They are made up of six pickers and a tractor driver. They're working in shifts from sunup to sundown. Water for the fields is provided from a huge irrigation system relying on a series of ponds. The fields are designed so the water will run off back into the ponds and be re-used. Oswego Cranberry has hundreds of acres planted and is planting more this season.
More planting is slated for next year, too.
The plantation has a total of 402 acres, Brower said. Cranberries love water, but they don't like to be wet, Brower explained. They'll rot if they get too wet. They have very fragile roots. It will take another two years or so before Oswego Cranberry begins to break even on its multi-million dollar investment, Brower noted.