Wisconsin Ag Connection - Study: Cranberry Sector Made Great Progress in Recent Years

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Study: Cranberry Sector Made Great Progress in Recent Years
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 07/07/2010

A new survey conducted by the University of Wisconsin-Madison confirms what most people already knew: that state's cranberry growers mean business. The questionnaire, that was filled out by 114 producers who manage about 70 percent of the state's cranberry acreage, noted that growers have made significant gains in the adoption of sustainable management practices over the past two decades. Among the most significant improvements within the industry were in nutrient management.

According to Jed Colquhoun, associate professor of horticulture who surveyed producers in late 2009, about 73 percent of growers say they now follow a nutrient management plan, while 13 percent say they were doing that in 1989. Eighty-eight percent are basing fertilizer inputs on soil tests.

"Following a nutrient management plan greatly reduces the risk of excessive application of nutrients. It means that growers are applying only the nutrients the plant needs, based on soil sampling and plant tissue tests," Colquhoun said. "They're sincere about reducing environmental risk and also economic risk."

The report goes on to say that Wisconsin's 250 cranberry growers have more than 17,000 acres in production. Cranberries are now the state's leading fruit crop, valued at about $250 million in 2008.

Meanwhile, Colquhoun says the survey offers both an inventory of current practices and a reference point for gauging further improvements in use of sustainable practices.

"Sustainability is a continuum and not an end point, and this survey suggests that cranberry growers have made great strides along this continuum in the past 20 years," Colquhoun notes. "This survey sets a benchmark for assessing future improvements in environmental, social and economic metrics, as well as to identify areas of opportunity for the development of more grower-driven best management practices."

The survey also found that 88 percent of growers use non-chemical practices, such as flooding and weather monitoring to predict insect life cycles, to control pests. Nearly all growers said they make spraying decisions based on pest thresholds rather than spraying by calendar. And 77 percent indicated that they hire integrated pest management consultants to focus on biological and ecological approaches to pest management.

Colquhoun says 98 percent of the state's cranberry operations are family owned, with the average operation having been producing for 39 years and involves two generations of family members.