednesday at Blueberry Hill Farm, the University of Maine’s wild blueberry research station.

This year’s harvest could come in between 80 million and 90 million pounds, said David Yarborough, blueberry specialist for University of Maine Cooperative Extension. The average harvest over the past five years has been 64.5 million pounds.

“The constant rain has been good for the plains and I have observed a lot of small, green berries,” Yarborough said. “When we get some sun, I expect them to ripen and produce a better-than-average crop.”

Nobody is predicting a repeat of Maine’s 2000 season, when 110 million pounds were harvested.

But growers said they expect to surpass the past two years. Growers harvested 58.4 million pounds in 2005 and 46 million pounds in 2004. The 2003 crop totaled 80.2 million pounds.

Growers from across eastern Maine, the heart of the blueberry industry, said all signs pointed to a bountiful crop.

In areas from Blue Hill to Ellsworth, Roy Allen of Allen’s Blueberry Freezer called the coming crop “our best one since 2000.”

Ragnar Kamp of Cherryfield Foods said that the Cherryfield harvest will also be “above average.”

The Wyman fields on the barrens are looking good, according to field manager Darrin Hammond.

“It’s one of the best crops we have seen,” Hammond said. “I don’t know of any weak spots for Wyman’s on the barrens.”

The official estimate for industry projections for the 2006 season won’t be revealed until July 28, when the National Agricultural Statistics Service posts its formal forecast.

Those figures are compiled through a survey that was mailed to the state’s active 500 or 600 growers in April.