Cranberries, which grow mainly in Wisconsin and Massachusetts in marshy fields called bogs, have had multiple low-yield years in a row, mostly due to extreme weather conditions they've had to endure. Just looking at the last few years, cranberry farmers have had to deal with hailstorms, floods and most recently droughts, creating thin margins and shortages for fresh cranberries.
Most of Massachusetts, along with many other Northeastern states, have suffered through stages of mild to moderate droughts throughout the past couple of years, which left their mark on the crop outputs. As the state is second in cranberry production in the US behind Wisconsin, these growing conditions have led to low cranberry yields.
Past years in the New England area were bleak for cranberries, a crop that requires the right amount of water to thrive. Too much water too early in the growing process—as was the case in 2015 and 2017 when the area suffered storming and floods—can lead to fungus impacting the quality and integrity of the berries. Not enough water, as seen in drought years, and the cranberry vines will shrivel up and not carry berries to full maturity.
Outlooks in Midwestern bogs last year weren’t much better. In Wisconsin in 2021, cranberry farmers had to deal with extreme weather events such as hailstorms and early freezes. The resulting cranberry output was nearly 100 million pounds lower than usual.
Source: Modern Farmer