HDR1012000140060117971500VEGETABLES Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 17, 1997, by the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS), Agricultural Statistics Board, U.S. Department of Agriculture. For information on "Vegetables" call Dave Mueller at (202) 720-2157, office hours 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET. For assistance with general agricultural statistics, information about NASS, its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 1-800-727-9540 or E-mail: NASS@NASS.USDA.GOV. Fresh Vegetable Down 2 Percent Spring Onion Acreage off 11 Percent Winter Strawberry Acreage Up 100 Acres The prospective area for harvest of 13 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 192,000 acres. This is 2 percent less than last year but 7 percent greater than in 1995. Acreage declines in cabbage, sweet corn, escarole/endive, head lettuce, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes more than offset acreage increases in broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, and eggplant. Spinach, cabbage, and bell peppers showed the largest percentage decreases while eggplant, cauliflower, and broccoli had the largest percentage increases. Acres planted for spring onions, at 36,400 acres was down 11 percent from 1996 and 2 percent less than in 1995. Acreage declined in all 4 states. Winter strawberry acreage is estimated at 6,100 acres, up 100 acres from last year and two years ago. Vg 1-1 (1-97) Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1995-1997 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 13,000 10,000 10,000 Broccoli 1/ : 28,000 27,500 29,000 Cabbage : 12,000 13,500 10,300 Carrots : 22,400 28,800 30,500 Cauliflower 1/ : 9,000 8,500 9,500 Celery 1/ : 6,600 6,400 6,900 Sweet Corn : 4,900 5,800 5,500 Eggplant : 800 600 700 Escarole/Endive : 650 850 700 Head Lettuce : 60,200 73,500 71,000 Bell Pepper 1/ : 6,000 6,000 4,800 Spinach : 2,600 2,800 2,100 Tomatoes : 13,700 11,700 11,000 : Total Winter Crop : 179,850 195,950 192,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area for Harvest by Season, Major States, 1995-1997 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Season :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 5,260 4,050 4,050 Broccoli 1/ : 11,330 11,130 11,740 Cabbage : 4,860 5,460 4,170 Carrots : 9,070 11,660 12,340 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,640 3,440 3,840 Celery 1/ : 2,670 2,590 2,790 Sweet Corn : 1,980 2,350 2,230 Eggplant : 320 240 280 Escarole/Endive : 260 340 280 Head Lettuce : 24,360 29,740 28,730 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,430 2,430 1,940 Spinach : 1,050 1,130 850 Tomatoes : 5,540 4,730 4,450 : Total Winter Crop : 72,770 79,290 77,690 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area for Harvest by Crop, State, and Total, Winter Season, 1995-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area : Crop : Usual :-----------------------------------: 1997 and : Harvest : Harvested : For : as Percent State : Period :-----------------------: Harvest : of 1996 : : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : ------------ Acres ----------- Percent : : Snap Beans : : FL : Jan-Mar : 13,000 10,000 10,000 100 : : Broccoli 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 28,000 27,500 29,000 105 : : Cabbage : : FL : Jan-Mar : 5,000 5,000 4,000 80 TX : Jan-Mar : 7,000 8,500 6,300 74 Total : : 12,000 13,500 10,300 76 : : Carrots : : CA : Jan-Mar : 15,700 21,500 23,000 107 FL : Nov-Mar : 3,600 3,900 5,100 131 TX : Dec-Mar : 3,100 3,400 2,400 71 Total : : 22,400 28,800 30,500 106 : : Cauliflower 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 9,000 8,500 9,500 112 : : Celery 1/ : : CA : Jan-Mar : 6,600 6,400 6,900 108 : : Sweet Corn : : FL : Jan-Mar : 4,900 5,800 5,500 95 : : Eggplant : : FL : Jan-Mar : 800 600 700 117 : : Escarole/Endive : : FL : Jan-Mar : 650 850 700 82 : : Head Lettuce : : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr : 41,700 57,000 54,000 95 CA : Dec-Apr : 18,500 16,500 17,000 103 Total : : 60,200 73,500 71,000 97 : : Bell Pepper 1/ : : FL : Jan-Mar : 6,000 6,000 4,800 80 : : Spinach : : TX : Jan-Mar : 2,600 2,800 2,100 75 : : Tomatoes : : FL : Jan-Mar : 13,700 11,700 11,000 94 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 1995-97 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 : 1995 : 1996 : 1997 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 1,400 2,100 1,900 1,400 1,900 CA 2/ : 8,000 7,500 7,000 7,500 7,200 GA : 12,800 16,000 15,500 12,500 14,700 15,000 TX : 15,100 15,300 12,000 14,200 13,000 11,000 Total : 37,300 40,900 36,400 35,600 36,800 26,000 : Strawberries 3/ : Winter : FL : 6,000 6,000 6,100 6,000 6,000 6,100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 1997 - planting intentions - harvested acreage published April 9, 1997. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. Snap Beans: Florida acreage for harvest is forecast at 10,000 acres, unchanged from last year but 23 percent less than 1995. Planting and harvesting remained active. The crop was in mostly good condition and quality was good. The weather has been good to the crop except for some cold wind damage in the southwest in late December. Broccoli: California acreage is estimated at 29,000 acres, 5 percent more than last year and 4 percent greater than 1995. Abnormally cool weather hindered crop development while the wet fields have slowed fieldwork. The crop looks good but could use some warmer weather. Cabbage: Winter acreage for harvest is estimated at 10,300 acres, 24 percent less than last year and 14 percent below the 1995 level. In Florida, rains from Tropical Storm Josephine and Hurricane Lili hampered germination and crop development in some areas in early fall. Warmer, drier conditions during late October aided growth. The crop escaped major damage from near freezing temperatures during early-to-mid November and again around mid-December. Significant rainfall in early December caused very little damage to the crop. Harvest began about mid-December with good quality and yield prospects reported by growers. Carrots: Acreage for harvest is forecast at 30,500 acres, up 6 percent from last year and 36 percent greater than in 1995. In California, wet weather provided abundant moisture but led to an increase in weeds. Growers reported that the crop was in good condition. Cauliflower: California acreage is forecast at 9,500 acres up 12 percent from 1996 and 6 percent above 1995. Wet weather provided abundant moisture but led to an increase in weeds. Warmer temperatures were needed to improve crop conditions in some fields, but overall the crop was rated good. Celery: The winter celery crop acreage for harvest in California is estimated to be at 6,900 acres, 8 percent above 1996 and 5 percent above the 1995 crop. Recent wet weather caused harvest delays along the coast and in southern areas. