CORVALLIS - A healthier, tastier product is Bob Wilt's ultimate goal.

To get there, the Corvallis blueberry farmer touts terms like biologically rich and nutrient dense and is happy to tell you how it has helped. Keeping the process organic means making some sacrifices and getting some good advice. Wilt says he has done both.

"It takes a lot of effort. There is much more management involved, more hand labor and limited tools," Wilt said. "People relate to what we're doing here."

He's growing five varieties of certified organic blueberries on 75 acres. The effort is starting to see the rewards this year, he says.

"It's all built around being biological," said Wilt, 58. "It gives us healthier, more flavorful food."

Wilt said soil health has improved drastically and much of the credit goes to Lynn Rogers of Microbial Matrix Systems of Tangent, a biochemist who consults Wilt on soil amendments.

"The healthy soil resists disease and insects and improves the mineral content," Wilt said.

Mineralization isn't just sprinkling minerals on the ground, he added.

"It's a complicated process. Making the conversion has taken three or four years and the insight of a soil biologist has been important," he said.

The biological approach includes Wilt's compost, which he calls "the cornerstone of our fertilization." With Rogers' input, a recipe for compost tea he brews in a 25,000 gallon vat has proven a great tool in protection against fungal diseases.

"It's made with lots of water, a food package and a compost tea bag," Wilt said. "We've had very limited damage."

Processed berries are cleaned, packaged, frozen and sold under his Willamette Pride industrial label. Fresh berries sell to stores and at his roadside stand under the new Sunset Valley Organics label, which in October will include his own line of blueberry juice, dehydrated blueberries and freeze-dried blueberry powder.

Although Wilt admits struggling with the transition to organic production, he thinks he is getting the product he was hoping for. He said sales have doubled at his stand as his blueberries are becoming more and more popular.

"I truly feel quality is more important than yield," Wilt said. "Our soils are healthier and our berries are high in antioxidants. Our niche is a nutrient density. It is what will set us apart."