Cranberries Update:

November 2007

A combination of poor weather conditions and rising demand for cranberries health-conscious consumers are both indications of what appears is going to be a short Cranberry Crop this year.

Cranberries prefer cold winters and plenty of rain and unfortunately last year's unusually warm winter and a summer drought in many parts of the U.S. and Canada hurt the crop that is currently being harvested.

Officials estimate this year's smaller yield is expected to bring growers $45 to $50 for a 100-pound barrel, up from $37 last year, and more than triple the $16 a barrel about seven years ago. Farmers generally need between $18 to $24 a barrel to break even.

Overall, officials are predicting growers will produce about seven million barrels in the U.S. and Canada -- about one million less than a year ago. As recently as August, the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture was forecasting a slight increase in cranberry production in the U.S. this year, but officials say they expect to revise the numbers in January. Some growers in the Massachusetts area are already reporting crop size to be down about 30% this year from a year ago because of the weather.

October 2005

Prior to harvest, all was looking exceptionally good in the designated growing areas for the North American cranberry crop. This has not proven to be the result in the east, however, and it is looking like the story will be a similar one in other locations. Weather being the largest issue. In the East, Massachusetts had predicted a harvest 1.8-2 million barrels, but it is now looking like 1.6 or perhaps 1.4 million barrels is more likely. In the West, Wisconsin originally appeared as though they would produce a bumper crop at 4 million barrels, but now has pared back to 3.6 million barrels.

The overall outcome for 2005’s North American cranberry crop appears that the harvest will be anywhere from regular to a little short. Quality may be another problem for the fresh market, as another result of the weather conditions are the production of smaller berries that tend to be lighter in color.

December 2003

In August The USDA announced the 2003 US cranberry crop forecast that the Massachusetts crop would be up 17 percent from 2002 for a total production of 1.7 million barrels. Growers suffered from drought conditions in 2002 which kept production levels down. Excellent pollination and sufficient rain fall have resulted in good fruit set and produced an average crop for many growers this year.

This year we saw a slight rebound in the barrel prices to growers. This is good news because Growers can now invest these higher returns back into their bogs to improve production practices. Five years of returns below the cost of production have taken their toll on the productivity of many cranberry bogs. This has been the first year in many, that growers are increasing their maintenance of the cranberry vines and general overall production practices such as sanding and water conservation practices.

Massachusetts remains a leader in cranberry production, producing over 25 percent of the US cranberry crop worth an estimated 48 million dollars.