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested acreage is estimated at 5,500 acres, down 5 percent from last year but 12 percent more than in 1995. Rainfall from Hurricane Lili caused no significant damage to plants around mid-October, but did delay some fieldwork and leached some fertilizer from some fields. Milder weather from late October into early November aided crop development. Windy weather around mid-November caused some plant damage along the east coast region. Drier and mostly warm weather from late November until mid-December allowed fieldwork to progress normally. Cold, winter temperatures arrived around mid-December but caused no significant damage to the acreage around Lake Okeechobee and in Dade county. Eggplant: Acreage for winter harvest in Florida at 700 acres, was 17 percent greater than in 1996 but 12 percent less than in 1995. Weather and growing conditions have been mostly favorable. Some minor wind damage occurred in some fields. However, producers reported that the crop had good grade and yield. Escarole/Endive: The harvested acreage of Florida's winter crop of escarole and endive is forecast at 700 acres, 18 percent below last year but 8 percent greater than in 1995. Heavy rainfall caused by Tropical Storm Josephine and Hurricane Lili in early-to-mid October damaged some plants but most recovered in the milder weather. Lettuce: Acreage for harvest is forecast at 71,000 acres in Arizona and California. Harvested 1997 acreage in the two states is 3 percent below last year, but 18 percent above their 1995 total. Wet weather in California lead to an increase in weeds in some areas. The crop was in generally good condition but warmer temperatures were needed. Onions: Growers intend to plant 36,400 acres of spring onions for 1997, a decrease of 11 percent from 1996 and 2 percent less than the 1995 acres planted. In Texas, acreage was down due to producer concerns over the availability of irrigation water. In California, wet grounds had delayed some plantings and promoted weed growth in some fields. Producers in Georgia rated their crop condition as fair. Bell Peppers: Florida winter acreage for harvest is estimated at 4,800 acres, 20 percent less than last year and two years ago. Rainy, windy weather from Tropical Storm Josephine caused some foliage damage and reduced yield prospects. Heavy rainfall again reduced crop prospects when Hurricane Lili passed to the south about mid-October. Drier weather from late October through early November allowed most plants to recover. Windy, cooler weather during mid-November slowed fruit setting and sizing, caused foliage to burn, increased bloom loss, and scarred some fruit in southern fields. Milder weather from late November into early December boosted crop development and allowed transplanting to proceed on schedule in the east coast and southwestern regions. Cold winds near mid-December again caused some crop damage with most plants recovering well in the warm, calm conditions existing from late December into early January. Spinach: The harvested acres of winter spinach for 1997 is forecast at 2,100 acres in Texas. This is 25 percent below 1996 and 19 percent less acreage than 1995. Dry conditions and producer concerns about the availability of irrigation water accounted for the acreage decline. Strawberries: Florida winter acreage is estimated at 6,100 acres, 100 acres greater than last year and two years ago. Crop development has proceeded favorably thus far, with no major weather problems reported. A good volume, high quality crop was expected. Tomatoes: Florida acreage is forecasted at 11,000 acres, down 6 percent from last year and 20 percent below 1995. Heavy rains and strong winds caused by the southern passage of Hurricane Lili around mid-October increased bloom drop which lowered the late fall and early winter crop yield potential. Cold, windy weather around mid-November caused plant dehydration and foliage to burn and break in many southern localities, but most younger plants escaping significant damage. Mild weather allowed fieldwork to progress on schedule from the last part of November through most of the first half of December. Heavy rain at the end of the first week of December slowed some activity in all southern areas. Most southern peninsula acreage escaped damage from a winter cold spell that arrived after mid-December. The next "Vegetables" report will be released at 3:00 p.m. ET on April 9, 1997. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in its programs on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, and marital or familial status. 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USDA Announces Agricultural Outlook Forum 97 February 24 and 25, 1997 Omni Shoreham Hotel, Washington, D.C. An era of freer markets under the 1996 Farm Bill has begun. For an expert assessment of the impact, attend the Outlook Forum. Top speakers will discuss the 1997 farm outlook, prospects to 2005, risk management, concentration issues, market stability, world food security, marketing high-valued exports and more. Plan now to attend. For program and registration details, check Forum home page, call (202) 720-3050 or dial (202) 219-0296 from your fax machine and request document 66666. Send e-mail to agforum@oce.usda.gov. Get news from the Forum. Can't attend? After the Forum, download speeches from the Internet. Or, call 1-800-999-6779 to place an advance order for the printed proceedings (YCON-97) or new long term projections to 2005 (WAOB-97-1). Ag Forum home page: http://www.usda.gov/oce/waob/agforum.htm Agricultural Outlook Forum 97