The U.S. Department of Agriculture forecast for this year's national cranberry crop puts this year's estimated production at levels very similar to last year's.The 2012 forecast for national cranberry production is 7.68 million 100-pound barrels, which is down less than one percent from last year's total production of 7.71 million barrels. That's mostly a result of Massachusetts and Wisconsin, the two largest cranberry-producing states, having forecasts very similar to last year's production totals.
The estimated production for Massachusetts is down to 2.10 million barrels from last year's total of 2.31 million barrels. The lower production figure is a result of an early spring that pushed growth ahead of normal and led to frost damage for some of the state's crops.
At 4.50 million barrels, estimated production for Wisconsin, the state responsible for over half of the nation's cranberries, is predicted to be larger than 2011's production by almost 400,000 barrels. That's due to a growing season that was free of any abnormalities except for a few high temperatures and dry conditions during the summer in some parts of the state.