Vg 1-1 (1-01) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 12, 2001, 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 or Debbie Flippin at (202) 720-3250, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetable Harvested Acreage Down 2 Percent Spring Onion Planted Acreage Down 11 Percent Winter Strawberry Acreage Up 3 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 13 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 193,000 acres. This is 2 percent below 2000 but 2 percent above 1999. Acreage decreases in broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, eggplant, head lettuce, bell peppers, and spinach more than offset increases in snap beans, celery, sweet corn, escarole/endive, and tomatoes. Area planted for spring onions, at 37,000 acres, is down 11 percent from 2000 and 8 percent below 1999. All four spring onion States decreased planted acreage for 2001. Florida's winter strawberry acreage is estimated at 6,500 acres, an increase of 3 percent over 2000 and 5 percent above 1999. Contents Page Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Fresh Market Vegetables Summary. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 Winter Season Fresh Market Vegetables Beans, Snap. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Broccoli . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cabbage. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Carrots. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Cauliflower. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Celery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Corn, Sweet. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Eggplant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Escarole/Endive. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Lettuce, Head. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Peppers, Bell. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Spinach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Strawberries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Tomatoes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 Fresh Market Vegetable Comments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Information Contacts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Spring Onions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 Onion Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Annual Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1999-2001 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1999 : 2000 : 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 9,500 9,500 11,000 Broccoli 1/ : 31,500 31,000 30,000 Cabbage : 13,000 10,800 7,900 Carrots : 24,800 26,500 26,000 Cauliflower 1/ : 10,000 11,500 10,500 Celery 1/ : 7,800 7,500 7,700 Sweet Corn : 5,900 7,400 8,500 Eggplant : 700 600 500 Escarole/Endive : 750 600 900 Head Lettuce : 63,000 69,800 68,500 Bell Pepper 1/ : 5,000 4,800 4,500 Spinach : 2,100 2,600 2,100 Tomatoes : 15,900 13,900 14,900 : Total Winter Crop : 189,950 196,500 193,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Annual Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1999-2001 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1999 : 2000 : 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 3,840 3,840 4,450 Broccoli 1/ : 12,750 12,550 12,140 Cabbage : 5,260 4,370 3,200 Carrots : 10,040 10,720 10,520 Cauliflower 1/ : 4,050 4,650 4,250 Celery 1/ : 3,160 3,040 3,120 Sweet Corn : 2,390 2,990 3,440 Eggplant : 280 240 200 Escarole/Endive : 300 240 360 Head Lettuce : 25,500 28,250 27,720 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,020 1,940 1,820 Spinach : 850 1,050 850 Tomatoes : 6,430 5,630 6,030 : Total Winter Crop : 76,870 79,520 78,110 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Annual Area for Harvest by Crop, State, and Total, Winter Season, 1999-2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area : Crop : Usual :-----------------------------------: 2001 and : Harvest : Harvested : For : as Percent State : Period :-----------------------: Harvest : of 2000 : : 1999 : 2000 : 2001 : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : ------------ Acres ----------- Percent : : Snap Beans : : FL : Jan-Mar : 9,500 9,500 11,000 116 : : Broccoli 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 31,500 31,000 30,000 97 : : Cabbage : : FL : Jan-Mar : 6,000 3,000 1,000 33 TX : Dec-Mar : 7,000 7,800 6,900 88 : : Total : : 13,000 10,800 7,900 73 : : Carrots : : CA : Jan-Mar : 22,000 23,000 23,000 100 TX : Dec-Mar : 2,800 3,500 3,000 86 : : Total : : 24,800 26,500 26,000 98 : : Cauliflower 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 10,000 11,500 10,500 91 : : Celery 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 7,800 7,500 7,700 103 : : Sweet Corn : : FL : Jan-Mar : 5,900 7,400 8,500 115 : : Eggplant : : FL : Jan-Mar : 700 600 500 83 : : Escarole/Endive : : FL : Jan-Mar : 750 600 900 150 : : Head Lettuce : : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr : 44,000 50,300 50,300 100 CA : Jan-Mar : 19,000 19,500 18,200 93 : : Total : : 63,000 69,800 68,500 98 : : Bell Pepper 1/ : : FL : Jan-Mar : 5,000 4,800 4,500 94 : : Spinach : : TX : Dec-Mar : 2,100 2,600 2,100 81 : : Tomatoes : : FL : Jan-Mar : 15,900 13,900 14,900 107 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 1999-2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 1999 : 2000 : 2001 : 1999 : 2000 : 2001 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 3,000 3,300 3,200 3,000 3,200 CA 2/ : 7,500 7,200 6,300 7,300 7,100 GA : 16,000 15,000 13,000 14,500 12,400 12,000 TX : 13,800 15,900 14,500 12,700 13,500 13,800 : Total 2/ : 40,300 41,400 37,000 37,500 36,200 : Strawberries 3/ : Winter : FL : 6,200 6,300 6,500 6,200 6,300 6,500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 2001 - harvested acreage published April 6, 2001. