Vg 1-1 (1-04) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 8, 2004, 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 9:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetable Harvested Acreage Up 1 Percent Spring Onion Planted Acreage Up 1 Percent Strawberry Acreage Down 2 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 181,400 acres. This is 1 percent above 2003 but 1 percent below 2002. Acreage increases for broccoli, sweet corn, cauliflower, cabbage, head lettuce, and celery, and more than offset decreases for bell pepper, spinach, snap beans, tomatoes, and carrots. Area planted for spring onions, at 35,600 acres, is up 1 percent from 2003 but 8 percent below 2002. Arizona and Texas increased planted acreage from 2003, while California decreased and Georgia remained the same as last year. Strawberry acreage planted for major States (Florida, Michigan, and Oregon) in 2004 is forecast at 11,700, down 2 percent from the same States in 2003. Contents Fresh Market Page By Crops Area. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 Harvested Acres of Selected Vegetables and Dual Purpose Crops by State Beans, Snap . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Broccoli. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Cabbage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Carrots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Cauliflower . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Celery. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Corn, Sweet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Lettuce, Head . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Peppers, Bell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Spinach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Tomatoes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4 Planted and Harvested Acres of Onions, Spring. . . . . . . .5 Planted and Harvested Acres of Strawberries. . . . . . . . .5 Fresh Market Crop Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .6 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Season and Crop, Major States, 2002-2003 and Forecasted Area 2004 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2002 : 2003 : 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 12,000 11,600 11,000 Broccoli 1/ : 25,500 26,500 29,000 Cabbage : 12,400 12,300 12,500 Carrots : 23,600 22,500 22,000 Cauliflower 1/ : 8,800 8,500 8,800 Celery 1/ : 7,500 7,500 7,600 Sweet Corn : 8,400 7,900 8,400 Head Lettuce : 64,500 63,000 63,500 Bell Pepper 1/ : 5,600 5,800 5,100 Spinach : 2,200 1,700 1,500 Tomatoes : 12,500 12,600 12,000 : Total Winter Crop : 183,000 179,900 181,400 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Season and Crop, Major States, 2002-2003 and Forecasted Area 2004 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2002 : 2003 : 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 4,860 4,690 4,450 Broccoli 1/ : 10,320 10,720 11,740 Cabbage : 5,020 4,980 5,060 Carrots : 9,550 9,110 8,900 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,560 3,440 3,560 Celery 1/ : 3,040 3,040 3,080 Sweet Corn : 3,400 3,200 3,400 Head Lettuce : 26,100 25,500 25,700 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,270 2,350 2,060 Spinach : 890 690 610 Tomatoes : 5,060 5,100 4,860 : Total Winter Crop 2/ : 74,060 72,800 73,410 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Total may not add due to rounding. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Crop, State, and Total, Winter Season, 2002-2003 and Forecasted Area 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :-------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :-------------------------: Harvest : : 2002 : 2003 : 2004 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- Acres ------------ : Snap Beans : FL : Jan-Mar 12,000 11,600 11,000 : Broccoli 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 25,500 26,500 29,000 : Cabbage : FL : Jan-Mar 5,500 5,300 5,300 TX : Dec-Mar 6,900 7,000 7,200 : Total : 12,400 12,300 12,500 : Carrots : CA : Jan-Mar 21,500 21,500 21,000 TX : Dec-Mar 2,100 1,000 1,000 : Total : 23,600 22,500 22,000 : Cauliflower 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 8,800 8,500 8,800 : Celery 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 7,500 7,500 7,600 : Sweet Corn : FL : Jan-Mar 8,400 7,900 8,400 : Head Lettuce : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr 50,000 47,000 47,500 CA : Jan-Mar 14,500 16,000 16,000 : Total : 64,500 63,000 63,500 : Bell Pepper 1/ : FL : Jan-Mar 5,600 5,800 5,100 : Spinach : TX : Dec-Mar 2,200 1,700 1,500 : Tomatoes : FL : Jan-Mar 12,500 12,600 12,000 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 2002-2003 and Forecasted Area 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 2002 : 2003 : 2004 : 2002 : 2003 : 2004 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 1,600 1,500 1,600 1,500 1,500 CA 2/ : 6,400 6,900 6,700 6,200 6,700 GA : 14,700 14,000 14,000 11,500 12,500 13,500 TX : 16,200 12,800 13,300 15,000 11,000 12,900 : Total 2/ : 38,900 35,200 35,600 34,200 31,700 : Strawberries 3/ : CA : 28,500 29,600 28,500 29,600 FL : 6,900 7,100 7,100 6,900 7,100 7,100 MI : 1,300 1,300 1,300 1,200 1,200 1,200 OR : 3,500 3,500 3,300 3,000 2,600 2,800 WA 4/ : 1,800 1,700 1,800 1,700 : Major States : Total : 42,000 43,200 41,400 42,200 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 2004 harvested acreage published April 2, 2004. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. 