Articles
THE NORTH AMERICAN CRANBERRY INDUSTRY
Until the late 1970’s, total producing area averaging ≈ 11,000 ha was stable or declining.
Despite this, total cranberry fruit production has dramatically increased since the 1950’s.
In 1991, production and area in cultivation in North America totaled 207,000 metric tons from 12,500 ha harvested.
Some planting expansion in US states and Canadian provinces has occurred in existing plantings or where cranberries are new or have not recently been commercially produced.
The potential for more rapid expansion in producing hectarage has been moderated however, as a result of increasing restrictions on conversion of wetlands for agricultural uses and high costs of establishment for this crop.
Greater production per unit area and increased profitability for the cranberry industry in recent decades are the result of ready grower adoption of production research results and imaginative product and market development.
Increased yield in cranberry over the past five decades has resulted largely from 1) the development of significant improvements in the control of weeds, diseases, and insect pests in cranberry, 2) improved water management including adequate drainage and frost control with overhead sprinkler irrigation systems, 3) the use of more productive hybrid cultivars in new plantings or in replanting, 4) significant improvements in plant nutritional practices and 5) improved mechanization and computerization of growing and harvesting practices, allowing for more timely application of production inputs.
These increases in productivity in cranberry, along with innovative product development and marketing have made cranberries one of the premier North American agricultural industries.
Cranberry juice, alone or combined with the juice of other fruits, notably apple, grape, blueberry and raspberry and dried, sugar infused cranberry fruit ("craisins") are among the more recent market innovations.
Growth in the industry has largely been the result of these and other