Vegetables ISSN: 1931-2857 Released October 4, 2011, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Fall Season Fresh Vegetable Harvested Area Up 5 Percent Fall Season Melon Harvested Area Up 11 Percent Summer Storage Onion Production Down Slightly The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the fall quarter is forecast at 153,450 acres, up 5 percent from last year. Acreage increased from last year for broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, and cucumbers while acreage declined for head lettuce, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Snap bean acreage remains unchanged. Area forecasted for fall melon harvest is 18,500 acres, up 11 percent from last year. Cantaloupe harvested area is forecast at 14,700 acres, up 11 percent from 2010. Honeydew harvested area is forecast at 3,800 acres, up 12 percent from last fall. Summer storage onion production is forecast at 55.9 million hundredweight, down slightly from last year. Storage onion harvested area is forecast at 101,560 acres, down 3 percent from 2010. Contents Fall Season Fresh Market Vegetables - United States: 2011..................................................... 3 Fall Season Fresh Market Melons - United States: 2011......................................................... 3 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Season and Crop - United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 (Domestic Units)............................................................... 4 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Season and Crop - United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 (Metric Units)................................................................. 5 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Crop - States and United States: Fall Season 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011.......................................................................... 6 Fresh Market Crop Comments.................................................................................... 8 Onion Area Harvested, Yield, and Production by Season - States and United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted 2011............................................................................................... 9 Summer Storage Onion Production - United States............................................................... 10 Summer Storage Onion Narrative................................................................................ 10 Statistical Methodology....................................................................................... 11 Information Contacts.......................................................................................... 11 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Season and Crop - United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area harvested Season and crop :----------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : acres : Winter ................ : 154,620 156,240 155,200 : Spring ................ : 265,960 261,800 261,680 : Summer ................ : 348,700 357,400 354,000 : Fall vegetables : Snap beans .............: 17,900 17,300 17,300 Broccoli 1/ ............: 26,000 26,000 28,000 Cabbage ................: 6,280 4,760 4,850 Carrots ................: 16,800 16,600 21,600 Cauliflower 1/ .........: 9,500 9,000 9,300 Celery 1/ ..............: 7,400 7,500 7,800 Sweet corn .............: 10,500 10,400 11,600 Cucumbers ..............: 5,200 5,100 5,200 Head lettuce ...........: 27,000 27,000 26,000 Bell peppers 1/ ........: 3,600 4,000 3,800 Tomatoes ...............: 19,800 18,300 18,000 : United States ..........: 149,980 145,960 153,450 : Fall melons : Cantaloupes ............: 13,500 13,300 14,700 Honeydews ..............: 3,300 3,400 3,800 : United States ..........: 16,800 16,700 18,500 : Total fall crop ....... : 166,780 162,660 171,950 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Season and Crop - United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area harvested Season and crop :----------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : hectares : Winter ................ : 62,570 63,230 62,810 : Spring ................ : 107,630 105,950 105,900 : Summer ................ : 141,120 144,640 143,260 : Fall vegetables : Snap beans .............: 7,240 7,000 7,000 Broccoli 1/ ............: 10,520 10,520 11,330 Cabbage ................: 2,540 1,930 1,960 Carrots ................: 6,800 6,720 8,740 Cauliflower 1/ .........: 3,840 3,640 3,760 Celery 1/ ..............: 2,990 3,040 3,160 Sweet corn .............: 4,250 4,210 4,690 Cucumbers ..............: 2,100 2,060 2,100 Head lettuce ...........: 10,930 10,930 10,520 Bell peppers 1/ ........: 1,460 1,620 1,540 Tomatoes ...............: 8,010 7,410 7,280 : United States 2/ .......: 60,700 59,070 62,100 : Fall melons : Cantaloupes ............: 5,460 5,380 5,950 Honeydews ..............: 1,340 1,380 1,540 : United States 2/ .......: 6,800 6,760 7,490 : Total fall crop 2/ .... : 67,490 65,830 69,590 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Totals may not add due to rounding. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Crop - States and United States: Fall Season 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Usual : Area harvested Crop and State : harvest :----------------------------------------- : period : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- acres ------------- : Snap beans : Florida 1/ ............: October-December 9,200 10,200 10,200 Georgia ...............: October-December 5,300 3,600 3,800 New Jersey ............: September-October 1,200 1,000 1,000 Virginia ..............:September-November 2,200 2,500 2,300 : United States .........: 17,900 17,300 17,300 : Broccoli 2/ : California ............: October-December 26,000 26,000 28,000 : Cabbage : Florida 1/ ............: October-December 1,700 1,500 1,700 Georgia ...............: October-December 3,700 2,400 2,400 New Jersey ............:September-November 700 700 600 Texas .................:September-November 180 160 150 : United States .........: 6,280 4,760 4,850 : Cantaloupes : Arizona ...............: October-December 9,800 8,800 10,000 California ............: October-December 3,700 4,500 4,700 : United States .........: 13,500 13,300 14,700 : Carrots : California ............: October-December 16,700 16,500 21,500 Texas .................: October-December 100 100 100 : United States .........: 16,800 16,600 21,600 : Cauliflower2/ : California ............: October-December 9,500 9,000 9,300 : Celery 2/ : California ............: October-December 7,400 7,500 7,800 : Sweet corn : California ............: October-December 4,400 4,400 4,600 Florida 1/ ............:September-December 6,100 6,000 7,000 : United States .........: 10,500 10,400 11,600 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Area Harvested by Crop - States and United States: Fall Season 2009, 2010, and Forecasted Area 2011 (continued) --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Usual : Area harvested Crop and State : harvest :----------------------------------------- : period : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- acres ------------- : Cucumbers : Florida 1/ ............: October-December 3,300 3,500 3,200 South Carolina ........: October-December 700 400 700 Texas .................:September-November 800 800 900 Virginia ..............:September-November 400 400 400 : United States .........: 5,200 5,100 5,200 : Honeydews : Arizona ...............: October-December 1,600 1,400 2,000 California ............: October-December 1,700 2,000 1,800 : United States .........: 3,300 3,400 3,800 : Head lettuce : California ............: October-December 27,000 27,000 26,000 : Bell peppers 2/ : Florida 1/ ............: October-December 3,600 4,000 3,800 : Tomatoes : California ............: October-December 12,500 12,300 12,000 Florida 1/ ............: October-December 7,300 6,000 6,000 : United States .........: 19,800 18,300 18,000 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Fall Season for Florida refers to previous year. For example the 2010 marketing year consists of Fall 2009, Winter 2010, and Spring 2010. 2/ Includes fresh market and processing. Fresh Market Crop Comments Snap beans: Fall fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 17,300 acres, unchanged from last year. In Florida, growers began land preparation across the central and southern Peninsula areas by the end of July. Harvest of the fall crop is expected to begin in November and continue through April. In New Jersey, sufficient soil moisture aided plant development. Ideal temperatures during the growing season boosted plant growth. Broccoli: California's area for fall harvest is forecast at 28,000 acres, up 8 percent from 2010. Crop quality was reported to be excellent. Cabbage: Fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 4,850 acres, up 2 percent from last year. In Texas, planting of the early fall crop was underway. In New Jersey, planting was ahead of schedule due to cooler summer conditions and sufficient rainfall. Harvest began in early September. In Georgia, recent rains improved growing conditions despite little rainfall during May through July. Cantaloupes: Fall cantaloupe area for harvest is forecast at 14,700 acres, up 11 percent from 2010. Arizona's harvest was expected to be in full swing by mid-October. In California's San Joaquin Valley, field preparation and plantings were underway. Carrots: Area for fresh market harvest is forecast at 21,600 acres, up 30 percent from last year. In California, harvest was underway in the Bakersfield area and crop quality was reported to be good. In Texas, planting for the early fall crop was underway. Cauliflower: Area for fall harvest in California is forecast at 9,300 acres, up 3 percent from last year. The cauliflower crop was reported to be in mostly good to excellent condition due to ideal late summer weather. Celery: California's fall area for harvest is forecast at 7,800 acres, up 4 percent from 2010. Harvest was ongoing in the Salinas and Santa Maria growing areas. Harvest in the Oxnard growing region is expected to begin in November. Sizing and quality was reported to be good. Sweet corn: Fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 11,600 acres, up 12 percent from last year. The California crop was in good condition due to favorable weather during the summer season. No pest or disease problems have been reported. In Florida, land preparation and planting was on schedule. Fall harvesting is expected to begin on schedule. Cucumbers: Area for fall harvest is forecast at 5,200 acres, up 2 percent from 2010. In Florida, fall harvest is expected to begin by late October and continue through December. In Texas, planting for the early fall crop was underway. Honeydews: Fresh market area for fall harvest is forecast at 3,800 acres, up 12 percent from last year. Arizona's harvest was expected to be in full swing by mid-October. In California, land preparation and planting was underway in the San Joaquin Valley. Head lettuce: California's area for fall harvest is forecast at 26,000 acres, down 4 percent from last year. Harvest was underway in the Salinas Valley. Bell peppers: Florida's fall area for harvest is forecast at 3,800 acres, down 5 percent from 2010. Land preparation was underway by mid-August. Planting of bell peppers began in September. Tomatoes: Fresh market area for fall harvest is forecast at 18,000 acres, down 2 percent from 2010. In California, growing conditions were reported to be good. In Florida, land preparation and planting began on schedule. Onion Area Harvested, Yield, and Production by Season - States and United States: 2009, 2010, and Forecasted 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area harvested : Yield per acre Season and State :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- acres ---------- --------- cwt --------- : Spring ............ : 27,500 25,900 29,600 310 289 325 : Summer non-storage : 17,400 18,700 18,000 551 533 534 : Summer storage : California 1/ ....: 31,400 29,000 29,500 455 450 440 Colorado .........: 6,600 7,200 7,200 415 400 415 Idaho ............: 8,800 9,000 9,200 740 760 750 Michigan .........: 3,800 4,000 3,700 350 220 250 New York .........: 10,300 9,800 8,200 415 315 360 Oregon : Malheur .........: 11,200 11,300 11,300 700 760 750 Other ...........: 9,100 8,900 9,400 600 700 675 Washington .......: 21,000 22,000 20,000 630 610 650 Wisconsin ........: 2,000 1,600 1,400 500 200 415 : Other States 2/ ..: 1,960 1,870 1,660 418 458 475 : Total storage ....: 106,160 104,670 101,560 542 536 551 : Total summer ...... : 123,560 123,370 119,560 543 536 548 : Total all onions .. : 151,060 149,270 149,160 500 493 504 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Production Season and State :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2009 : 2010 : 2011 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 cwt : Spring ............ : 8,523 7,484 9,629 : Summer non-storage : 9,584 9,963 9,610 : Summer storage : California 1/ ....: 14,287 13,050 12,980 Colorado .........: 2,739 2,880 2,988 Idaho ............: 6,512 6,840 6,900 Michigan .........: 1,330 880 925 New York .........: 4,275 3,087 2,952 Oregon : Malheur .........: 7,840 8,588 8,475 Other ...........: 5,460 6,230 6,345 Washington .......: 13,230 13,420 13,000 Wisconsin ........: 1,000 320 581 : Other States 2/ ..: 819 857 788 : Total storage ....: 57,492 56,152 55,934 : Total summer ...... : 67,076 66,115 65,544 : Total all onions .. : 75,599 73,599 75,173 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily for dehydrated and other processing. 2/ Other States include Ohio and Utah. Summer Storage Onion Production Down Slightly Summer storage onion production is forecast at 55.9 million hundredweight (cwt), down slightly from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 101,560 acres, down 3 percent from 2010. The yield, at 551 cwt per acre, is up 15 cwt from last year. In California, harvest was behind schedule due to cool, wet weather during the growing season. Colorado growers reported some hail damage during the growing season. In Idaho, onion harvest was behind schedule due to a cool wet spring and mild summer conditions. Michigan growers reported wet spring conditions during the growing season. In Oregon, harvest was delayed due to cool and wet weather during the summer season. In Washington, cold spring conditions followed by warm summer temperatures aided crop development. In Wisconsin, crop quality was reported to be good. Statistical Methodology Survey Procedures: Acreage and production information included in this report is collected six times during the year. Acreage forecasts are obtained on a quarterly basis for fresh market and processing vegetables. For fresh market vegetables, growers are surveyed seasonally for estimates of crops such as onions and strawberries. Producers growing multiple fresh market crops are surveyed at seasonal intervals in major producing States for the remaining vegetable crops in the program. Data are collected by telephone interviews, mail out, faxed questionnaires, and personal interviews. Data accuracy and reducing respondent burden are taken into account in conducting the surveys. The most desirable survey method is to do a complete enumeration of growers. When this is not possible, a mail inquiry, sent to a sample of growers, is conducted. Due to the variable nature of the vegetable industry, mail lists are frequently updated to ensure complete coverage. Summary and Estimation Procedures: Information obtained from the vegetable surveys along with administrative data is used to establish forecasts of area and production. These forecasts are reviewed for errors, reasonableness, and consistency with historical estimates. Revision Policy: Quarterly vegetables reports are released by season (winter in January, spring in April, summer in July, and fall in September and October) and they are not subject to revisions, except for summer storage onion estimates in July. Reliability: Survey indications are subject to sampling variability because all operations growing vegetables are not included in the sample. Survey results are also subject to non-sampling errors such as omission, duplication, imputation for missing data, and mistakes in reporting, recording, and processing the data. These errors cannot be measured directly, but are minimized through rigid quality controls in the data collection process and a careful review of all reported data for consistency and reasonableness. Information Contacts Listed below are the commodity statisticians in the Crops Branch of the National Agricultural Statistics Service to contact for additional information. E-mail inquiries may be sent to nass@nass.usda.gov Lance Honig, Chief, Crops Branch............................................. (202) 720-2127 Jorge Garcia-Pratts, Head, Fruits, Vegetables and Special Crops Section...... (202) 720-2127 Debbie Flippin - Fresh and Processing Vegetables, Onions, Strawberries.. (202) 720-2157 Fred Granja - Apples, Apricots, Cherries, Plums, Prunes, Tobacco........ (202) 720-4288 Chris Hawthorn - Citrus, Coffee, Grapes, Sugar Crops, Tropical Fruits... (202) 720-5412 Dave Losh - Hops........................................................ (360) 709-2400 Dan Norris - Austrian Winter Peas, Dry Edible Peas, Lentils, Mints, Mushrooms, Peaches, Pears, Wrinkled Seed Peas, Dry Beans............. (202) 720-3250 Daphne Schauber - Berries, Cranberries, Potatoes, Sweet Potatoes........ (202) 720-4285 Erika White - Floriculture, Maple Syrup, Nursery, Tree Nuts............. (202) 720-4215 Access to NASS Reports For your convenience, you may access NASS reports and products the following ways: All reports are available electronically, at no cost, on the NASS web site: http://www.nass.usda.gov Both national and state specific reports are available via a free e- mail subscription. To set-up this free subscription, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov and in the "Receive NASS Updates" box under "Receive reports by Email," click on "National" or "State" to select the reports you would like to receive. 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