Lovers of Maine‑grown cranberries may want to stock up while they can or they may be without their favorite condiment come Thanksgiving. University of Maine Cooperative Extension Cranberry Specialist Charlie Armstrong says the 2014 harvest is way down, in some cases as much as 70%. "Every year it's different," says Artie Mingo of the Robbinston‑based Mingo's Evergreen Products, which has 17 acres of cranberries.
     Fans of Dean and Nan Bradshaw's cranberries were out of luck at the Perry Harvest Fair this year, when they discovered that the popular booth was nowhere to be found. The couple, who farmed cranberries for over 20 years on four acres in Dennysville, have stopped production. "We're getting up there in years," says Dean Bradshaw. That combined with the low price at the wholesale level combined to convince them that it was time. Bradshaw is quick to note that he "loves to play around with them" and will keep a small one‑quarter acre bog in production, but whether the harvest would be for friends and family or also a venue like the Perry fair remains to be seen.
     The popular berry, tangy and bright red, thrives in Maine's soils, but Mother Nature packed a wallop this year with Tropical Storm Arthur arriving just at peak blossom time around the Fourth of July holiday. Not only did the storm wash away much of the flower's pollen, but the bees hunkered down, not much caring for the wet and windy weather. "Bees like it dry and sunny," says Armstrong. He adds, "It was almost a record amount of rainfall, 6.8 inches, and most of the rain was over a 24‑hour period during the most critical point of the flower blossoming." Overall, the month of July had only four days classified by the National Weather Service as "fair," with the average sky cover at 60%, explains Armstrong. For cranberries, "July was a lousy month."
     The usual suspects in the pest world were out and about as well. Armstrong notes that the situation was terrible. "The black‑headed fire worm stood out. It was especially troublesome. We saw three generations this year." Usually cranberry plants have to live through only two generations, but with three, Armstrong explains, it wasn't just the leaves that got eaten, but berries too. The cranberry fruit worm also was out in full force. "It was one of those years that happen about every two out of 10 where we'll have a really high pest problem."
     Alden Mingo explains that at the Robbinston cranberry farm they are learning how to handle the bug situation. His son Artie says, "What it takes to grow them is probably the most interesting part of the job." His father adds with a wry smile, "We like a challenge."
     In Maine, there are a little over 200 acres in cranberry production, with 85% of that acreage in Washington County. Cherryfield Foods accounts for about half of the state's acreage, says Armstrong. "If they were to stop, it would be hard to say there's still an industry." However, he's seeing life for the cranberry market developing in the very small and diversified farmers realm, "where they're farming other things, and typically organic, too." He adds, "There is the most interest in that area," which conforms with the demographic shift of younger generations moving to the state to start much smaller and diversified farms, some organic, but many just interested in the cultural shift towards local food production and access.
     There's another reason for the very small acreage going into cranberry production:  cost. It can cost anywhere from $20,000 to $35,000 per acre for the vines, irrigation lines and for the growing medium of sand, Armstrong says. Take into account that banks often won't provide loans for cranberry production start‑up because it takes three to five years to see a harvest, and it begins to make sense for the small farmer to go for very small, non‑irrigated cranberry growing. Anything over four acres has to be irrigated, Armstrong says.
     Bradshaw agrees. "Dry harvesting has been profitable." He adds, "The [retail] price is good, and the equipment you need is much less."
     Mainers love their local berries, with Armstrong seeing a big increase in demand by customers for dry‑picked berries available at farmers markets, farm retail outlets or websites, and local grocery stores. While the price for cranberries is very low for wet‑harvest berries generally sold to the wholesale market, Armstrong notes that the price farmers are able to get for the dry‑picked -- and especially organically-grown -- cranberries is "really good." It helps that the Maine berries have a very high quality. Alden Mingo notes that tests on their berries, while not organically grown, show Brix readings at high levels, which indicates good things for those who love their berries:  a higher content of sugar and minerals. The USDA, for instance, uses Brix values as a part of its measurement to grade orange juice, with the higher value placing the juice in Grade A and the lower value placing it in Grade B. Mingo's is planning to move more of its 17 acres into dry harvest. "The market is getting better every year," Artie Mingo says.
     This past spring Armstrong assisted two new cranberry farms, with intentions of growing organic, get started. Each farm will start with about one‑half acre with plans to expand to about three acres over the next three years. He also knows of farmers who have patches of wild‑grown cranberries that they harvest as conditions allow. With the very small acreage and farm diversification, Armstrong feels that farmers may be able to weather the vagaries of Mother Nature and pest populations. At Mingo's, they are not willing to risk it. "There are too many variables," Artie Mingo says.