HDR1012000140061008971500VEGETABLES National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released October 8, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Vegetables" call David Mueller at (202) 720-2157, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetables Harvested Acreage Down 2 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 13 selected fresh market vegetables during the fall quarter is forecast at 176,400 acres, down 2 percent from last year and off 7 percent from 1995. Acreage reductions for cabbage, cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, eggplant, head lettuce, and bell peppers offset increased acreage of snap beans, carrots, and cucumbers. Area estimated for melon harvest is 18,300 acres, up 10 percent from last year. Cantaloup acreage is forecasted at 12,600 acres, up 12 percent from 1996. Honeydew acreage is estimated at 5,000 acres, up 4 percent from last fall. Watermelon acreage is forecasted at 700 acres, up 100 acres from last year. Summer Storage Onion Production (Excluding California) Up 7 Percent Summer storage onion production (excluding California) in 1997 is forecast at 35.5 million hundredweight, up 7 percent from last year and 1 percent more than in 1995. The storage onion crop should be harvested from 79,310 acres, up 2 percent from last year. The California crop is expected from 29,000 acres, down 6 percent from last year and 5 percent less than in 1995. Production, at 12.8 million hundredweight, is 4 percent less than last year but 1 percent more than in 1995. Fresh Vegetables Harvested Acreage Down 2 Percent Snap Beans: Fall fresh market acreage for harvest is forecast at 16,100 acres, up 2 percent from last year but 16 percent less than 1995. Weather conditions have generally been favorable in Florida as hurricanes bypassed the state. However, recent heavy rains damaged the crop in the west central part of the state. Planting progress is steady, with producers replanting fields where necessary. Wet conditions in New Jersey disrupted the planting schedule, which caused producers to plant fewer acres. Broccoli: California's acreage for fall harvest is estimated at 27,500 acres, unchanged from last year but 4 percent less than in 1995. Producers welcomed recent cooler temperatures after a very hot summer. Broccoli head size appears to be about normal with good quality. Recent rains from Hurricane Nora over the Imperial Valley damaged some fields and may cause some producers to replant. Producers reported very few harvesting problems in the earliest-planted fields. Cabbage: Fresh market acreage for harvest is forecast at 6,800 acres, down 4 percent from last year and 12 percent less than in 1995. In Florida, the planting season has been good and there have been few weather related problems except in the west central part of the State. Recent heavy rains there have flooded out some fields that producers will replant. Favorable growing conditions benefited the growth of fall cabbage in New Jersey. Texas producers increased acreage due to an increase in the availability of irrigation water. Cantaloups: Fall cantaloup acreage for harvest is estimated at 12,600 acres, up 12 percent from last year and up 27 percent from 1995. Harvest was winding down in California. In Arizona, the harvest continued with light volumes reported. Carrots: Acreage for fresh market harvest is forecast at 18,700 acres, a 5 percent increase from last year and 21 percent greater than 1995. Baby carrot demand remains high. Hot weather in August hindered early crop development in California. However, more favorable conditions later allowed most carrots to size well with good quality. Producers reported very few problems with the crop, except in the Imperial Valley, where recent rains from Hurricane Nora caused damage to some fields. Cauliflower: Acreage for fall harvest in California is estimated at 10,100 acres, off 2 percent from last year and 8 percent below two years ago. Recent rains from Hurricane Nora caused damage to some fields in the Imperial Valley. Producers are concerned that some fields might need replanting. Elsewhere, growers reported that the crop showed no unusual insect or disease problems. Celery: California's fall acreage for harvest is forecast at 6,700 acres, down 3 percent from 1996 and 11 percent less than two years ago. Harvest was active, and producers reported no unusual problems with the crop. Sweet Corn: Fresh market acreage