Vg 1-1 (1-99) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 14, 1999, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Vegetables" call Biz Wallingsford at (202) 720-2157, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetable Acreage Up 1 Percent Spring Onion Acreage Up 5 Percent Winter Strawberry Acreage Unchanged The prospective area for harvest of 13 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 193,500 acres. This is 1 percent above last year and 2 percent more than in 1997. Acreage increases in cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, escarole/endive, head lettuce, bell peppers, and tomatoes more than offset declines in snap beans, cabbage, carrots, eggplant, and spinach. Tomatoes, bell peppers, and escarole/endive had the largest acreage increases, while snap beans, spinach, and eggplant showed the largest acreage decrease. Acres planted for spring onions, at 38,400 acres was up 5 percent from 1998 but 5 percent less than 1997. Acreage increased in Arizona, California, and Texas. Georgia's acreage was unchanged from 1998. Florida's winter strawberry acreage is estimated at 6,200 acres, the same as last year but 2 percent more than in 1997. The release date for the Vegetable 1998 Summary has been changed from January 15, 1999 to January 28, 1999. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Annual Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1997-1999 (Domestic Units) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1997 : 1998 : 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 10,000 11,500 9,500 Broccoli 1/ : 30,000 30,500 30,300 Cabbage : 10,300 11,300 10,000 Carrots : 30,000 27,400 24,800 Cauliflower 1/ : 9,500 9,500 9,800 Celery 1/ : 6,900 7,300 7,400 Sweet Corn : 4,300 5,800 6,100 Eggplant : 700 800 700 Escarole/Endive : 600 750 800 Head Lettuce : 68,800 68,500 72,500 Bell Pepper 1/ : 4,800 4,300 5,000 Spinach : 2,400 2,500 2,100 Tomatoes : 10,800 11,300 14,500 : Total Winter Crop : 189,100 191,450 193,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Annual Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1997-1999 (Metric Units) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1997 : 1998 : 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 4,050 4,650 3,840 Broccoli 1/ : 12,140 12,340 12,260 Cabbage : 4,170 4,570 4,050 Carrots : 12,140 11,090 10,040 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,840 3,840 3,970 Celery 1/ : 2,790 2,950 2,990 Sweet Corn : 1,740 2,350 2,470 Eggplant : 280 320 280 Escarole/Endive : 240 300 320 Head Lettuce : 27,840 27,720 29,340 Bell Pepper 1/ : 1,940 1,740 2,020 Spinach : 970 1,010 850 Tomatoes : 4,370 4,570 5,870 : Total Winter Crop : 76,530 77,480 78,310 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Annual Area for Harvest by Crop, State, and Total, Winter Season, 1997-99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area : Crop : Usual :-----------------------------------: 1999 and : Harvest : Harvested : For : as Percent State : Period :-----------------------: Harvest : of 1998 : : 1997 : 1998 : 1999 : ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : ------------ Acres ----------- Percent : : Snap Beans : : FL : Jan-Mar : 10,000 11,500 9,500 83 : : Broccoli 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 30,000 30,500 30,300 99 : : Cabbage : : FL : Jan-Mar : 4,000 4,800 3,000 63 TX : Jan-Mar : 6,300 6,500 7,000 108 Total : : 10,300 11,300 10,000 88 : : Carrots : : CA : Jan-Mar : 23,000 21,000 22,000 105 FL 2/ : Jan-Mar : 4,600 4,100 TX : Dec-Mar : 2,400 2,300 2,800 122 Total : : 30,000 27,400 24,800 91 : : Cauliflower 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 9,500 9,500 9,800 103 : : Celery 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 6,900 7,300 7,400 101 : : Sweet Corn : : FL : Jan-Mar : 4,300 5,800 6,100 105 : : Eggplant : : FL : Jan-Mar : 700 800 700 88 : : Escarole/Endive : : FL : Jan-Mar : 600 750 800 107 : : Head Lettuce : : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr : 51,800 51,000 52,000 102 CA : Jan-Mar : 17,000 17,500 20,500 117 Total : : 68,800 68,500 72,500 106 : : Bell Pepper 1/ : : FL : Jan-Mar : 4,800 4,300 5,000 116 : : Spinach : : TX : Dec-Mar : 2,400 2,500 2,100 84 : : Tomatoes : : FL : Jan-Mar : 10,800 11,300 14,500 128 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Not published to avoid disclosure. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 1997-99 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :-------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 1997 : 1998 : 1999 : 1997 : 1998 : 1999 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 2,100 2,500 2,600 2,100 2,500 CA 2/ : 9,900 7,000 7,700 9,600 6,800 GA : 16,200 15,000 15,000 15,800 13,900 14,500 TX : 12,400 12,000 13,100 9,800 11,400 12,400 Total 2/ : 40,600 36,500 38,400 37,300 34,600 : Strawberries 3/ : Winter : FL : 6,100 6,200 6,200 6,100 6,200 6,200 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 1999 - harvested acreage published April 8, 1999. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. Snap Beans: Florida acreage for harvest is 9,500 acres, down 17 percent from last year and 5 percent below two years ago. Planting and harvest are active. Producers reported that the crop is in good condition and bean quality and color are good. Broccoli: California acreage is estimated at 30,300 acres, 1 percent below last year but 1 percent more than 1997. According to producers, the crop has done well despite cold weather in late December which affected final floret sizing. Cabbage: Winter acreage for harvest is estimated at 10,000, 12 percent below 1998 and 3 percent less than 1997. Planting and harvest are active in all areas of Florida. Cool weather has helped the crop produce better quality heads. Carrots: Winter harvested acreage is estimated at 24,800, 9 percent below last year and 17 percent below the year before. California harvest was reported on schedule. The crop appears to be in good condition, despite cold weather which hindered late sizing. Cauliflower: California acreage is forecast at 9,800 acres, up 3 percent from both 1998 and 1997. Producers reported that head size was reduced due to cold weather in late December. Despite smaller heads, the quality was good. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is estimated to be 7,400 acres, 1 percent above last year and 7 percent above the year before. Harvest is on schedule, despite recent cold temperatures. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested acreage is forecast at 6,100 acres, 5 percent more than 1998 and 42 percent above 1997. Florida's East Coast areas experienced rain and wind from tropical systems during the last half of September which delayed planting. During November, Tropical Storm Mitch blew over or logged some stalks in the Everglades and Dade County with 70 miles per hour winds. Dry weather following the storm allowed most acreage to recover. Everglades growers were able to pick by mid-November. Cooler temperatures slowed maturity during the latter part of December. Eggplant: Acreage for winter harvest in Florida, at 700 acres, is down 12 percent from 1998 but the same as 1997. Growing conditions have been favorable for eggplant this year. Harvest is active with good quality and color. Escarole/Endive: Harvested acreage of Florida's winter crop of escarole and endive is forecast at 800 acres, 7 percent above last year and 33 percent more than 1997. Warm temperatures boosted growth during September and October. Tropical Storm Mitch blew sand on leaves and flooded some fields during early November in the Everglades region. Harvest started during late November. Quality was reduced by the storm. Warm and mostly dry weather during most of December helped improve quality. Lettuce: Acreage for harvest is forecast at 72,500, up 6 percent from last year and 5 percent above two years ago. In California, below freezing temperatures in the desert area for a few nights in late December kept growers from harvesting until early afternoon. The frost affected the external quality of the lettuce and head weights dropped. Losses were minimal. Onions: Growers intend to plant 38,400 acres of spring onions for 1999, an increase of 5 percent from 1998 but 5 percent lower than 1997. California field conditions have been good to date. Planting of spring onions is just getting underway and will continue for the next couple of months. In Texas, some areas were late planting due to adverse weather conditions. At this time, the crop is generally in good shape. Bell Peppers: Winter acreage in Florida is estimated at 5,000 acres, 16 percent above last year and 4 percent more than 1997. Rainfall and tropical storms during late September delayed fieldwork in the East Coast areas. The November passage of Tropical Storm Mitch over the southern Peninsula flooded fields and affected quality. Warm weather allowed plants to recover during early December from storm damage. During mid-December, temperatures turned cooler slowing fruit maturity and delaying harvest. Spinach: Harvested acres of winter spinach for 1999 is forecast at 2,100 acres in Texas. This is 16 percent below 1998, and 13 percent below 1997. Strawberries: Florida winter acreage is forecast at 6,200 acres, the same as last year and 1 percent above the year before. Strawberry crop development has proceeded at a faster pace than last season due to the warm December weather. Harvest began in December and is going smoothly. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato acreage is estimated to be 14,500 acres, up 28 percent from 1998 and 34 percent above 1997. Tropical storms and hurricanes passing through Florida during the planting and growing seasons kept growers busy protecting their tomato crops. Wind damage was kept at a minimum by staking plants tall enough for binding. Above normal temperatures during most of October helped the crop recover from the earlier windy and rainy weather. Hot and relatively dry weather during the rest of November and most of December boosted plant growth and fruit development. Picking was delayed during December in some areas due to rain and cooler temperatures. The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 8, 1999. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) 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 of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326-W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, D.C., 20250-9410, or call 202-720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and 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.