Wisconsin cranberry producers set another record in 2013 but an industry spokesperson says that many cranberries in the market puts financial pressure on growers.
Wisconsin growers produced more than 6 million barrels of cranberries last year to once again lead the nation. Tom Lochner from the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association says the record production last year reflects producers investments...
".....the combination of weather, but also our growers ability to adopt new technologies and use them in their farming operations and their investments they've been making in their farms over the years to become more productive and our statewide yield was at a record level. All things told, it was a great year to grow cranberries in Wisconsin...."
But one of the ironies of farming is when you have a great production year, the quantity of the food production often is reflected in lower prices....
"....so growers are concerned about improving demand and increasing consumption of cranberry products. Some of the growers have seen prices drop because of the larger crop last year and are seeing their returns down below what they need to cover the cost of production..."
Lochner says it's a bit early to predict this year's crop, but it looks like an average to slightly above average crop if conditions hold.
