Cranberry farming methods -
In preparing the land for growing cranberries, Upper Canada Cranberries was able to restore most of the bog qualities that existed in this area many years ago. When people learn that the cranberry is a bog plant, this apparently leads some to think cranberries grow in water.
While the successful cultivation of cranberries requires a good supply of water, they do not actually grow in it. In fact, good drainage of the soil is important during the growing season. Water is very important when it comes to growing cranberries.
Most types of plants need regular watering and cranberries are no different. But water is also used to flood the bogs from time to time. Bogs are flooded in the fall, so that a layer of ice protects the established cranberry plants from any extreme cold that may occur during the winter months.
Cranberry bogs are flooded from time to time during the growing season as well. The crop is flooded in early spring and late fall if a heavy frost is expected.
An entire cranberry crop can be lost to what is called a killing frost if the blossoms and young berries are not protected in a bath of water. Toward the end of the growing season, flooding may be necessary to protect the mature berries from frost.
Sprinkler systems are used for lighter frosts. Many plants love a good soaking once in a while, so cranberry bogs are flooded occasionally in summer - this also serves as a form of natural pest control.
Water is drawn from holding ponds to minimize inpact on the creek. The final flooding of the cranberry growing season occurs at harvest time.
Each cranberry bed is covered with water. A special cranberry harvesting machine is driven through the bed to agitate the water and coax the berries off the vines.
The machine we use for the cranberry harvest is lightweight and equipped with balloon tires that do not damage the plants. Cranberries float in water, so they rise to the surface.
Floating booms are used to coral the berries and draw them to a collection point at the side of the bed. This is the most labour intensive part of the cranberry harvest. Simply put, harvest time has arrived. The process of harvesting cranberries off the vine used to be labor-intensive and inefficient because the berries were hand-picked.
Over the years, more effective methods have been implemented to harvest the cranberries. Since the cranberry fruit has pockets of air inside of it, someone came up with the brilliant idea to flood the bogs with water to help remove the berries from the vines.
The first successful water harvesting was in the s; this is the predominant method of cranberry harvesting used today. Also known as wet harvesting , the dry bogs are flooded with up to 18 inches The following day, the farmers use water reels nicknamed egg beaters to dislodge the berries from the vines so they'll float to the water's surface.
The farmers then wade through the bog and round up the fruit with large wooden or plastic brooms. This process is called corralling. Once the bobbing berries are gathered together, they're transferred to a loading area where they're lifted by conveyor belts.
Sometimes, a pump truck will suck the berries right off the bog. The berries are then cleaned before processing. More than 85 percent of the crop is harvested in this manner; however, the use of the water reel to beat the berries off the vines is relatively harsh on the delicate fruit.
Therefore, wet harvested cranberries are used mostly for juice drinks, sauces, or as ingredients in other products. Dry harvesting is the best way for farmers to collect the freshest berries. This method of harvesting is used to supply the fresh fruit market.
Growers walk with mechanical rakes trailing them. These rakes have metal prongs that are used to comb the berries off the vines. As the machine propels itself through the bog, the tines skim along the ground under the vines, stripping off the berries, which are then elevated into bags.
Afterward, the fruit is taken from the bogs by vehicle sometimes by helicopter to protect the vines within the bog. The cranberries are then promptly delivered to receiving stations -- and then to your grocery store produce aisle. When you think of the cranberry industry, you may think of New England.
It may surprise you to learn that the Midwestern state of Wisconsin actually provides nearly 60 percent of the U. supply of cranberries. In fact, Wisconsin produced a whopping 4.
To give you some perspective on the matter, one barrel of cranberries weighs exactly one hundred pounds; the entire U. produced 7. Massachusetts is the largest cranberry producer in the U. after Wisconsin, boasting about 30 percent of the nation's cranberry production in -- the state's largest cranberry crop in history.
The other three major cranberry producing states are New Jersey, Oregon, and Washington. Due to favorable weather conditions in key areas, cranberry production in the two biggest cranberry producing states rose in , which created an overall 16 percent domestic gain from a somewhat disappointing [source: NASS ].
When you explore the cranberry farming industry, you'll find many small multi-generational family-run farms with less than twenty acres of bog. The fall harvest has become quite a tourist attraction in many areas; cranberry festivals and events in towns from Cape Cod to the Pacific Northwest pump substantial dollars into the local economy every year [source: Greenfield ].
For example, an announced 5,acre expansion of cranberry beds in the small town of Cranmoor, Wis. Recently, the town of Whitefish Point, Mich.
The award and recognition could bring a boost to the local economy by attracting more interest to the industry [source: CC]. Despite the popularity of the American cranberry industry, there are other countries that are pretty serious about their cranberries as well.
