IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST, OREGON AND WASHINGTON PRODUCED 228 MILLION POUNDS OF BLUEBERRIES IN 2017, TOTALING 38% OF THE NATIONAL CROP. ORGANIC BLUEBERRY PRODUCTION IS PREDOMINATELY LOCATED IN THE SEMI-ARID REGION EAST OF THE CASCADE RANGE. WHILE THE SIZE OF THE INDUSTRY HAS INCREASED, RESEARCH SUPPORT HAS NOT. CONSEQUENTLY, MANY OF THE HORTICULTURAL ISSUES THAT HAVE EMERGED REMAIN UNRESOLVED, SPECIFICALLY REGARDING NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT. GROWERS REPORT THAT MANAGING SOIL PH AND ORGANIC MATTER ARE THEIR FOREMOST CONCERNS THAT LIMIT PRODUCTION AND LONG-TERM VIABILITY. BLUEBERRY REQUIRES VERY SPECIFIC PH AND ORGANIC MATTER CONDITIONS. THERE ARE NO RESEARCH-BASED RECOMMENDATIONS TO ADVISE GROWERS ON HOW TO BEST MODIFY SOIL PH AND PROVIDE ORGANIC MATTER. THE GOAL OF THIS PROJECT IS TO DEVELOP OPTIMIZED NUTRIENT STRATEGIES TO FACILITATE INDUSTRY EXPANSION AND ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIP. SPECIFICALLY, WE ARE PROPOSING TO EVALUATE MODIFIED PRACTICES INCLUDING (OBJ. 1) THE NOVEL USE OF PELLETED SULFUR AS A SLOW-RELEASE METHOD, (OBJ. 2) ACIDIFIED GRAPE POMACE, AND (OBJ. 3) ALTERNATIVE BIOCHAR FEEDSTOCKS PRODUCED AT REDUCED TEMPERATURES FOR LOWER PH. THESE OBJECTIVES ARE INTENDED TO RELIEVE INDUSTRY BOTTLENECKS TO IMPROVE PH AND ORGANIC MATTER IN ORGANIC BLUEBERRY. RESEARCH WILL BE COMPLIMENTED WITH (OBJ. 4) A COMPLETE COST-BENEFIT ANALYSIS TO DETERMINE THE ECONOMIC IMPACTS AND VIABILITY OF INVESTIGATED PRACTICES. WE WILL DEVELOP (OBJ. 5) RIGOROUS EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS RELATED TO PLANTING ESTABLISHMENT AND NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT, INCLUDING DISSEMINATION OF PROJECT INFORMATION AND EVALUATION OF IMPACT. THIS PROJECT WILL PROVIDE PRODUCERS IN THIS REGION AND THROUGHOUT THE U.S. WITH VALUABLE APPLIED OUTCOMES TO OPTIMIZE PRODUCTION.