=========================================================== New England Agricultural Statistics Service - - - a field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director Phone: (603) 224-9639 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor Fax: (603) 225-1434 PO Box 1444 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ Concord, NH 03302-1444 E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov =========================================================== Ag Review January 2004 Volume 24, Number 1 February 5, 2004 The following is an abbreviated version of the report. The entire document is available as a PDF file on the Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/ =========================================================== A special "THANK YOU" goes to New England producers and agri-businesses who have helped us by completing surveys via mail, telephone or personal interviews. This issue contains the results of monthly and quarterly surveys including the Potato Price Survey, various fruit and vegetable surveys, the 2003 Hog Report, and the December Agricultural Survey of field crops. In This Issue Chickens: Layers and Eggs Dairy Products Field Crops: Barley, Corn, Hay, Oats, Tobacco Fruit: Apples, Peaches, Pears, Cranberries, and Wild Blueberries Hay Stocks Hogs: Inventory, Farrowings, and Pig Crop Milk: Production and Price Potatoes: Acreage, Production, Stocks, and Prices Turkeys: Number Raised Vegetables: Sweet Corn FIELD CROPS: Unseasonably cool temperatures dominated the month of May, delayed planting schedules as much as three weeks, and stunted germination of crops in the ground. Sun and heat finally arrived at the end of June and allowed field entry to finish planting. Hot, sunny weather continued for most of July and provided crops with much needed sunshine and heat, but also dried up soil moisture supplies. Grain crops in Maine were rated in excellent condition, while forage crops were rated mostly good to fair as they struggled to catch up from the poor start. Hot, humid conditions prevailed in August, and forage crop conditions improved by month's end. The 2003 crop season ended with a mix of sun and rain in September, as growers attempted to get harvest back on schedule. Hurricane Isabel pushed warm, humid air into New England near mid-September, and the above normal temperatures remained until the end of the month. New England dry hay production totaled 1.14 million tons in 2003, a fractional increase over 2002 production despite a reduction in acreage harvested. Cool, wet conditions early in the season produced a heavy first crop of hay, but forced the majority to be chopped for haylage. A dry month of July improved conditions for making dry hay, however, above average rainfall in early August prevented many farmers from baling much of the second crop. Excellent haymaking weather returned for third crop hay, promoted good quality, and ensured plenty of feed for the upcoming winter. Acres harvested, at 576,000 acres, fell two percent short of the previous year, but were - Page 1 of 4 Pages - offset by improved yields. Dry hay yields averaged 2.02 tons per acre in 2003, compared with 1.93 tons per acre a year earlier. Planting of corn for the corn silage crop was also affected by the cool, wet spring. As of June 9, 70 percent of the crop was seeded, compared with 80 percent in 2002 and a five-year average of 85 percent. The lack of sunshine and warm temperatures slowed emergence to 55 percent by the middle of that month, compared with a normal average of 80 percent emerged. Conditions had improved by the end of August and crop specialists rated the crop mostly good. Warm days and dry conditions allowed farmers to harvest crops at a rapid pace, with above average yields realized at many locations. Production in New England, at 3.2 million tons in 2003, was nine percent above 2002's drought reduced output, with yields averaging 18 tons per acre. Cool, rainy spring weather delayed small grain planting in Maine from one to two weeks in 2003, but by early June the crop was all seeded on schedule with normal. The right combination of moisture and heat provided ideal conditions for Maine's small grain crops until tropical conditions arrived in August. Heavy winds and rain caused excessive lodging at many locations; some areas received over 10 inches of water in 2 to 3 weeks, resulting in extremely poor grain quality. Oat yields averaged 78 bushels per acre in 2003; placed grain production at 2.3 million bushels, 10 percent under 2002 output. Excessive moisture reduced barley grain yields to an average of 65 bushels per acre, and ruined quality at many locations. Barley production totaled 1.8 million bushels in 2003, 16 percent below the previous year. TOBACCO: The December 1, 2003 tobacco forecast placed broadleaf production at 3.2 million pounds in the Connecticut River Valley, 20 percent below 2002 output due to untimely rains and lack of sunshine. Excessive moisture promoted blue mold, brown spot, and increased fertilizer leaching. Additional problems appeared when hung to cure, namely pole sweat, stem rot, brown spot, and sunburn not evident when initially harvested. Broadleaf yields were expected to average only 1,369 pounds per acre in the two States according to early December assessments, well below earlier season estimates of 1,800 pounds per acre. Producers intend to harvest 1.5 million pounds of shade tobacco in Connecticut and Massachusetts, a 25 percent increase over the previous year's disease-reduced output. Yields were expected to average 1,409 pounds per acre, compared with the 1,270 pounds per acre average from a year earlier. Tobacco harvest was completed in most areas by mid September, about one week behind normal. FRUIT: The 2003 New England apple crop utilized production totaled 3.9 million bushels (42-pound units), 19 percent above 2002 utilized production. A wet, cool spring did little to hamper bloom, however, some operators reported poor pollination. By mid-June continued rain had some apple growers expressing concerns about scab. Sunshine and warm temperatures finally arrived at the end of June, with the fruit crop reacting favorably to the sun and heat. By mid-July, orchardists were hoping for rain to help size up fruit. Rain finally arrived near the end of July causing noticeable improvements in fruit size. In early-August, growers started picking early apple varieties and the New England crop condition was rated good to fair, overall. A preliminary estimate of utilized production showed the 2003 New England crop valued at $55.0 million, 13 percent above the previous year. A revised estimate of value will be available July 2004 after the majority of the 2003 crop has