When Too Much is Dangerous

When Too Much is Dangerous. I’m Greg Martin with today’s Fruit Grower Report.

Cranberries are not a very large crop here in the northwest but for those growers whose life depends on them, it’s very important. According to Kim Patten, WSU Extension Professor at WSU Long Beach, more Canadian cranberries are causing concern for independent producers.

PATTEN: It’s a supply and demand and when there is a good demand people plant more acres. So it’s a boom/bust cycle and so there has been a lot of new acres going in Canada; British Columbia. Quebec area in particular. Some in Wisconsin but those three areas and a lot of those new acres are the independent market, the non-Ocean Spray acreages.

Ocean Spray controls a large number of contracts in the area so the independents are having a tougher time.

PATTEN: If you are an independent you can plant as many acres as you want and so there’s been a lot of acres of cranberries gone on the last 5-10 years in Quebec and the British Columbia has also expanded a lot so this of course has expanded the overall supply which it doesn’t take a lot of cranberries to go from a strong market to a surplus market.

And of course prices follow that roller coaster ride up and down. Many independent producer had been under contract with Ocean Spray in the past but when independent prices were good they sold their contracts. More tomorrow on this interesting story.

That’s today’s Fruit Grower Report. I’m Greg Martin on the Ag Information Network.