for harvest is estimated at 8,500 acres, down 23 percent from last year, and 13 percent less than in 1995. In Florida, planting in the Everglades was active during early September as Zellwood growers finished planting. Growers irrigated some acreage around Lake Apopka as conditions became dry at the end of August and into early September. Heavy rainfall in the Zellwood area near the end of September benefited plant growth and ear development. Cucumbers: Acreage for fall harvest is forecast at 8,200 acres, 1 percent above last year but 19 percent below 1995. Planting in Florida progressed at the usual pace. Planting in the Palmetto-Ruskin area started during August and in the east coast region by early September. Oldest plants in the southwest area of Florida were showing four to five leaves by the second half of September. Recent heavy rains in the west central part of Florida have damaged the crop, and producers are assessing the damage. Eggplant: Fresh market acreage for fall harvest in Florida is forecast at 500 acres, down 100 acres from last year and half the acreage of 1995. Planting began before the middle of August in the east coast area and continued at a steady pace. By late September the crop was in very good condition with the oldest fields showing blooms. Escarole/Endive: Fresh market acreage for fall harvest is forecast at 900 acres, unchanged from last year but 25 percent less than in 1995. In Florida, light plantings started in the Zellwood and Everglades regions during early September. The fall crop in New Jersey is in good condition. Good quality and steady supply is expected to last throughout the season. Honeydews: Fresh market acreage for fall harvest is forecast at 5,000 acres, up 4 percent from last year and 16 percent greater than 1995. The crop looked good in California and producers reported no major problems. Head Lettuce: Acreage for fall harvest is estimated at 37,400 acres, down 1 percent from last year and 4 percent smaller than in 1995. California growers welcomed the recent cooler weather. The quality of the California crop looked good. However, recent rains from Hurricane Nora damaged some fields in the Imperial Valley of California and in Arizona. Some replanting may be necessary. In New Jersey, the crop supply appeared short, but the crop quality rated good. Bell Peppers: Fall acreage for harvest is forecast at 10,900 acres, a 4 percent decrease from 1996 but unchanged from 1995. Drier than normal fall weather kept plantings in Florida on schedule throughout September with some growers able to plant acreage in September that they usually do not plant until October. Recent heavy rains, however, caused damage to some fields in the west central part of the state. The extent of damage was unknown at this time. Increased water availability encouraged Texas producers to plant more acres than last year. Tomatoes: Fresh market acreage for fall harvest is estimated at 24,100 acres, unchanged from last year but 17 percent less than 1995. Ideal weather conditions in California allowed the crop to progress normally. Recent storms in the Palmetto-Ruskin area knocked off blooms and young fruit, reduced the effectiveness of pesticides, and prevented some producers from spraying their fields. Watermelons: Arizona acreage for fall harvest is forecast at 700 acres, up 100 acres from 1996 but unchanged from 1995. Harvest was active in the central part of the state. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Season, and Crop, Major States, 1995-96 and Prospective Area 1997 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Season :----------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Crop :-----------------------------------: Harvest : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Winter : 179,850 195,950 192,000 : Spring : 346,350 343,850 332,050 : Summer : 461,550 450,600 458,750 : Fall : Snap Beans : 19,200 15,800 16,100 Broccoli 1/ : 28,500 27,500 27,500 Cabbage : 7,700 7,100 6,800 Carrots : 15,400 17,800 18,700 Cauliflower 1/ : 11,000 10,300 10,100 Celery 1/ : 7,500 6,900 6,700 Sweet Corn : 9,800 11,000 8,500 Cucumbers : 10,100 8,100 8,200 Eggplant : 1,000 600 500 Escarole/Endive 2/ : 1,200 900 900 Head Lettuce : 38,900 37,800 37,400 Bell Peppers 1/ 2/ : 10,900 11,300 10,900 Tomatoes 2/ : 29,000 24,100 24,100 : Total 13 Vegetables 2/ : 190,200 179,200 176,400 : Cantaloups : 9,900 11,300 12,600 Honeydews : 4,300 4,800 5,000 Watermelons : 700 600 700 : Total Fall Crop 2/ : 205,100 195,900 194,700 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ 1996 revised. