MIDDLEBORO, MA (AP) — A few of the cranberries on Thursday dinner plates are floating in the Rocky Meadow bog in southeast Massachusetts, just weeks before Thanksgiving.
This pond is reddish crimson from the cranberries. A number of workers gently corral the berries toward a pump that vacuums them up onto a waiting vehicle while submerged waist deep in water. After passing through a system that separates them from the leaves and vines, the berries are taken to a processing facility where they are eventually processed into sauce, juice, or dried and delicious berries.
In May, the cranberry-producing natural wetland plants begin to grow. When berries are ready to be picked, growers send out a picking machine to shake the berries from the vines after filling their bogs with water. The released cranberries then float to the top of the bog when more water is added.
This year’s season has been going quite well. On the edge of his bog, second-generation cranberry grower Steve Ward stated, “We’ve had a pretty good crop.”
The best crop Ward has had in three years is anticipated to yield between 15,000 and 20,000 barrels during the harvest, which takes place from September until early November. Ocean Spray, a huge manufacturer of cranberry goods in the United States, will receive almost 80% of those berries.
Workers adjust floating booms, left, as cranberries are loaded for transport and processing during a wet harvest at Rocky Meadow Bog, Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, in Middleborough, Mass. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
Charles Krupa/Associated Press
There are around 300 bogs in Massachusetts, totaling about 14,000 acres. It is anticipated that growers will yield 2.2 million barrels of cranberries this year, with one barrel weighing 100 pounds (45 kilograms). Compared to last year, that is a 12% increase. Cranberries have been grown in Massachusetts since the 1800s, making it the second-largest cranberry-producing region in the United States, after Wisconsin.
Despite the industry’s scale, the state’s farmers have faced a number of difficulties over the years, including trade disputes, declining prices, and an overabundance of berries. Some have diversified by installing solar panels around their bogs or sold off their bogs. Ward is thinking of installing floating solar systems on his reservoirs and water holes, and he has two solar sites close to his bogs.
According to Ward, farmers must also adjust to a changing environment, which may result in a smaller crop this year, according to the Massachusetts Cranberries, an organization that represents the sector.
According to him, we have seen one of the longest dry spells in our history as well as some difficulties with the hot weather. The number of days that are 90 degrees (32 degrees Celsius) is increasing. That kind of weather simply bothers the cranberry plants. Our average temperature is greater, particularly at night. Cranberries require nighttime temperatures that are lower.
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