Cranberry crop headed for best year since '99

The state's tart crimson berry is holding its ground.

Despite a sweltering start to summer with extended heat, Massachusetts cranberry production is projected to rise as much as 25 percent this year and yield up to 1.9 million barrels, the best year in the Commonwealth since 1999. The crop has been bolstered by rainfall in late July and early August, according to a survey of more than 300 Bay State growers by the US Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The numbers are encouraging, but growers know it's not over until the harvest is in, said Dawn Gates-Allen, a fourth generation cranberry grower and communications manager of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers' Association.

"If you ask any cranberry grower how their crop is, they'll tell you it's good, but they won't know until it's loaded on the truck, and it's all weighed and delivered," Gates-Allen said.

Still, the nation's crop is faring well. This year, the US cranberry crop is forecast at 6.89 million barrels, up 5 percent from 2007 and slightly below 2006, according to the federal agriculture department. Massachusetts is one of five states that is a major producer of cranberries.

In past years, cranberry crops suffered "limited winter kill in the bogs," which occurs when weather during the cold months kills some of the vines, said Gary Keough, director of the USDA statistical service's New England field office. The "less than normal" winter kill this year, along with expectations of medium to large-sized berries and an average to above average number of berries per plant, contributed to expectations for a boost in production over 2007, he said.

Today, the demand for cranberries in the market is high, and the projected bumper crop allays concerns about a shortage, said Randy C. Papadellis, president and chief executive of Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc., a Lakeville cooperative with about 700 cranberry growers and about 75 grapefruit growers. Papadellis said Ocean Spray represents about 70 percent of the global cranberry industry.

"We need the cranberries, if anything, the industry is a little bit short right now," Papadellis said. "Having more cranberries would be a good thing."

But the industry isn't out of the woods yet. Right now, the berries are still on the vine and growers still need good August weather so the cranberries will continue to grow. Harvesting time varies, but usually takes place in mid-September, and some growers harvest until the end of the first week of November, said Gates-Allen, with the growers' group.

"If we get a lot of cold nights, it encourages the berries to get red, and the berries stop growing," Gates-Allen said. "We want our berries to still be growing."

Elizabeth Campbell can be reached at ecampbell@globe.com.