Wareham: Cranberry harvest expected to be a good one

Massachusetts cranberry farmers are expecting a robust crop this fall. Hilary Sandler, a cranberry specialist at the UMass Cranberry Station in Wareham, tells the Cape Cod Times that growing conditions this summer were optimal, with enough hot days interspersed with the right amount of rain. Sandler says experts are predicting a harvest of 2.1 million barrels. A barrel, or 100 pounds of cranberries, costs an average of $20 to $25 for a grower to produce. Sandler says Massachusetts’ projected harvest amounts to an 11% increase over last year’s. Not all the news is good for farmers. Sandler says a robust harvest tends to depress prices.