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State's cranberry crop is projected to decline by 20 percent
United States
Wednesday 26 August 2009
Federal researchers predict that the Massachusetts cranberry crop’s productivity this year will drop by nearly 20 percent from the record haul that local growers enjoyed in 2008.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on Tuesday said it anticipates the Massachusetts cranberry crop to produce about 1.9 million barrels this year, down from a record-high a year ago of nearly 2.4 million barrels.
A decline was widely anticipated in the local cranberry industry, partly due to the typical year-to-year fluctuations in productivity seen in much of the Massachusetts crops. Late frosts in the spring and unusual amounts of rain in June also played a role.
Jeff LaFleur, executive director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association, said he had a more pessimistic prediction of 1.8 million barrels for this year. The 1.9 million barrels, or 190 million pounds, anticipated by the federal government would still represent one of the crop’s best years.
“It’s certainly not the record we had last year,” LaFleur said. “But I think people will be satisfied with what they see.” LaFleur said he expected a bigger decline because this growing season has been a particularly challenging one. He cited one morning in early June when the frost on the bogs killed enough blossoms to wipe out tens of thousands of barrels worth of berries.
