WISCONSIN RAPIDS, Wis. – Wisconsin’s cranberry growers are expecting a 4.97 million barrel crop in 2023, based on U.S. Cranberry Marketing Committee (CMC) crop projections. If the projections stay on course, Wisconsin will remain the largest cranberry producer in the world, growing and harvesting approximately 60 percent of the nation’s supply.
The CMC forecast, based on grower surveys, marks the 29th year that Wisconsin has led the nation in cranberry production. The other largest cranberry growing states and their 2023 crop size projections are: Massachusetts at 1.95 million barrels; New Jersey at 561,000 barrels, Oregon at 520,000 barrels and Washington at 168,000. In total, the U.S. crop is expected to be 8.17 million barrels, according to the CMC. Wisconsin’s final 2022 crop came in at 4.84 million barrels.
“Wisconsin is a global leader in cranberry production, generating $1 billion in state economic impact and providing thousands of local jobs across the Wisconsin, and we are proud to continue that tradition in 2023,” said Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association. “Our 250+ multigenerational family farmers are hard at work preparing for harvest season, and will soon have another crop of cranberries ready for tables across the U.S. and around the world.”
The U.S. cranberry industry has worked hard in recent decades to increase consumption of cranberries outside of the U.S. and grow international demand. According to the CMC, from September 1, 2021 to August 31, 2022, 53 percent of production volume was exported. Earlier this summer, CMC announced that exports to Columbia had increased 80 percent from 2017/18 to 2021/22. Other top international cranberry markets include the United Kingdom, European Union, China, Mexico and South Korea.
Wisconsin cranberries are grown on 21,000 acres across 20 counties in central and northern regions of the state. Approximately five percent of this year’s crop will be sold as fresh fruit, and the remaining cranberries will be frozen and stored for longer-term sales as frozen berries, dried cranberries, juices, sauces and more. Wisconsin’s cranberry harvest typically begins in late September and runs until mid-October.
WSCGA was founded in 1887 and is committed to developing and implementing programs that will assist growers in doing a better job of growing cranberries and strengthening the public support for the industry in Wisconsin. For more information, visit www.wiscran.org, Like WSCGA on Facebook and Follow us on Twitter and Instagram.