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Season, and Crop, Major States, 1995-96 and Prospective Area 1997 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Season :----------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Crop :-----------------------------------: Harvest : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Winter : 72,770 79,290 77,690 : Spring : 140,160 139,140 134,370 : Summer : 186,780 182,350 185,650 : Fall : Snap Beans : 7,770 6,390 6,520 Broccoli 1/ : 11,530 11,130 11,130 Cabbage : 3,120 2,870 2,750 Carrots : 6,230 7,200 7,570 Cauliflower 1/ : 4,450 4,170 4,090 Celery 1/ : 3,040 2,790 2,710 Sweet Corn : 3,970 4,450 3,440 Cucumbers : 4,090 3,280 3,320 Eggplant : 400 240 200 Escarole/Endive 2/ : 490 360 360 Head Lettuce : 15,740 15,300 15,140 Bell Peppers 1/ 2/ : 4,410 4,570 4,410 Tomatoes 2/ : 11,740 9,750 9,750 : Total 13 Vegetables 2/ : 76,980 72,500 71,390 : Cantaloups : 4,010 4,570 5,100 Honeydews : 1,740 1,940 2,020 Watermelons : 280 240 280 : Total Fall Crop 2/ : 83,010 79,250 78,790 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ 1996 revised Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Crop, State, and Total, Fall Season, 1995-96 and Prospective Area 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area : Crop : Usual :--------------------------------: Area for and : Harvest : Harvested : For : Harvest State : Period :---------------------: Harvest :Percent of : : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : ----------- Acres ---------- Percent : : Snap Beans : : FL : Oct-Dec : 6,300 6,700 6,700 100 GA : Oct-Dec : 7,000 3,500 4,200 120 MD : Oct-Nov : 400 300 300 100 NJ : Aug-Oct : 2,800 2,600 2,300 88 SC : Oct-Dec : 400 600 500 83 VA : Sep-Oct : 2,300 2,100 2,100 100 Total : : 19,200 15,800 16,100 102 : : Broccoli 1/ : : CA : Oct-Dec : 28,500 27,500 27,500 100 : : Cabbage : : FL : Oct-Dec : 900 800 1,000 125 GA : Oct-Dec : 4,500 4,200 3,500 83 NJ : Sep-Nov : 1,100 1,200 1,200 100 TX : Sep-Nov : 1,200 900 1,100 122 Total : : 7,700 7,100 6,800 96 : : Cantaloups : : AZ : Sep-Dec : 7,100 8,200 8,900 109 CA : Oct-Dec : 2,800 3,100 3,700 119 Total : : 9,900 11,300 12,600 112 : : Carrots : : CA : Oct-Dec : 15,000 17,300 18,300 106 TX : Sep-Nov : 400 500 400 80 Total : : 15,400 17,800 18,700 105 : : Cauliflower 1/ : : CA : Oct-Dec : 11,000 10,300 10,100 98 : : Celery 1/ : : CA : Oct-Dec : 7,500 6,900 6,700 97 : : Sweet Corn : : CA : Oct-Dec : 3,500 3,300 2,100 64 FL : Sep-Dec : 6,300 7,700 6,400 83 Total : : 9,800 11,000 8,500 77 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnotes at end of table. --continued Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Crop, State, and Total, Fall Season, 1995-96 and Prospective Area 1997 (continued) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area : Crop : Usual :--------------------------------: Area for and : Harvest : Harvested : For : Harvest State : Period :---------------------: Harvest :Percent of : : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : 1996 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : ----------- Acres ---------- Percent : : Cucumbers : : FL : Oct-Dec : 4,500 3,700 3,600 97 SC : Oct-Dec : 1,000 800 700 88 TX : Sep-Nov : 1,100 900 1,100 122 VA : Sep-Oct : 3,500 2,700 2,800 104 Total : : 10,100 8,100 8,200 101 : : Eggplant : : FL : Oct-Dec : 1,000 600 500 83 : : Escarole/Endive : : FL 2/ : Oct-Dec : 800 400 400 100 NJ : Sep-Nov : 400 500 500 100 Total 2/ : : 1,200 900 900 100 : : Honeydews : : AZ : Oct-Dec : 1,300 1,000 1,700 170 CA : Oct-Dec : 3,000 3,800 3,300 87 Total : : 4,300 4,800 5,000 104 : : Head Lettuce : : AZ - Other : Oct-Dec : 1,200 1,300 900 69 CA : Oct-Dec : 36,000 35,000 35,000 100 NJ : Sep-Nov : 600 500 500 100 NM : Oct-Nov : 1,100 1,000 1,000 100 Total : : 38,900 37,800 37,400 99 : : Bell Peppers 1/ : : FL 2/ : Oct-Dec : 7,200 7,100 6,600 93 TX : Sep-Nov : 3,700 4,200 4,300 102 Total 2/ : : 10,900 11,300 10,900 96 : : Tomatoes : : CA : Sep-Dec : 10,900 10,700 9,900 93 FL 2/ : Sep-Dec : 18,100 13,400 14,200 106 Total 2/ : : 29,000 24,100 24,100 100 : : Watermelons : : AZ : Sep-Dec : 700 600 700 117 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ 1996 revised. Summer Storage Onion Production (Excluding California) Up 7 Percent Summer storage onion production (excluding California) in 1997 