Wisconsin cranberry, tart cherry production declines

MADISON — Wisconsin apple growers had a productive year in 2017, but cranberry and tart cherry producers faced more challenges.

Wisconsin Public Radio reports that recent data from the National Agricultural Statistics Service found apple production increased almost 20 percent in the state between 2016 and 2017.

But Wisconsin produced 12 percent less barrels of cranberries last year than in 2016. The state's tart cherries also saw a 17 percent decline.

Amaya Atucha is a fruit crop specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She says production levels dropped due to a 2016 spring frost.

Atucha says the 2017 spring weather helped apple growers recover, producing 49 million pounds (22 million kilograms) of apples. She says production could continue to rise this year.