Early indications are that Wisconsin is seeing a smaller cranberry crop this season. "I've heard that it's down by as much as 20-25 percent from various growers," says Kevin Tritz of Twin Lake Cranberry. "We are still on schedule though. We're halfway through harvest and the last time I looked at our numbers, it still looked like we were going to hit what we had to."
This follows last year's strong crop of cranberries, a crop that was so good that it bordered on oversupply. Tritz says while crops generally fluctuate in volumes, it's rare to get to strong crops in a row. That said, a local fire in Wisconsin also accounted for the loss of some fruit, though that accounted for less than three percent of the national harvest.
However it does follow a fairly ideal growing season for cranberries in the state. "We had actually quite a few cold nights which got us along. We thought we were going to be able to start harvesting earlier because it's amazing how much those cold nights make a difference," he says, noting that those cold nights didn't last and in the end, the fruit ultimately colored later than usual. "We were expecting to get the crop a little bit earlier, but by the time we could actually get to it, it was a little bit behind."
© Twin Lake Cranberry
Twin Lake Cranberry founder Dan Tritz, Kevin Tritz's father, with his grandkids.
Strong cranberry demand
As for demand for fresh cranberries, it's steady and slightly stronger than last year. "The numbers are coming in and it seems like people are moving product. There were a few customers who waited longer than usual to start pulling product but that's about it," says Tritz.
This is all leaving pricing similar to last year, even with some increases in costs such as fuel, fertilizer and more.
As for harvest, Twin Lake Cranberry is aiming to finish harvesting the week of November 15th, just ahead of the U.S. Thanksgiving, a day in which cranberry dishes are considered a staple item on holiday tables.
For more information:
Kevin Tritz
Twin Lake Cranberry
Tel: +1 (715) 323-5159
[email protected]
https://www.twinlakecranberry.com/
