Dept. of Agriculture Grant to Fund Cranberry Cooling Research

February 7, 2017

Photo Courtesy of GardenCollage.com

CARVER – The Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association has received $61,203 in grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund research on cooling cranberries in the summer.

Dry, hot summers in recent years have raised bog temperatures to the extent that the final crops are affected.

Association Executive Director Brian Wick said that the use of in-day plant cooling via sprinkler irrigation has already shown promising signs for keeping those temperatures under control.

“If this weather trend continues, growers are going to have to be able to fine-tune their irrigation systems to get the most out of the water that is available, and this study will help us do that,” he said.

Wick said growers have already used increased irrigation to temper the increased summer temperatures.

The money will fund a two-year study to be conducted at the University of Massachusetts Cranberry station and the A.D. Makepiece company grounds in Wareham.

The grants are provided through the Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Block Grant program. The Carver-based Association is one of eight other bodies and projects receiving funds this grant cycle.