Wood County, Wis., is the No. 1 cranberry-growing county in the state.

As host county of the 2018 Wisconsin Farm Technology Days July 10-12, it’s only natural that cranberries have a leading role in the show.

Wisconsin accounts for more than 60% of U.S. cranberry production. And the U.S. contributes a similar amount to world production. Wood County alone accounts for about 9% of the world’s cranberry production, says Matt Lippert, Wood County Extension agriculture agent and WFTD executive secretary.

Lippert says there are about 5,400 acres of cranberries and about 100 growers in Wood County. And according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, the farm-gate value of Wood County cranberries is about $40 million, or 40% of the county’s total agricultural value.

Cranmoor township, west of Wisconsin Rapids, is the heart of the county’s cranberry industry. Lippert says cranberries have been harvested there for more than 150 years. Today, the ruby-red crop grows in more than half of Wood County townships.

Once called the “crane berry” by settlers because its blossom resembles the sandhill crane, the little red berry is Wisconsin’s official state fruit — and the state’s No. 1 fruit crop in both size and economic value.

Lippert says cranberries, traditionally a bog crop, have moved upland. Growers now have the ability to lift water with pumps and return it to reservoirs.

At Farm Technology Days, cranberry growers intend to lay to rest misnomers about their crop, Lippert says. Contrary to popular belief, cranberries do not grow in water. Instead, the perennial low-running vines are flooded with water to aid in harvest. When a bed is flooded, berries float to the surface, where they’re corralled and harvested with equipment. The crop is also flooded in the winter and encased in ice for frost protection.

Mini marsh attention-getter
In Tent City’s Innovation Square, a mini marsh will be constructed so showgoers can compare flooded and dry beds. Lippert says the mini marsh is modeled after Walworth County’s miniature mockup of Lake Geneva, and Kewaunee County’s mini replica of Lake Michigan. The two counties hosted WFTD in 2016 and 2017, respectively.

The 10-by-20-foot dry growing bog will include a mulched path around the perimeter so visitors can kneel for closer inspection. An equal-size bog will be dug into the ground and flooded. Cranberries donated by Gardner Cranberry of Pittsville will be boomed to one end. Visitors can pull on boots to walk into the bog to get a feel for what growers experience during their watery harvests.

Ben Tilberg of Arpin is a member of Wood County’s WFTD executive committee. He’s an ag scientist with Ocean Spray at Babcock. Tilberg conducts cranberry research and works with Ocean Spray grower-cooperators in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Michigan.

Tilberg says high school students from Auburndale, Marshfield and Pittsville were bused to Evergreen Nursery in Sturgeon Bay in 2017 to learn how cranberries are started. The nursery is growing potted cranberries that will be used to make the mini marsh. The vines were donated by Cutler Cranberry near City Point. Tilberg says there will be a small army of cranberry-grower volunteers ready to answer the public’s questions about their crop production methods and uses of the healthy berry. There will also be many pieces of cranberry equipment to see.

“Growers fabricate a lot of their own equipment,” he notes. “The industry is innovative and continues to change. It’s an exciting industry.”

4th-generation grower
Heidi Slinkman is a fourth-generation cranberry grower and business manager at Gaynor Cranberry Co. in Wisconsin Rapids. Her family has been growing cranberries in Cranmoor township since 1876. She’s chairing the cranberry exhibit that is part of Innovation Square. She’s excited about the depth and breadth of the show’s cranberry emphasis.

Slinkman says cranberry food and beverage manufacturers are donating samples for visitors to taste during Farm Technology Days. Special guests will greet visitors, such as the industry’s cranberry mascot, cranberry royalty and Vince Biegel, a former University of Wisconsin Badger who is now a linebacker for the Green Bay Packers. Biegel grew up on a cranberry marsh in Wood County.

Slinkman says there will also be cranberry-related educational presentations in the UW-Extension tent. And food tents on the grounds will feature dried-and-sweetened cranberries, cranberry juice and a cranberry mustard condiment to showcase the fruit’s versatility.

Cranberry growers rely on additional acres of support land, much of which serves as a sanctuary for wildlife, including many birds. Sandhill cranes, whooping cranes and other wildlife found on cranberry marshes also will be featured, Slinkman says. There will also be hands-on activities for children, including one that explores the technique of sanding cranberries to promote upright growth and vine vitality.

Wood County cranberry growers have a lot to talk about, Slinkman says. For instance, 2017 was the 23rd consecutive year Wisconsin led the country in cranberry production. The industry supports about 4,000 jobs in the state.

Source: Wisconsin Farm Technology Days