CRANBERRY GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION ANNOUNCES 2025 CROP FORECAST AND NEW BOARD MEMBERS

Winter weather and lack of rain may impact Massachusetts cranberry harvest

PLYMOUTH, MA, UNITED STATES, September 17, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- At its 138th Annual Summer Meeting & Tradeshow in August, the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association (CCCGA) announced the 2025 cranberry crop forecast, according to the latest USDA National Agricultural Statistic Service (NASS) crop production report. NASS estimates a 1.75 million barrel crop for Massachusetts, down slightly from the Commonwealth’s 2024 harvest. The NASS forecast—an early-season estimate based on voluntary grower surveys— predicts the national crop to be 8.13 million barrels, a decrease of 9% from their previous crop figure. One cranberry barrel is equivalent to 100 pounds.

“We are hopeful that favorable weather over the remainder of the growing season, including getting some much-needed rain, will help improve on this NASS crop estimate,” said CCCGA Executive Director Brian Wick. “However, Massachusetts did experience a fair amount of cranberry winter damage, a type of injury to vines caused by severe winter weather. The scattered winter injury coupled with last year’s late-season drought, caused some vines to come out of spring dormancy in less-than-ideal conditions. But the resiliency of the native berry, plus the resourcefulness of our growers, has helped to regain some of the lost vitality of the cranberry plants.”

CCCGA is also pleased to announce the election of three new members to its board of directors: Katherine “Katie” Ghantous of Plymouth, Mass., Robert “Bob” Bentley of Carver, Mass., and Benjamin “Ben” Richards of Carver, Mass. Ghantous is an extension educator at the UMass Cranberry Station and horticultural advisor to the Cranberry Institute. Bentley is a cranberry grower and retired environmental chemist. Richards has worked in the cranberry industry for 14 years and chairs CCCGA’s Technology Committee.

“The Association hates to see long-serving board members retire,” said CCCGA Board President John Mason. “But we are excited for the fresh perspectives that Katie, Bob and Ben will bring with more than a half-century’s worth of cranberry knowledge between them. We appreciate their commitment and look forward to having them help shape the future of the Massachusetts cranberry industry.”

Massachusetts Cranberries, established as Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association in 1888, represents hundreds of cranberry growers in southeastern Massachusetts. Cranberries are the largest food commodity produced in Massachusetts, with an annual crop value of $73.4 million. Massachusetts is the second largest cranberry-producing region in the United States, behind Wisconsin. According to a 2023 Farm Credit East Knowledge Exchange Report, the cranberry industry provides nearly 6,400 jobs and a total economic benefit of more than $1.7 billion annually to the Massachusetts economy.

For more information about Massachusetts cranberries, visit cranberries.org or follow @MassCranberries on Facebook or Instagram.

Karen Cahill
Cape Cod Cran Growers' Assoc.
+1 508-866-7878
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