Cranberry Red: A Rural Tale of Breakthroughs, Betrayals, and Moral Courage

A miracle crop, a small-town scientist, and a chemical that could save lives--or destroy them.

In the fourth installment of the Ames County series, Cranberry Red brings rural Wisconsin into the twenty-first century, where science, ethics, and agriculture collide.

After losing his job as the county’s agricultural agent, Ben Wesley finds himself working for Osborne University, a for-profit institution eager to promote its latest innovation: Cranberry Red, a revolutionary crop chemical that promises to boost yields and protect against some of the deadliest diseases of our time. With promises of medical miracles and agricultural success, Ben becomes the face of the campaign--until troubling side effects cast doubt on everything he’s been told.

Caught between the demands of his employer and his responsibility to the farmers he’s long served, Ben must choose whether to speak out and risk his career or stay silent as his community faces a growing health crisis. Can one man’s integrity stand up to a powerful institution--and will anyone listen before it’s too late?

Grounded in richly drawn characters and real-world concerns, Cranberry Red is a timely tale of innovation, accountability, and the moral cost of modern progress.

Jerry Apps was born and raised on a farm in central Wisconsin. Upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and spending time in the U.S. Army, Apps worked as a county extension agent in Green Lake and Brown County Wisconsin. He then worked as a staff development specialist for the University of Wisconsin-Extension. He is Professor Emeritus of the University Wisconsin-Madison and the author of several fiction and non-fiction books about agriculture and rural life in the Upper Midwest.