Cranberry farmers are turning old bogs into wetlands

Carver, Massachusetts – It’s peak season for cranberry growers in southeastern Massachusetts. The Bay State ranks second behind Wisconsin in cranberry production in the entire US

“Karen Cahihill, Karen Cahihill, Karen Cahih, Karen Cahih, Karen Cahih is a strong leader,” said Karen Cahill, managing director of the Cape Cod Cranberry Greeders’ Association.

He tells the fox that the 2023 economic study showed a contribution of $ 1.7 billion to the economy of the state and the support of almost 6,400 jobs in this area.

But one cranberry grower in the state says it’s getting harder to grow in Massachusetts.

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Jarrod Rhodes, a fourth-generation cranberry farmer in Carver, Massachusetts, produces 50,000 barrels — or 5 pounds — of cranberries a year on his family farm. His family founded Edgewood bogs llc in the early 1940s. Rhode Launched Khetta Cape Cod Khetta in 2009, where it processed a portion of its fruit for the frozen retail market, he said.

But rising costs and changing weather patterns are adding to the pressure.

“It all adds up, and it’s more expensive to grow here compared to Wisconsin or Canada,” Rhodes said.

Cahill added, “Massachusetts is an expensive place to do business in general, driven by high labor, utility, and real estate costs.”

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He also mentions the huge difference in massachusetts’ size compared to wisconsin alone.

“The scale in Wisconsin is very large — more than double the acreage in Massachusetts — and doing anything at scale tends to be very cost-effective,” he said.

With these pressures in mind, Rhode turned to the State’s plan to retire and restore more than 30 acres of old bogs.

“The property was distressed and needed to be rebuilt,” he says.

The state’s division of natural restoration (DER) is running a cranberry bog program that is converting retired bologs back to traditional oil.

Over the past decade, DER has restored many non-profitable bogs, including the restoration of the Eel River Owaters. The DER website says the Atlantic White Cedar has regenerated, wetlands now cover the former farm area, and river herring are back on the rise.

Rhodes knew about the unforgiving bog and applied for the program, which is funded by federal and state grants.

“We decided not to build this again but to take the money and buy better equipment,” he said.

The Rhodes now farm less and less, but the retired bog will be permanently protected as a wetland, and the family is investing in burning fields.

Der describes the method as a “green exit strategy,” in which families like pharmaceuticals are compensated with indications of refunds and negotiations to change the wetlands.

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DER’s Kristi Haas said the land must be legally protected before construction begins.

“This puts a limit on the title deed, which prevents certain activities such as development,” Haas said. “Conservation is often done through the USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Wetland Reserve Easement (WRE) program.”

As other projects take shape, Rhodes said many growers are thinking the same way. Some are close to retirement, and younger generations “don’t care,” she said. Rhodes’ wetland restoration is scheduled to be completed in spring 2026.

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Der Executive Director Beth Lambert said the organization’s goal is to restore 1,000 acres in the next 10 to 15 years.