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. Snap Beans: Florida acreage for harvest is 11,000 acres, up 16 percent from last year and the year before. Florida had freezing temperatures on December 31, 2000 and January 1, 2001 which burned the tops of snap bean plants. The quality of the existing pods was adversely affected. Broccoli: California acreage is forecast at 30,000 acres, 3 percent below 2000 and 5 percent below 1999. The winter crop comes from the central valley and desert regions where recent cool weather has benefitted crop development. No major pest or disease problems are reported for the upcoming season. Cabbage: Winter acreage for harvest is forecast at 7,900, 27 percent below 2000 and 39 percent below 1999. Florida's harvest is starting and good quality is being reported. The December 31 and January 1 freezes in Florida did not affect the cabbage crop. In most areas of Texas, rain has been plentiful. The Rio Grande Valley crops are progressing well under favorable weather conditions. Rains in the San Antonio/Winter Garden areas delayed planting but actually benefitted acreage already planted. Carrots: Winter harvested acreage is forecast at 26,000, 2 percent below last year but 5 percent above two years ago. The California crop is reported in good condition. High demand for baby carrots continues. Cauliflower: California acreage is forecast at 10,500 acres, down 9 percent from 2000 but 5 percent above 1999. Cool nights and mildly warm days have been beneficial to winter cauliflower. No disease or pest problems have developed. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is forecast at 7,700 acres, 3 percent above last year but 1 percent below 1999. Weather in the major celery production areas of the central coast was mild through December and early January resulting in favorable growth. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested acreage is forecast at 8,500 acres, 15 percent more than 2000 and 44 percent above 1999. Planting began in early November in Dade County. Corn stalks were tasseling by early December when a storm brought heavy rain. Damage from this rain was not significant and plants recovered by mid-month. Some Dade County fields had small ears by mid-December and harvest is expected to begin by the new year. Eggplant: Acreage for winter harvest in Florida, at 500 acres, is down 17 percent from 2000 and 29 percent below 1999. Crop conditions were good until cold weather came at year-end. The extent of any damage is not known at this time. Escarole/Endive: Winter acreage in Florida is forecast at 900 acres, up 50 percent from last year and 20 percent above the year before. Head Lettuce: Acreage for harvest is forecast at 68,500, down 2 percent from last year but 9 percent above two years ago. The Imperial Valley of California is actively harvesting and reports good quality. Onions: Growers intend to plant 37,000 acres of spring onions for 2001, down 11 percent from 2000 and 8 percent below 1999. Planting is on schedule in California. The Texas crop looks good in most areas with plenty of rain. However, planting was delayed in the San Antonio/Winter Garden area because of these rains. Bell Peppers: Winter acreage in Florida is forecast at 4,500 acres, 6 percent below last year and down 10 percent from two years ago. Dry conditions during the last quarter of 2000 provided excellent conditions for winter crop planting. Cold temperatures and strong winds in mid-December did not damage the crop. Picking on the Southwest and East Coast regions was steady during December and into the new year. Spinach: Harvested acres of winter spinach in Texas is forecast at 2,100 acres, a decrease of 19 percent from 2000 but unchanged from the 1999 crop. Strawberries: Florida winter acreage is forecast at 6,500 acres, up 3 percent from last year and 5 percent above two years ago. Strawberry harvest has proceeded at a slower pace than last season due to a change to later producing varieties and the cold weather during the end of December and early January. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato acreage is forecast at 14,900 acres, up 7 percent from 2000 but down 6 percent from 1999. The last quarter of 2000 was mostly dry which provided ideal planting and harvesting conditions. Heavy rains through Dade County in early December followed by strong winds in mid-December did not affect the crop. Some harvesting began during December. The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3 p.m. on April 6, 2001. 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.) 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