4/ Seasonal estimate discontinued. Estimate to be published in January 2005 Annual. Snap Beans: Florida area for harvest is forecast at 11,000 acres, down 5 percent from last year and 8 percent below 2002. Cool, wet weather has slowed harvest and lowered shipments this year. Broccoli: California acreage is forecast at 29,000 acres, 9 percent above 2003 and 14 percent greater than 2002. The broccoli crop is a week to 10 days ahead of schedule as a result of mild weather conditions during fall and early winter. Yields are expected to be good. No major pest or disease problems have been reported this season. Cabbage: Winter acreage for harvest is forecast at 12,500 acres, 2 percent above 2003 and up 1 percent from 2002. Cabbage harvest in Florida has begun and is running behind compared to last year. Cooler weather is slowing crop development. Good quality is expected with no major problems reported. Texas growers dealt with excess rain during planting. Carrots: Winter harvested acreage is forecast at 22,000 acres, down 2 percent from last year and 7 percent below two years ago. The California crop is growing well in the cooler weather with very few problems. High demand for baby carrots continues. Cauliflower: California acreage is forecast at 8,800 acres, up 4 percent from 2003 but the same as 2002. Weather conditions have been variable, hindering crop development in some areas. No disease or pest problems have developed. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is forecast at 7,600 acres, up 1 percent from last year and the year before. The quality of the celery crop is good with no pest or disease problems. Hot weather in October could delay the southern California desert harvest by a couple of weeks. Yields are reported as being normal to above normal in most growing areas of the central coast. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested acreage is forecast at 8,400 acres, 6 percent more than last year but the same as 2002. Mostly dry weather during the last few months of 2003 permitted growers to keep planting on schedule. Harvest began in mid to late November. Head Lettuce: Area for harvest is forecast at 63,500 acres, up 1 percent from last year but 2 percent below two years ago. Growing conditions in western Arizona have varied greatly. During the growing season, above average temperatures resulted in seeders and some fields being plowed under. Conditions returned to normal for a week or two and then temperatures dropped below average resulting in a drop in production. California growers in the Imperial Valley experienced cool nighttime temperatures during December 2003 which hindered crop development. Harvest progressed more slowly than usual as a result. However, warmer weather followed causing accelerated growth of the lettuce crop and increased supplies. Onions: Growers intend to plant 35,600 acres of spring onions for 2003, up 1 percent from 2003 but 8 percent below 2002. In Arizona, growers in the east have completed planting while other growing regions are expected to finish during early January. In California, planting began in October. Onion fields have shown good growth in many areas due to recent rains and good growing conditions. In Georgia, normal temperatures and dry conditions during the fall and early winter have allowed growers to transplant at a fast pace. A greater percentage of the onion crop had been transplanted by the third week of November compared to the same period last year. Bell Peppers: Winter acreage in Florida is forecast at 5,100 acres, 12 percent below last year and 9 percent less than 2002. Mostly dry and warm weather over the central and southern Peninsula aided crop development and allowed planting to proceed on schedule during October through most of December. Most acreage escaped significant damage from spotty but heavy rains in the Palmetto-Ruskin region after mid-December. Harvest remains active as growers fulfill holiday market demands. Spinach: Harvested acres of winter spinach in Texas is forecast at 1,500 acres, a decrease of 12 percent from 2003 and a 32 percent drop from the 2002 crop. Weather conditions in Texas are good and the crop is progressing well with no major problems reported. Harvest has begun and is expected to continue through March. Strawberries: Florida planted acreage is forecast at 7,100 acres, unchanged from last year but 3 percent above 2002. In Florida, planting was normal followed by mostly good weather for development. Current cool weather is making the berries sweeter and a good crop is expected. Planted acreage in Michigan and Oregon is forecast at 4,600 acres, 4 percent below both 2003 and 2002. In Michigan, strawberries were in good condition going into winter due to above normal rainfall in October. Winter conditions have been mild with minimal snowfall. Oregon strawberries are progressing well with no unusual problems reported. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato acreage is forecast at 12,000 acres, down 5 percent from 2003 and 4 percent below 2002. Mostly clear, warm weather during the last quarter of 2003 boosted growth and development and allowed planting and harvesting to proceed normally. Harvesting in the Quincy area remained active throughout October and most of November. Palmetto-Ruskin, East Coast, and Immokalee growers began harvesting in mid-to-late November. During the middle of December, spotty but heavy rains lowered fruit quality in the Palmetto-Ruskin region and in a few southern Peninsula areas. The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3 p.m. ET on April 2, 2004. 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. 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