Advertisement
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources signed a memo of understanding on the deal with the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association on Tuesday, said Jeff Olson, the Corps’ Wisconsin section chief.
Ocean Spray Cranberries Inc. and other cranberry processors have called for farmers to produce more to meet growing worldwide demand for their fruit.
Wisconsin farmers already produce nearly 60 percent of the nation’s cranberries. They have said they need a faster permit process to expand as quickly as the processors want.
Part of the deal signed Tuesday allows growers who want to expand by 10 acres or less to get a review of their permit application in as little as 30 days, about a third of the time it now takes, Olson said. Growers seeking permission for larger projects will undergo a longer review.
Cranberry farmers need the agencies’ permission to expand because many of their marshes are in or affect wetlands. The agencies’ standards for protecting wetlands remain the same, only the permit process is changing, Olson said.
The deal also allows growers to file one permit application with both agencies and sets up pre-application meetings so farmers can hear regulators’ concerns before they file their applications.
Tom Lochner, executive director of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, said he expects DNR and Army Corps representatives to meet with consultants who help farmers prepare their applications by the end of the month. Then meetings will be held for farmers interested in filing applications, likely by early November, he said.
The goal is to set up pre-application meetings with farmers and regulators before snow hits the ground, Lochner said. He expected a couple dozen cranberry growers to file permit applications.
Ed Sabey, president of the Wisconsin State Cranberry Growers Association, praised the agencies for responding quickly when farmers asked last summer for a speedier permit process.
“That quick action means we have the opportunity to receive timely decisions from government regarding the planting of new cranberry vines this coming spring,” Sabey said in a statement. “That is critical. Growing regions like Canada want to expand as well, and cranberry companies worldwide are watching to see where the new growth will occur first.”
If Wisconsin cranberry growers can plant 5,000 new acres — the number requested by Ocean Spray — to meet demand in the next five to 10 years, it could mean an extra $75 million per year for the state, according to a University of Wisconsin study done earlier this year.
Messages left at the DNR were not immediately returned.
