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K.C.
Enterprises
For information about
a "fully automated irrigation system", contact:
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GROWING
CRANBERRIES
GROWING CRANBERRIES
Cranberries can't be grown by regular farming techniques. They can grow
and
 survive only in the presence
of a rare and fragile combination
of soils
and geology, as well as the right
climate,
ample water supply, and a dedicated
grower.
Not only is the cranberry
a unique
fruit, unlike
any other, but it is grown and harvested in a
unique
way.
It is a perennial crop. Once
planted and carefully tended,
the vines will
continue producing fruit year after year. A
75 - 100
year old cranberry bed still
in
production is not rare. The berry's growth
cycle and harvest
also requires the support
of an ecological system that includes
uplands,
dikes, and reservoirs.
LAND USE AND PRESERVATION
Cranberries
are grown in five major states: Oregon, Washington,
 Massachusetts, Wisconsin and New Jersey.
In Oregon, to support
the land used in the
2500 acres of producing beds,
growers
preserve,
at their own expense, roughly
5500 acres of natural lands.
That is almost
a 2 - 1 land use/preservation ratio. The
Oregon
cranberry
industry is spearheading
efforts to research not only
biological pest
controls,
but also environmentally safe
products.
Cranberries have a number of
pests - primarily weeds and insects -
which,
if not controlled, reduce yields
and fruit quality. The
industry has conducted
extensive research into advanced
and safe
pest and disease management,
developing an innovative program
known
as IPM (Integrated Pest Management),
which allows cranberry growers
to manage pests with a minimal impact on the
environment. In
an era in which
society wants to preserve the environment and
a
state government that faces
serious budget restraints, these
environmental
benefits are achieved on cranberry agricultural
systems at no cost
to the Oregon
taxpayer. Growers carefully
monitor pest populations by net sweeping and
trapping insects.
Trained and licensed applicators use pesticides only when pest
populations reach damaging levels. Habitat
diversity indicates
that the
environment can be nurtured while using
agricultural
practices such as pest control. Because
Oregon's cranberry farms are
relatively inaccessible, they also
provide
a diverse and safe breeding, feeding,
and
wintering habitat
for a variety of birds and
animals such as eagles, osprey,
hawks,
Canadian geese, deer, elk, mink, raccoons,
skunks, porcupines, bob
cats, cougars and
otters, just to name a few. Every now and
then you might
catch a glimpse of
a bear...trying to raid the bee
boxes! Growers carefully
manage resources
and have a proud
tradition of being responsible "stewards of
Oregon's
environment".
FROST WATCH
In the fall and spring,
sprinkling protects against frost, which can ruin a year's
crop.
 In Oregon, frost season
usually lasts from March to May. Growers
must
keep a "frost watch" on cold
nights, monitoring
temperatures
and starting sprinklers at all
hours to prevent
severe crop damage.
Flooding in the spring is also a chemical-free
method for
weed,
fungus and insect control.
Each stage of the growing season is
reflected
in the changing colors of the cranberry beds.
In the late
spring, light pink
flowers bloom.
The pedals open and twist back,
revealing a
part of the flower
that looks like the head and
bill of
a crane. Hence the name "cranberries".
CRANBERRY HARVEST
 Cranberries grow on a low-lying vine.
Harvested in the fall, each cranberry
bed must have an ample water
supply
for irrigation and flooding. Growers
flood the the
cranberry beds to
harvest
the berries. Flooding causes the vines
bearing the
fruit to rise, so a harvester
can move over the water and loosen the
fruit from the vines. The brilliant red
berries float tightly
together, resembling
a plush red carpet. The floating berries
are corralled with wooden or inflatable
booms, then pumped or
pushed into
waiting trucks. The flood water is recycled
in the
agricultural system, passing
from bed to bed and grower to grower
through an intricate underground
piping system and ponds.
The Oregon berry
is sold as fresh
fruit, processed into one of the popular
juice or sauce products
that have evolved in recent years, or sold for
concentration.
WATER USE
 The
federal government terms water used
by growers to be predominately
non-consumptive since the water "does not
degrade in quality or
quantity" and
growers
in cranberry producing states have worked
with
the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's
Soil Conservation Service and
state agencies to promote the
recycling and reuse of water.
STEWARD'S OF THE LAND
 Oregon's
cranberry growers combine age
old cultural practices with modern
technology
and leaves behind a gentle landscape. The
vast majority
of
cranberry growers live and
work with their families on their
farms.
Growers:
-
Cultivate
a major fruit crop of Oregon
-
Preserve
open spaces; and
-
Utilize
innovative and safe growing, harvesting and pest control
techniques.
Accordingly, Oregon growers carefully manage resources and have a
proud
tradition of being responsible
"stewards of Oregon's
environment".
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FUN FACT:
The cranberry gets its name from Dutch and German settlers, who
called it "crane berry." When the vines bloom in the late spring
and the flowers' light pink petals twist back, they have a
resemblance to the head and bill of a crane. Over time, the name
was shortened to cranberry.
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