Projections show Wisconsin's cranberry crop could be the second largest ever.
Tom Lochner of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association says the USDA Ag Statistics Service expects Wisconsin's crop to be four percent higher than last year. That's about 3.85 million barrels of fruit in all.
Lochner says in Wisconsin, conditions last winter allowed growers to make good ice to protect vines. Spring brought precipitation that helped restore water levels. Lochner says demand for cranberries is increasing in both the US and worldwide, with nearly 30-percent of Wisconsin's crop being exported.
Lochner says there is an opportunity to sell more fruit, and we need to grow the industry. The Wisconsin cranberry industry has an estimated economic impact of $350 million annually, supporting 7,200 jobs.