Vg 1-1 (1-09) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 8, 2009, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Vegetables" call Debbie Flippin at (202) 720-2157, office hours 7:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. Fresh Vegetable Harvested Area Down 5 Percent From Last Year Spring Onion Planted Acreage Down 3 Percent Strawberry Planted Acreage Up 6 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 150,900 acres, down 5 percent from last year. Acreage declined for snap beans, broccoli, carrots, celery, sweet corn, and head lettuce. Acreage increased for bell peppers, cabbage, cauliflower, and tomatoes. Area harvested for spinach remains unchanged. Area planted for spring onions, at 30,300 acres, is down 3 percent from 2008. Arizona, Georgia, and Texas reduced planted acreage from 2008, while California increased planted acreage. Strawberry area planted for the major States (California, Florida, and Oregon) in 2009 is forecast at 48,500 acres, up 6 percent from 2008. Contents Page Fresh Market Vegetables Beans, Snap...............................................................4 Broccoli..................................................................4 Cabbage...................................................................4 Carrots...................................................................4 Cauliflower...............................................................4 Celery....................................................................4 Corn, Sweet...............................................................4 Lettuce, Head.............................................................4 Onions, Spring............................................................5 Peppers, Bell.............................................................4 Spinach...................................................................4 Strawberries..............................................................5 Tomatoes..................................................................4 Fresh Market Crop Comments................................................6 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables..........................................3 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Crop, Winter Season, Major States, 2007-2008 and Forecasted Area 2009 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- : Harvested : For :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2007 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 14,800 13,500 11,600 Broccoli 1/ : 28,000 26,000 24,000 Cabbage : 11,380 11,330 12,300 Carrots : 18,400 16,400 16,200 Cauliflower 1/ : 8,200 8,000 8,500 Celery 1/ : 7,600 7,300 7,200 Sweet Corn : 8,600 9,200 8,400 Head Lettuce : 58,900 50,700 45,500 Bell Pepper 1/ : 6,600 6,400 6,800 Spinach : 800 1,100 1,100 Tomatoes : 10,000 9,100 9,300 : Total Winter Crop : 173,280 159,030 150,900 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Crop, Winter Season, Major States, 2007-2008 and Forecasted Area 2009 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- : Harvested : For :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2007 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 5,990 5,460 4,690 Broccoli 1/ : 11,330 10,520 9,710 Cabbage : 4,610 4,590 4,980 Carrots : 7,450 6,640 6,560 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,320 3,240 3,440 Celery 1/ : 3,080 2,950 2,910 Sweet Corn : 3,480 3,720 3,400 Head Lettuce : 23,840 20,520 18,410 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,670 2,590 2,750 Spinach : 320 450 450 Tomatoes : 4,050 3,680 3,760 : Total Winter Crop 2/ : 70,120 64,360 61,070 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 2007-2008 and Forecasted Area 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :-------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :-------------------------: Harvest : : 2007 : 2008 : 2009 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- Acres ------------ : Snap Beans : FL : Jan-Mar 14,800 13,500 11,600 : Broccoli 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 28,000 26,000 24,000 : Cabbage : FL : Jan-Mar 6,080 5,000 4,900 TX : Dec-Mar 5,300 6,330 7,400 : Total : 11,380 11,330 12,300 : Carrots : CA : Jan-Mar 17,500 15,600 15,400 TX : Oct-Dec 900 800 800 : Total : 18,400 16,400 16,200 : Cauliflower 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 8,200 8,000 8,500 : Celery 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 7,600 7,300 7,200 : Sweet Corn : FL : Jan-Mar 8,600 9,200 8,400 : Head Lettuce : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr 39,900 32,700 29,500 CA : Jan-Mar 19,000 18,000 16,000 : Total : 58,900 50,700 45,500 : Bell Pepper 1/ : FL : Jan-Mar 6,600 6,400 6,800 : Spinach : TX : Dec-Mar 800 1,100 1,100 : Tomatoes : FL : Jan-Mar 10,000 9,100 9,300 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 2007-2008 and Forecasted Area 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 2007 : 2008 : 2009 : 2007 : 2008 : 2009 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 1,100 1,500 1,400 1,100 1,500 CA 2/ : 6,900 6,700 8,400 6,700 6,500 GA : 12,500 12,000 11,500 12,000 11,500 11,000 TX : 12,500 11,000 9,000 10,400 8,900 7,700 : Total 2/ : 33,000 31,200 30,300 30,200 28,400 : Strawberries 3/ : CA : 35,500 36,700 39,000 35,500 36,700 39,000 FL : 6,600 6,900 7,300 6,600 6,900 7,200 OR : 2,200 2,100 2,200 1,900 1,800 1,800 : Major States : Total : 44,300 45,700 48,500 44,000 45,400 48,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 2009 harvested acreage published April 3, 2009. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. Snap Beans: Florida area for harvest is forecast at 11,600 acres, down 14 percent from last year. Dry weather from October through December allowed planting to proceed on schedule. However, hard freezes in November caused growers in Union and Columbia Counties to lose significant acreage. Cold temperatures in early December put some fields behind schedule. Broccoli: California harvested area is forecast at 24,000 acres, down 8 percent from 2008. Cool and dry weather boosted crop growth and development. However, preparatory irrigation was required in many areas due to lack of rain. Cabbage: Winter area for harvest is forecast at 12,300 acres, 9 percent above 2008. In Florida, field preparation and planting were behind schedule due to Tropical Storm Fay. However, most plantings were finished by the end of the year. In Texas, clear, mild days combined with cool nighttime temperatures provided favorable growing conditions for the cabbage crop. Carrots: Winter harvested area is forecast at 16,200 acres, down 1 percent from last year. In California, cool and dry weather aided plant growth. No major pest or disease problems were reported. In Texas, planting is on the decline for fresh market carrots due to dry weather and mild temperatures. Cauliflower: California harvested area is forecast at 8,500 acres, up 6 percent from last year. Preparatory irrigation was required in many areas due to lack of rain. However, cool and dry weather benefitted plant growth. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is forecast at 7,200 acres, down 1 percent from last year. Harvest of the celery crop began a week ahead of schedule. However, rainfall and cool weather conditions at the end of the season slowed maturation. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested area is forecast at 8,400 acres, 9 percent below last year. Favorable conditions from October through December allowed planting to proceed on schedule. Light volumes of sweet corn were harvested by mid-November. However, planting was delayed in some fields in early December due to cold temperatures. Head Lettuce: Area for harvest is forecast at 45,500 acres, down 10 percent from last year. In Arizona, warmer than average temperatures boosted crop growth. However, by mid-December precipitation and unseasonably cold weather delayed harvest. California's iceberg lettuce crop is growing well. Onions: Growers intend to plant 30,300 acres of spring onions for 2009, down 3 percent from 2008. California onion growers began planting in October and continued through mid-December. Onion fields have shown good growth in many areas following recent rains. In Georgia, weather conditions have been good for transplanting. Precipitation during the winter months was near normal to slightly below normal. No disease problems have been reported and plants are in good condition. In Texas, onion acreage is down due to weak market prices. Bell Peppers: Winter area for harvest in Florida is forecast at 6,800 acres, up 6 percent from last year. Favorable weather conditions from October through December allowed planting to proceed on schedule. Spinach: Harvested area of winter spinach in Texas is forecast at 1,100 acres, unchanged from 2008. Clear, mild days and cool nighttime temperatures improved the quality of the spinach crop. Strawberries: Planted area for the major States (California, Florida, and Oregon) is forecast at 48,500 acres, up 6 percent from 2008. California's strawberry season started slowly this year due to unusually low temperatures. In Florida, producers began planting by October and continued into early November. Growers irrigated sets due to dry weather conditions. Marketing of the berry crop began in early December. Bradford County growers reported that strawberries looked good this season. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato harvested area is forecast at 9,300 acres, up 2 percent from 2008. 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