In a bipartisan and bicameral effort to help promote the state’s cranberry industry, Sens. John F. Kerry, D-Mass., and Scott Brown, R-Mass.— along with two Massachusetts congressmen — have launched the Congressional Cranberry Caucus..
The Bay State ranks second in the nation in cranberry production with more than 25 percent of the cranberries grown. Last year, Massachusetts cranberry production totaled 2.35 million barrels, almost 24 percent above the production level in 2010, according to a statement announcing the caucus.
“Too many people think of farming as happening somewhere other than Massachusetts and that’s a perception we have to fight,” Mr. Kerry said in a statement.
“America’s cranberry production began on the Cape in 1816, and ever since, this storied industry has provided jobs and homegrown industry that matters to Massachusetts,” Mr. Kerry said.
“With over 615 farms in our state, the cranberry industry is a major employer in Massachusetts and a force for our local economies,” Mr. Brown said. “From the bogs to the processing facilities, employees in the cranberry industry should be proud of the products they produce.”
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This story first ran in the Worcester Telegram & Gazette on June 7, 2012.