been marketed. Pear growers in Connecticut had an outstanding crop this year after two devasting years where frost and hail damage wiped out much ofthe crop. The size of fruit was generally medium to large, and the crop was reported in good to fair conditions. Utilized pear production in Connecticut totaled 51,000 bushels, 155 percent above last year's destroyed crop. The 2003 utilized peach production in Connecticut and Massachusetts - Page 2 of 4 Pages - totaled 87,000 bushels, 19 percent more than 2002 utilized output. The value of the 2003 peach crop in the two States was placed at $3.2 million, 20 percent above the 2002 value. Maine's 2003 wild blueberry crop totaled 80.2 million pounds, an increase of 29 percent from the 2002 output. At the beginning of the 2003 blueberry growing season, most growers detected minimal winter kill due to adequate snow cover throughout the winter. Weather was cool and rainy during the spring, causing poor, spotty pollination in many areas. Mummy berry disease was prevalent for the second consecutive year. Showers arrived near the end of July and improved crop quality as growers prepared for harvest. Warm, dry weather helped extend the harvest period in some areas. Cranberry production in Massachusetts totaled 1.46 million barrels in 2003, a four percent increase from the previous year's production. Growers harvested 14,400 acres, 100 acres more than the previous year. The crop yielded 97.2 barrels per acre, the lowest since 1979. Massachusetts cranberry growers rated the 2003 crop as fair-to-poor. Many growers reported significant problems with insects and fruit rot. Some attributed the rot to excessive amounts of moisture received in the spring. Many growers sanded their bog during the 2002-2003 winter which may partially explain the lower yield. SWEET CORN: Less than optimal weather early in the season got the 2003 sweet corn crop off to a slow start. Local sweet corn was not ready for the Fourth of July celebrations at many locations as cool, wet spring conditions resulted in late planting and slow growth. Drought conditions were prevalent during much of July, with farmers irrigating where possible. The 2003 sweet corn crop was 10 percent picked by the end of July, trailing last year's 20 percent and normal of 25 percent. Hot, damp conditions in August increased earworm and corn borer activity, however, promoted improved yields in most New England States. Warm September weather helped to extend the growing season and the harvest was finished by the end of that month, on schedule with last year and normal. In New England, fresh market sweet corn production totaled 1.1 million hundredweight (cwt) in 2003, a nine percent increase over 2002 output due to increased acreage harvested and improved yields. Growers in the six-State region harvested 15,800 acres, with an average yield per acre of 70 cwt, the highest yielding New England sweet corn crop since 1991. Vermont sweet corn producers harvested a record 80 cwt per acre in 2003, a 30 cwt per acre increase from the previous year's drought reduced yields. Value of production for New England was placed at $35.8 million, an increase of 16 percent from the 2002 value. POTATO STOCKS: Maine potato stocks on hand January 1, 2004 totaled 12.1 million cwt, eight percent above 2003's January 1 holdings. Disappearance to January 1 in the State totaled 4.9 million cwt, compared with 5.8 million cwt a year earlier. Storage accounted for 71 percent of Maine's total production, compared with the previous five-year average of 69 percent. Of the stocks on hand January 1 in Maine, 47 percent were round white varieties, 48 percent were russets, one percent were long whites, and four percent were red varieties. The 15 major potato States held 234 million cwt of potatoes in storage January 1, 2004, up one percent from last year and four percent above 2002. Potatoes in storage account for 58 percent of the 2003 fall storage States' production, up one percentage point from last year. Stocks by type show more round whites and fewer russets than a year ago. Disappearance of 170 million cwt of potatoes is down three percent from last year but five percent above 2001 movement. Shrink and loss, at 17.4 million - Page 3 of 4 Pages - cwt so far this season, is down four percent from last year but one percent above the same date in 2001. Processors in the nine major States used 86.8 million cwt of potatoes this season, down six percent from a year ago but eight percent above two years ago. Dehydrating usage accounts for 18.4 million cwt of the total processing, down six percent from last year. December 1, 2003 stocks were revised up slightly, with changes in Colorado, Nebraska, and New York. Maine's Potato Aceage, Yield, Size and Grade report was published January 15, 2004. Potato size and grade measurements were also published for the seven major States in the Potato Stocks report issued December 15, 2004. Both reports are available from the NASS website at www.usda.gov/nass/. HOGS: On December 1, 2003, the New England inventory of hogs and pigs totaled 32,400 head, a decrease of seven percent from 2002. Massachusetts accounted for almost half of New England's hog inventory. The average litter rate for New England in 2003 was 7.5, 1.4 pigs per litter less than the 8.9 National litter rate. MILK PRODUCTION: Milk production in Vermont during December totaled 219 million pounds. There were an estimated 146,000 milk cows on Vermont farms during December, unchanged from November. Milk production per cow averaged 1,500 pounds. Milk production in New England during the third quarter (October - December) of 2003 totaled 1.04 billion pounds, down two percent from last quarter. The three-month production per cow averaged 4,414 pounds across New England. There were an average of 236,300 head of milk cows on hand from October - December 2003, a decrease of 3,000 cows from the previous quarter. Milk production in the United States during the fourth quarter of 2003 totaled 41.3 billion pounds, down slightly from the previous quarter. There were 9.0 million milk cows in the United States during the fourth quarter. The United States average quarterly rate was 4,588 pounds per cow for the fourth quarter of 2003, an increase of 7 pounds from the previous quarter. TURKEYS: Four New England States, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont, raised 135,000 turkeys in 2003, up seven percent from the 2002 count. Farmers in Massachusetts raised 54 percent of that total, while Vermont contributed 39 percent. The National total of 274 million turkeys raised in 2003 was up one percent from the 2002 total. - Page 4 of 4 Pages - **********************end of report*****************************