BOSTON – Nearly $1 million in state grant funding has been awarded to several local cranberry growers for bog renovation projects.
The grants, awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture Resources’ new Massachusetts Cranberry Bog Renovation Enhancement Grant Program, will help renovate existing bogs to provide higher yields and more efficient of cranberry production.
A total of 21 growers in Barnstable and Plymouth Counties received grant funding.
“The cranberry industry has been a vital part of the environment and economy of Massachusetts for over 200 years, and our administration is committed to working with cranberry growers to ensure the long-term viability of this industry,” said Governor Charlie Baker.
“This new grant program builds on the recommendations of the Cranberry Revitalization Task Force by providing support for cranberry growers to create more efficient bogs and improve their business and environmental sustainability.”
The Cranberry Revitalization Task Force’s final report released in 2016 included a recommendation to provide funding for cranberry growers to renovate their bogs, allowing for more efficient production and cultivation of the larger, higher-yield fruits.
The Environmental Bond Bill signed by Baker in 2018 included funding for the grants.
Awardees will receive funds for capital expenditures ranging from specialized equipment needed to level and reconfigure bogs, improving irrigation systems and improving irrigation efficiencies, and higher yield variety vines.
The cranberry industry is the state’s third largest agricultural sector, and boasts 363 cranberry farms on over 13,555 acres.
At nearly $59 million, the agricultural value of the cranberry industry makes up 13 percent of the state’s total agricultural value, despite the industry representing only 4.5 percent of the state’s farms and 2.7 percent of the state’s agricultural acreage.
Massachusetts remains second in cranberry growing production in the country, at approximately 23 percent. Wisconsin maintains the number one position, yielding about 64 percent of cranberries grown in the U.S.
A list of growers who received grants can be found below.
| Awardee | Operation | County | Award | Project |
| Joseph Michael Keating | Mills River Cranberry Co. | Barnstable | $63,750 | Replant hybrid variety vines and improve drainage bed conditions. |
| Julian Arnold | JH Arnold Cranberry | Plymouth | $35,000 | Organic bog renovation to increase productivity while maintaining organic practices & reduce water consumption |
| Back River Bog Company, LLC | Joseph Agrillo | Barnstable | $51,000 | Flow through bog renovation, reconfigure & separate from freshwater stream. |
| Steven F. Ward | Plymouth | $52,500 | Rebuild bog to a more desirable/productive variety of cranberry | |
| Tilson Brook Cranberry, LLC | Plymouth | $20,000 | Renovation and squaring off of bog for improved irrigation efficiencies | |
| Andrew Rinta | Plymouth | $25,143 | Renovation of bog to improve irrigation and install flume | |
| Ben Peltola | Plymouth | $41,250 | Construction and renovation of cranberry bog | |
| EJ Pontif Cranberries, Inc | Ware Bog | Plymouth | $73,000 | Renovate bog to replace early black vines with Crimson Queens |
| Southers Marsh Cranberry Bogs | William B. Stearns | Plymouth | $75,000 | Renovate older bog to the higher yield variety and conserve water through leveling |
| Eric Weston | Eric & Elain Weston | Plymouth | $50,000 | Renovate and reconfigure portion of older, poor producing bog for better yield and management |
| Joseph John Dvorski, Jr. | Shakey Acres Cranberry Co | Plymouth | $30,000 | Renovate section of bog and plant new hybrid varieties |
| Weston Cranberry Corp | Gary Weston | Plymouth | $38,200 | Bog renovation, achieving high yield, low farm maintenance and conserve water resources |
| William J. Morrison | Plymouth | $46,000 | Bog leveling and replanting vines & update irrigation system | |
| Gary S. Randall | Muddy Pond Bogs | Plymouth | $34,000 | Renovate bog to replant vines and update irrigation automation |
| Edgewood Bogs, LLC | Matthew Rhodes | Plymouth | $47,421 | Environmentally sustain bog renovation with high yielding, virus indexed, Haines cranberry vines. |
| AD Makepeace, CO | White Island Bogs | Plymouth | $75,000 | Renovate and square off bog to allow for irrigation improvements |
| WD Bog, Inc. | Plymouth | $32,220 | Renovate bog removing and replacing vines and improve irrigation | |
| North Weston Cranberries, Inc. | Eric Weston | Plymouth | $22,000 | Reconfigure and renovate area of older bog made up of small section & inefficient shape |
| Great Bear Farms, Inc | James Rezendes | Plymouth | $75,000 | Renovate bog removing and replacing vines and improve irrigation |
| Gilmore Cranberry Co., Inc. | Plymouth | $75,000 | Level bog, reconfigure irrigation system and replace vines to one variety | |
| Tassinari Inc. | John Tassinari | Barnstable | $30,352 | Replace vines to higher yield hybrid variety and seal up banking to conserve water |
About CapeCod.com NewsCenter
