Massachusetts Cranberry Grower Awarded Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty Honor

Massachusetts Cranberry grower John Mason

Massachusetts cranberry grower honored with leadership award

PLYMOUTH, MA, UNITED STATES, January 7, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Massachusetts Cranberries announces that John Mason, a second-generation cranberry grower from Carver, Mass., has been named to the Fruit + Vegetable 40 Under Forty class of 2024. A panel of industry experts selects honorees for the

Vegetable Growers News and Fruit Growers News award, established in 2018 to recognize the industry’s next generation of leaders.

Mason owns Tilson Brook Cranberry, the small cranberry farm he grew up on. He is also an assistant general manager at A.D. Makepeace Co., the largest cranberry growing company in the world.

Mason was recognized in the November 2024 issue of Vegetable Growers News and Fruit Growers News, as well as at the Great Lakes Vegetable & Farm Market EXPO in December.

According to the USDA, the average age of farmers in 2022 was 58.1. At 36, Mason is a valued injection of youthful energy and thoughtful leadership. He appreciates the historic and cultural significance of the Massachusetts cranberry industry, while bringing a fresh approach to modern challenges. As president of the Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association (CCCGA), Mason serves on the budget and finance, executive, environmental/government affairs, frost, marketing and promotion outreach, nominating, research and technology committees. Mason also sits on the board for the Cranberry Research Foundation - a nonprofit that raises and invests funds for the future support of cranberry horticultural research projects. He also serves on his town’s Earth Removal Committee. Building on a passion that began when he was a child, Mason continues to educate others on and advocate for the Massachusetts cranberry industry in any way that he can.

Like many in the 200-year history of cranberry farming, Mason was born into cranberries. As a child, he helped his father dry pick their 9-acre cranberry farm and found the labor-intensive work rewarding. During harvest, Mason set up a roadside stand with a tours sign to educate passersby. His passion for cranberries and his eagerness to educate did not end there. In 2009, Mason began a career with Slocum-Gibbs Cranberry Company Inc., where his responsibilities included managing the bogs, conducting tours and teaching politicians, regulators, environmentalists, customers, and neighbors how cranberry growers work the land. He also conducted promotional work with Ocean Spray Cranberries during harvest. In 2016, Mason purchased his family’s cranberry bogs.

A young advocate for the cranberry industry, Mason recognizes the importance of CCCGA, which is why he has been a committed member of its leadership team since 2016. Mason understands the value and power of an industry that works together and uses his platform to unite industry members regardless of where they market their fruit. Additionally, as a small grower and an employee of a large grower, Mason uses his unique perspective to support all industry members no matter the size.

Mason was one of the drivers of establishing a CCCGA technology committee to help improve cranberry production and on-farm efficiency in innovative ways including using robotics, drones, weather stations, computer systems, applications, big data, and more. As part of the CCCGA research committee, Mason works with the UMass Cranberry Station to help fund and advocate for groundbreaking horticulture research as well as to evaluate nutrient management recommendations that help propel the industry forward.

Mason is leading CCCGA toward tackling the challenges of an ever-evolving marketplace and climate. He gave testimony to state legislators for a bog renovation tax credit. He educated lawmakers on the background of the industry, what bog renovation is, why it is needed, and how a tax credit could assist growers in renovating plus the benefits to the Commonwealth. Additionally, he was instrumental in identifying standards in bog renovation techniques to help growers establish the vines as quickly as possible with proper drainage to improve efficiency of the program.

About Massachusetts Cranberries
Massachusetts Cranberries represents hundreds of cranberry growers in southeastern Massachusetts, Cape Cod and Nantucket, and is committed to the success of its members and of the industry. In addition to being historically and culturally significant, the cranberry industry's economic contribution is vital to the overall strength of Massachusetts' economy. For more information, contact Karen Cahill, deputy executive director, Cape Cod Cranberry Growers’ Association, at kcahill@cranberries.org; call 508-866-7878, ext. 16; visit cranberries.org; or follow @MassCranberries on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.