Brent McCown and the HyRed Cranberry

Thanks to a boggy landscape and university ingenuity, Wisconsin is the leading state when it comes to the production of cranberries. About 60 percent of America’s cranberry harvest comes from Wisconsin, and if it were an independent nation, Wisconsin would grow more cranberries than any country in the world. Brent McCown BS1965, MS1967, PhD1969 is one of the UW’s leading cranberry experts. As a professor of horticulture, he helped to develop several varieties, including the HyRed, a cultivar of the berry that thrives in cool regions with short growing seasons — regions like Wisconsin. To honor McCown and the cranberry industry, this sculptural tribute includes a traditional cranberry scoop. Its rake-like structure enables farmers to harvest berries in flooded bogs — pulling away the berry while leaving the plant behind.