Massachusetts' cranberry growers have had to deal with a dry growing season, and it's expected a lack of rain will affect production this season. Despite an expected dip in production from Massachusetts, overall U.S. production is expected to remain steady this season on the back of net production gains for the rest of the country.
“According to government standards, we're not in a severe drought, but it's been very dry for us and we don't know how long this will continue,” said Matthew Rhodes with Edgewood Bogs in Carver, Massachusetts. “Cranberries rely on water, so with natural rainfall far below normal levels, we've had to rely on lots of irrigation.” That's posed problems for growers who don't have ready access to irrigation water, and, Rhodes explained, nothing is as good for cranberries as natural rain.
“Irrigation is good, but you don't get 100 percent fruit uniformity with that,” he noted. “Natural rain provides that good, even soaking.” Harvesting will begin next month, but the effects from current dry conditions could already have affected this year's fruit. Cranberries mostly size up between July and September, so fields that didn't get enough water this summer could produce smaller fruit.
Massachusetts is the second-largest grower of cranberries in the United States, and recent USDA estimates put this year's production at 2.07 million barrels for the state. That's equal to the size of the crop in 2014 but down from the 2.35 million barrels produced in 2015. Overall production for the U.S., at and estimated 8.59 million barrels, is expected to be slightly up from last year due to a bigger crop in Wisconsin, the largest grower of cranberries in the U.S.
Rhodes noted that cranberries require a lot of water when it comes time to harvest, as the fields must be flooded. That means extended dry conditions could further affect production. With demand growing at home and abroad for fresh cranberries and processed cranberry products, that could result in a tighter market for independent handlers.
“Large cooperatives handle about 70 percent of the fruit, and they have their own way of pricing,” he said. “But with the independent segment short of fruit and an expected short crop, the independent market could be up this season.”
