How Do Farmers Harvest Cranberries

Cranberries grow in what's called a "bog". When the berries ripen in the fall, they use one of two methods. The dry method is an automated process and doesn't take much work. The other is the wet method, and is a lot more involved. There is usually a canal or spillway attached to the bog so that they're able to flood the area. Then the people use thrashing machines to knock the berries off of the vines. Since the berries float it makes them easy to get to. The push the berries together with floats that are called "booms." Once they get them all together, they suction them up with a tube or conveyor belt and put them on a waiting truck. If you've ever watched the ocean spray commecials with them standing in the lake of cranberries, that's actually not farfetched. Depending on the size of the bog, it can actually look like that during harvest time.