To Market, To Market

I've just returned from Washington, DC, where the US Cranberry Marketing Committee held its winter meeting. The Committee traditionally meets twice a year. The summer meeting moves to a different growing region each year (it was New Jersey's turn in the summer of 2009), but the winter meeting is held in Washington, DC, for access to personnel at the US Department of Agriculture and other officials with interest in the Committee. It's an open meeting with active participation from the audience, who represent cranberry growers and handlers from around the country and the world.

The Cranberry Marketing Committee was established in 1962 as a Federal Marketing Order. It's intended to maintain supply and demand equilibrium for US-grown cranberries. In the past, an oversupply of cranberries has led the committee to regulate production, but the current focus is on increasing the generic promotion of US cranberries in a number of markets around the world. If you visit the website, you can find links to the Cranberry Marketing Committee's websites around the globe, in addition to a bunch of great recipes and other information about cranberries.