A Cranberry farm near Warrens that’s been around since 1905, has been making some huge changes this year to bring harvesting into the 21st century.

Nodji Van Wychen is a third generation cranberry grower. She says, “I've always said cranberries are kind of in my blood.”

Van Wychen's husband, four children, and eight grandchildren all live within ten miles of Weatherby Cranberry Farm, which makes the operation there close to her heart. She says, “It seems like your family becomes very close on a marsh.”

The Van Wychen's have added two new machines to their marsh's production this year. The Gates Harrow is a simple machine made of bent rods that helps slip the cranberries off the vine. Van Wychen says this machine is five or six times faster than the older Water Beater they use to use that was not only much slower, it was so rough it would shake the berries off their vines.

She says, “This is much faster and quicker and more efficient at getting the fruit off the vine.” Not to mention less expensive, which puts everyone in a good mood. Van Wychen agrees saying, “Well, especially the men on the marsh are very happy about this.”

Van Wychen says if more cranberry growers adopt this new technology the entire industry could really change. Faster machines mean a decrease in harvest time and a reduction in the cost of labor. She says, “So for all these reasons it really looks like a bright future for this technology.”

The second new machine the Weatherby farm put into use this year is a computer run sorting system. Up until last year they were still using an old fashioned sorting machine from the 1920’s that bounced the cranberries through wooden flats to separate the good from the bad.

Van Wychen says the new machine, which uses cameras, lasers and ultraviolet light, is so fast they can’t even run it at top speed because the automatic bagging system they use can't keep up.

Van Wychen says their farm can't seem to keep up with the demand for cranberries because the berry has grown in popularity as its health benefits like helping prevent cardio vascular and gum disease have become better known.