Vg 1-1 (1-05) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 7, 2005, 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 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetable Harvested Acreage Up 2 Percent Spring Onion Planted Acreage Up 1 Percent Strawberry Planted Acreage Unchanged The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 184,700 acres. This is 2 percent above 2004 and 6 percent greater than 2003. Acreage increases for cabbage, broccoli, spinach, bell pepper, carrots, head lettuce, and cauliflower more than offset decreases for sweet corn, tomatoes, snap beans, and celery. Area planted for spring onions, at 40,300 acres, is up 1 percent from 2004 and 12 percent above 2003. Arizona, California, and Texas increased planted acreage from 2004, while Georgia acreage decreased. Strawberry area planted for major States (Florida and Oregon) in 2005 is forecast at 10,400 acres, unchanged for the same States in 2004. 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, 2003-2004 and Forecasted Area 2005 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 11,600 12,000 11,500 Broccoli 1/ : 25,500 27,500 29,000 Cabbage : 11,400 12,500 14,200 Carrots : 20,500 21,100 21,700 Cauliflower 1/ : 7,500 8,500 8,600 Celery 1/ : 7,500 7,600 7,500 Sweet Corn : 7,900 8,400 7,800 Head Lettuce : 63,000 62,500 63,500 Bell Pepper 1/ : 5,800 6,100 6,300 Spinach : 1,700 2,000 2,100 Tomatoes : 12,600 13,000 12,500 : Total Winter Crop : 175,000 181,200 184,700 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Season and Crop, Major States, 2003-2004 and Forecasted Area 2005 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 4,690 4,860 4,650 Broccoli 1/ : 10,320 11,130 11,740 Cabbage : 4,610 5,060 5,750 Carrots : 8,300 8,540 8,780 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,040 3,440 3,480 Celery 1/ : 3,040 3,080 3,040 Sweet Corn : 3,200 3,400 3,160 Head Lettuce : 25,500 25,290 25,700 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,350 2,470 2,550 Spinach : 690 810 850 Tomatoes : 5,100 5,260 5,060 : Total Winter Crop 2/ : 70,820 73,330 74,750 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 2003-2004 and Forecasted Area 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :-------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :-------------------------: Harvest : : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- Acres ------------ : Snap Beans : FL : Jan-Mar 11,600 12,000 11,500 : Broccoli 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 25,500 27,500 29,000 : Cabbage : FL : Jan-Mar 5,300 5,300 5,000 TX : Dec-Mar 6,100 7,200 9,200 : Total : 11,400 12,500 14,200 : Carrots : CA : Jan-Mar 19,500 20,000 19,800 TX : Dec-Mar 1,000 1,100 1,900 : Total : 20,500 21,100 21,700 : Cauliflower 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 7,500 8,500 8,600 : Celery 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 7,500 7,600 7,500 : Sweet Corn : FL : Jan-Mar 7,900 8,400 7,800 : Head Lettuce : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr 47,000 46,500 45,500 CA : Jan-Mar 16,000 16,000 18,000 : Total : 63,000 62,500 63,500 : Bell Pepper 1/ : FL : Jan-Mar 5,800 6,100 6,300 : Spinach : TX : Dec-Mar 1,700 2,000 2,100 : Tomatoes : FL : Jan-Mar 12,600 13,000 12,500 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 2003-2004 and Forecasted Area 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 : 2003 : 2004 : 2005 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 1,500 1,600 2,300 1,500 1,600 CA 2/ : 7,700 7,300 7,800 7,500 7,100 GA : 14,000 16,500 15,000 12,500 14,500 14,500 TX : 12,800 14,500 15,200 11,000 12,500 15,200 : Total 2/ : 36,000 39,900 40,300 32,500 35,700 : Strawberries 3/ : CA : 29,600 33,200 29,600 33,200 FL : 7,100 7,100 7,300 7,100 7,100 7,300 MI 4/ : 1,200 1,100 1,100 900 OR : 3,500 3,300 3,100 2,600 2,400 2,300 WA 4/ : 1,800 1,900 1,800 1,900 : Major States : Total : 43,200 46,600 42,200 45,500 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 2005 harvested acreage published April 1, 2005. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. 4/ Seasonal estimates discontinued. Estimates to be published in the Vegetables 2005 Summary. Snap Beans: Florida area for harvest is forecast at 11,500 acres, down 4 percent from last year and 1 percent below 2003. Cool, windy weather has slowed harvest. No major problems have been reported. Broccoli: California acreage is forecast at 29,000 acres, 5 percent above 2004 and 14 percent greater than 2003. Weather conditions have been favorable for early development of the broccoli crop this season. However, in late December, a series of storms brought cold and wet weather to the southern growing areas. Growers have allocated the most fertile fields to vegetables and expect good yields as conditions improve. Cabbage: Winter acreage for harvest is forecast at 14,200 acres, 14 percent above 2004 and up 25 percent from 2003. Cabbage harvest in Florida is active but is running late this year due to cooler temperatures which has slowed development. In Texas, harvest is progressing well. Carrots: Winter harvested acreage is forecast at 21,700 acres, up 3 percent from last year and 6 percent above two years ago. The California crop is growing well with very few problems. High demand for baby carrots continues. The carrot crop is progressing well in the San Antonio-Winter Garden area. Cauliflower: California acreage is forecast at 8,600 acres, up 1 percent from 2004 and 15 percent greater than 2003. Weather conditions have been favorable for the winter desert crop early in the season. No disease or pest problems have developed. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is forecast at 7,500 acres, down 1 percent from last year but unchanged from the year before. The quality of the celery crop is good at this time. However, there were delays early in the season when rain disrupted transplanting. Heavy rainfall in December disrupted harvest and there was some flood damage in the Oxnard area. The excess moisture has leached nutrients from the soil and farmers will have to take measures to avoid pith problems in the coming weeks. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested acreage is forecast at 7,800 acres, 7 percent less than last year and 1 percent below 2003. Very good weather conditions were reported during planting and harvest. Cold, wet weather in late December slowed ear development, however, most of the winter acreage escaped significant damage. Head Lettuce: Area for harvest is forecast at 63,500 acres, up 2 percent from last year and 1 percent above the year before. In Arizona, rainfall during planting had a minimal effect on the lettuce crop. The winter crop in Arizona is grown in the western areas which usually receive less rainfall than other areas of the State. The California desert lettuce crop is experiencing quality problems due to cold, wet weather conditions. Misshapen heads and ground rot have been reported. Some areas have had freezing temperatures which is expected to have a negative effect on quality. Supplies have been plentiful but poor quality has lowered prices causing growers to curtail harvest in an attempt to strengthen the market. Onions: Growers intend to plant 40,300 acres of spring onions for 2005, up 1 percent from 2004 and 12 percent above 2003. In Arizona, planting has begun in the eastern areas of the State and will continue throughout the month of January. Harvest is expected to begin sometime in April. In California, planting began in early November under varied conditions. Some areas are two weeks behind due to below normal temperatures and rain. Other areas reported mild temperatures and good planting conditions. In general, onion fields are in good condition and recent rains have promoted good development. In Georgia, wetter than normal conditions in November have slowed transplanting. Temperatures have been normal to slightly above normal. No weather related damage or disease problems have been reported. Texas growers intend to plant more onions this season. Excessive rainfall in October caused some delays but drier conditions returned in November. Bell Peppers: Winter acreage in Florida is forecast at 6,300 acres, 3 percent above last year and 9 percent more than 2003. Planting and development has occurred at a normal pace. Rains and cold temperatures during the last half of December caused no significant damage to the crop. Spinach: Harvested area of winter spinach in Texas is forecast at 2,100 acres, an increase of 5 percent from 2004 and 24 percent more than the 2003 crop. Acreage has increased due to higher demand for fresh market spinach. Harvest has begun and is progressing well. Strawberries: Planted acreage for the major States (Florida and Oregon) is forecast at 10,400 acres, unchanged for the same States last year but 2 percent below those same States in 2003. The 2005 Florida strawberry crop is slightly behind at this time. Planting was delayed by the hurricanes that blew up the plastic. Harvest began in November. Oregon strawberry production is moving to the southern areas of the State where yields are higher and labor and harvest costs are lower. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato acreage is forecast at 12,500 acres, down 4 percent from 2004 and 1 percent below 2003. Shipments were nearly back to normal by late November and early December following a severe shortage of tomatoes caused by four consecutive hurricanes that struck Florida during August and September. Colder temperatures and wet weather in late December lowered quality for some of the winter crop. 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. 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