John Sager is a relative newcomer to cranberry growing. A retired stockbroker, John and his family began J&J Cranberries in northern Adams County 13 years ago.

“I knew I needed something after retirement to keep me interested in life, a second career if you will, so I decided to build a cranberry marsh starting in 1993,” says John. “My marsh manager is Keith Schroeder and my assistant manager is my son Greg. They have been with me from the get go.”

J&J Cranberries has 75 acres of cranberry beds and about 1,000 acres of support land. Support land consists of wetlands and woodlands and is not directly used for cranberry production. However its network of ditches, dams and reservoirs ensures an adequate water supply, while providing valuable wildlife habitat.

John is pictured with some of the plastic gourds he has for the purple martins that make their home on his cranberry marsh.

“Birds are quite a hobby with me. I have the largest purple martin colony in Wisconsin. One day last summer, I counted 250 adult birds. I also have over 200 swallow coops and 125 wood duck houses up on my marsh,” he relates.