Today at Pine Island Cranberry Company, we saw many aspects and tools of how cranberries are produced and distributed to the world. For example, two employees (Matt and Mike) gave us an annual timeline of the stages of growing cranberries. Even though the sandy soil is not great for conventional crops (corn, wheat, etc), it is perfect for growing cranberries because it is very acidic. We then ventured over to a live cranberry bog where early cranberries were starting to sprout during the early spring season. They told us the process of flooding the bog to make the cranberries rise so they can gather them and clean them. Once that is done, they give tens of thousands of pounds to Ocean Spray to be distributed.
We also went to the garage, where they kept the many different machines they use. It did not seem as big as you would have expected for that big of a farm. They had many pick-up trucks, along with many tractors and other machines to take care of the farm. We were not at the garage for long, but we still got a sense of what was needed to care for such a big farm like that because of our very helpful tour guides. All in all, it was a very informative and fun day learning about some modern-day industry in the Pine Barrens.
Matt explaining how cranberries grow in a bog.