The United States and Canada combined cultivate most of the world's cranberries on approximately 48, acres The Canadian provinces of British Columbia and Quebec occupy approximately 8, of these acres; Chile has around 1, acres 4.
Currently, British Columbia is responsible for more than 80 percent of all production in Canada and can produce more than , barrels of cranberries per year. That total represents almost 10 percent of the annual North American cranberry production [source: BCCGA ].
Commercially grown cranberries can negatively impact the environment, but if you look at the situation closely, you'll notice something of a trade-off taking place.
As we've learned, fresh water is crucial to a bog's survival, but local streams and rivers can be harmed by the pesticides and fertilizers often used in a cranberry bog. This pollution of the waterways can hurt fish and other aquatic life.
Another threat is the potential for increased water temperature in waters downstream from the bog site. The increase in water temperature can result from the erection of dams in streams to create water-supply ponds or diverting water in streams for their bogs. The warmer water has been shown to have a damaging effect on the trout's habitat.
In addition, cranberry cultivation has accounted for a significant portion of wetland losses; the result of converting a natural wetland into a bog is a loss of wildlife and biodiversity [source: Watson ].
There is a silver lining to all of this, however: Growing cranberries commercially requires a substantial support network which can comprise many acres of undeveloped fields, forests, streams and ponds. These support lands provide valuable habitats for wildlife.
Cranberry farms can also serve as a barrier to urban sprawl : By initiating the best management practices possible, farmers are also taking more eco-friendly approaches to crop cultivation [source: Watson ].
For example, they've reduced the amounts of pesticides they use by establishing Integrated Pest Management Programs IPM. IPM is an initiative of the Environmental Protection Agency EPA that aims to protect public health, diminish pollution in ecologically sensitive areas and reduce farm workers' exposure to pesticides by reducing their use on crops.
The initiative accomplishes this by carefully monitoring the way pests interact with their environment and using this information in tandem with pest control methods that benefit the environment [source: Cahill ]. The cranberry industry has also been actively developing practices that encourage the protection of water quality and the wetlands [source: Watson ].
As we've seen, North America supports a robust cranberry industry. Cultivating this crop from the cranberry bogs we've just learned about has had some effect on the environment.
Whether this effect is negative or positive just depends on your point of view. Take a look at the links on the next page for lots more information on cranberry bogs and the cultivation of the cranberry plant.
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See more pictures of fruit. Contents What Are Bogs and Where Did They Come From? Keeping Cranberries Healthy The Fall Cranberry Harvest Cranberry Farming and the Local Economy Environmental Effects of a Cranberry Bog.
What Are Bogs and Where Did They Come From? Bog Plants. The Northern Pitcher -- a carnivorous plant Cotton Grass -- sedge Blueberry -- shrub Labrador tea -- tree and heath Tamarack -- coniferous tree.
Read More. Keeping Cranberries Healthy " " Harvest at the Weston Cranberry Farm in Carver, Mass. The Fall Cranberry Harvest When you see pictures of farmers who seem to be standing in the middle of a floating field of cranberries , do you know exactly what's going on there? Cranberry Farming and the Local Economy When you think of the cranberry industry, you may think of New England.
Cranberry Growing Locations. In the United States: New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, Wisconsin, Michigan and Minnesota In Canada: British Columbia, Quebec, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Ontario and Prince Edward Island In South America: Chile.
Environmental Effects of a Cranberry Bog " " Many farmers have implemented eco-friendly crop cultivation methods. Frequently Answered Questions Do cranberries grow in a bog?
Cranberries grow Liver Health and Wellness low-lying vines in impermeable beds layered Cganberry sand, peat, gravel and clay. Commercial bogs use a Cranerry of wetlands, faeming, ditches, flumes, fzrming and Cranberry farming methods water Liver Health and Wellness Repeatable meal cadence provide nethods natural habitat for a variety of plant and animal life. Cranberries are harvested in the fall, generally from mid-September through mid-November. Bogs and marshes are flooded to create a layer of ice that protects vines from harsh weather. The ice also allows for sanding of the beds, which stimulates growth when the ice melts. Bogs and marshes are drained and blossoms appear for bees to pollinate. This method red methoods, which is emblematic of Quebec, Liver Health and Wellness the result of a harvest process that requires effort Cranberr maintenance each season. Grown Cranberry farming methods Quebec Hyperglycemic episodes over 80 yearsmethodx cranberry has become Cranherry of our culinary habits. It also continues to surprise us with its many benefits. Also known as Atoca by First Nations or Vaccinium macrocarpon its Latin namethis plant comes from North America. Certain regions of our province, particularly Centre-du-Québec, are conducive to its cultivation. Indeed, cranberry vines like cold climates and acid peat soilssuch as bogs. Quebec and the northeastern United States are therefore ideal areas for harvesting cranberries!
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