Wisconsin celebrates 25 years as nation’s top cranberry grower

Stephen Cohn by Stephen Cohn

Wisconsin will harvest an estimated 5.6 million barrels of fruit this fall, marking the 25th year that Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production, according to the U.S. Department of Agricutlure’s National Agricultural Statistics Service.

Officials said Wisconsin’s cranberry industry generates $1 billion in state economic impact and provides thousands of local jobs.

According to a news release, the harvest projection is part of the approximately 9.04 million barrels of cranberries expected nationwide, which is up 1 percent from 2018.

Wisconsin’s growers had a crop of 5.545 million barrels last year, and officials said this year’s projections are dependent on good growing conditions for the rest of the season.

The release said cranberries are grown on 21,000 acres across 20 counties in central and northern Wisconsin.

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