is forecast at 35.5 million hundredweight, up 7 percent from last year and 1 percent more than in 1995. The storage onion crop should be harvested from 79,310 acres, up 2 percent from last year. The harvest is active in Washington, where the quality of the crop is good and size is larger than normal. A record yield is expected As of September 21, the Idaho harvest was 52 percent complete, slightly behind last year and average. Utah producers expect above average yield, but recent wet weather disrupted harvest. In Colorado excessive summer rains resulted in disease problems and slowed harvest progress. Producers have abandoned some fields. Although some exceptionally high yields have been realized, storage quality is questionable for some of the crop. The Michigan crop condition is good. Early harvest yields are good with good quality. The New York harvest is about two weeks late. Late rains helped size onions and boosted yields. In Wisconsin, good weather from late August through the middle of September boosted yield prospects and provided excellent harvest conditions. The California crop is expected from 29,000 acres, down 6 percent from last year and 5 percent less than in 1995. Production, at 12.8 million hundredweight, is 4 percent less than last year but 1 percent more than in 1995. Onion size and yield are better than last year. Harvest is proceeding on schedule with very few problems. Onions: Area Harvested, Yield, and Production by Season, State, and United States, 1995-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area : Yield per Acre Season :----------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For : : : State :-------------------: Harvest : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- Acres ---------- --------- Cwt --------- : Spring : 35,600 36,800 32,900 284 252 278 Summer : Non-Storage : 15,700 13,900 11,200 397 400 366 : Storage : CO : 17,800 16,000 15,500 345 325 350 ID : 8,700 8,600 8,200 630 650 660 MI : 6,400 5,800 6,000 290 310 320 MN 1/ : 520 520 240 220 NY : 12,600 11,400 11,600 320 240 310 OH 1/ : 480 490 1,010 305 380 362 OR : Malheur : 12,300 12,000 12,000 580 590 580 West : 6,800 6,300 7,400 400 380 400 UT : 2,200 2,100 2,300 440 470 450 WA : 12,500 12,700 13,500 490 510 530 WI : 1,900 1,700 1,800 235 370 370 Subtotal : 82,200 77,610 79,310 428 428 448 : CA 2/ : 30,500 31,000 29,000 415 430 440 : Summer Total : 128,400 122,510 119,510 421 425 438 : US : 164,000 159,310 152,410 391 385 404 :----------------------------------------------------------- : Production :----------------------------------------------------------- : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 :----------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Cwt : Spring : 10,110 9,290 9,160 Summer : Non-Storage : 6,239 5,558 4,100 : Storage : CO : 6,141 5,200 5,425 ID : 5,481 5,590 5,412 MI : 1,856 1,798 1,920 MN 1/ : 125 114 NY : 4,032 2,736 3,596 OH 1/ : 146 186 366 OR : Malheur : 7,134 7,080 6,960 West : 2,720 2,394 2,960 UT : 968 987 1,035 WA : 6,125 6,477 7,155 WI : 447 629 666 Subtotal : 35,175 33,191 35,495 : CA 2/ : 12,658 13,330 12,760 : Summer Total : 54,072 52,079 52,355 : US : 64,182 61,369 61,515 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ MN and OH combined in 1997 to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 2/ Primarily for processing. The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on January 16, 1998. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact the USDA's TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint, write the Secretary of Agriculture, USDA, Washington, D.C., 20250, or call 1-800-245-6340 (voice) or 202-720-1127 (TDD). USDA is an equal employment opportunity employer. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: http://www.usda.gov/nass/. Select "Today's Reports" or Publications and then Reports by Calendar or Publications and then Search, by Title or Subject. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Send an e-mail message to: usda-reports@usda.mannlib.cornell.edu. In the body of the message type the word: list. AUTOFAX ACCESS NASSFax service is available for some reports from your fax machine. Please call 202-720-2000, using the handset attached to your fax. Respond to the voice prompts. Document 0411 is a list of available reports. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-834-0125 FAX: 703-834-0110 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov.