Burlington County bogs produce a bountiful crop
- Thread starter Teegate
- Start date
I didn't know they used pesticides on cranberries. I though they were naturally resilient to insects due to their acidity.
Yeah, cranberries get several species of worms that eat both berries and plants, including gypsy moths. I think they can also get weevils. I think the most common insect pests are the type that can be contolled with baculovirus, a virus that kills a narrow spectrum of worms (so that it won't kill most beneficial insects). It's something that we should be seeing more of in the future. I did some work with this virus, it's pretty potent.
Yeah, they have a whole host of insect and fungal problems, not to menton weeds that can take over a bog quickly if not treated with herbicide. I've been learning that first hand, unfortunately
Sorry, didn't mean to be cryptic, just posting in a hurry while cooking! The park I work at is involved with managing the Cloverdale Bogs in Barnegat. When they were first acquired by the planning dept. under the Natural Lands Trust Program, the intention was to just preserve the tract from development and let the bogs revert back to nature. But once the parks dept. got involved in their care, we decided to attempt to keep the bogs in production for educational purposes. But since the bogs and water control structures had been neglected for a few years it's been a slow uphill battle, involving both our learning to be cranbery farmers (picture Oliver Douglass without the Hungarian wife) and dealing with tight budgets. We are forced to take baby steps right now, as there are several other priorities in the dept. at this time.
German, would the County consider leasing the bogs to a cranberry farmer, the way the State does with Double Trouble? That could save time and money.
Letting an existing farmer work the bogs has been considered, but the market conditions for cranberries have been pretty poor in recent years, with even the Double Trouble bogs being only sporadically harvested. These bogs are in poorer shape, and much smaller than the Double Trouble ones, which equates to being less efficient for transporting workers and equipment to, so finding a willing farmer isn't likely but it's not out of the question.
Yeah you'd have to find someone who wants to rehabilitate the bogs, and then who would want to lease them. Probably not an easy task.
I say let them revert to nature. I love abandoned bogs.
I say let them revert to nature. I love abandoned bogs.
Actually, we plan on letting several of them revert back as a lesson on bog succession anyway. We'd only need a few bogs for class trips and maybe one marked for free public picking.
These bogs were dry harvested, by the way. The farm is truly a snapshot in time, from the era before wet harvest. Not only do we have the farm's Darlington dry pickers, but the Hayden separator (the kind that bounces the berries to sort them, like the ones in the Double Trouble packing house) and its associated conveyor belt still functions. Everything is as Bill Collins left it when he passed away. Everyone who I've let sit in on a session of sorting has left with an ear to ear smile on their face and is sold on the idea of keeping the place functioning. If I can get the county to make the investment in the place I'd like to see, I have no doubt it will be the premier school field trip destination in the county.
These bogs were dry harvested, by the way. The farm is truly a snapshot in time, from the era before wet harvest. Not only do we have the farm's Darlington dry pickers, but the Hayden separator (the kind that bounces the berries to sort them, like the ones in the Double Trouble packing house) and its associated conveyor belt still functions. Everything is as Bill Collins left it when he passed away. Everyone who I've let sit in on a session of sorting has left with an ear to ear smile on their face and is sold on the idea of keeping the place functioning. If I can get the county to make the investment in the place I'd like to see, I have no doubt it will be the premier school field trip destination in the county.
No problem Bob. Maybe we can get a few more site members if interested. Perhaps even start at Wells Mills, in case anyone here has never been in the Conrad/Oakley Cabin.
It wouldn't take a whole long time, so I'd think closer to the beginning of the day, so folks could go on to lengthier pursuits. I'm flexible
So far, that sounds good. I shall wait & see what the Sages think.
Thank you by the way for the offer.
g.