Massachusetts Cranberry Farmers Choosing To Restore Their Bogs Into Wetlands Amid Economic Headwinds

CBS Boston

September 25, 2025

Carver, Massachusetts — For Jarrod Rhodes, a fourth-generation cranberry farmer in Carver, Massachusetts, a 30-acre state project is taking a portion of his family's land back in time.

"In 10 years, I hope it looks like a natural swamp," Rhodes told CBS News of the project's outcome. "And just, kind of, everything that it may have looked like, you know, before we were here."

As cranberry prices fall due to global competition and costs increase due to labor issues, higher utility costs and extreme weather, cranberry farmers like Rhodes are part of the Massachusetts Division of Ecological Restoration's Cranberry Bog Program that pays farmers to turn unproductive bogs back into wetlands.

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