Massachusetts cranberry growers are voicing their optimism - hailing this year's cranberry crop as possibly the best for nine years.
Grower Jim Jenkins told local press: "The cranberries aren't in the barn yet, but it's going to be a great crop. We have a very good crop on almost every bog, which usually doesn't happen because we're spread out."
Last year, an autumn drought caused the berry crop to drop 22 per cent. But so far in 2008, the rain has come at critical times for the development of the berries, and has delivered enough to water the bogs and protect the crops from frosts.
Gary Keough at New England Agricultural Statistics said that this season’s crop will be 25 per cent higher than last year, at around 1.9 million barrels. The forecast is based on surveys from more than 300 Massachusetts growers.
The potentially high yield is well timed for the industry, as demand and prices are higher both domestically and in key European and Asian export markets. Last year the average price was $46.60 per 100-pound barrel, but expectations are upwards of $50 per barrel this season.
The last season to yield this volume - 1999 - was disastrous, as prices crashed to $16 a barrel, from a peak of $66 a barrel in 1997.
Jenkins said growers accept that the lost revenue of the last decade is unlikely to be recouped, but that growers are nevertheless euphoric: "They are not doom and gloom any more. We're hoping it'll be as good as we expect."
