Vg 1-1 (1-08) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released January 8, 2008, 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 3 Percent From Last Year Spring Onion Planted Acreage Down 5 Percent Strawberry Planted Acreage Up 1 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the winter quarter is forecast at 173,700 acres, down 3 percent from last year. Acreage declined for broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, head lettuce, bell peppers, and tomatoes. Acreage increased for snap beans and cabbage. Area harvested for spinach remains unchanged. Area planted for spring onions, at 32,000 acres, is down 5 percent from 2007. Georgia and Texas reduced planted acreage from 2007, while Arizona and California increased planted acreage. Strawberry area planted for major States (California, Florida, and Oregon) in 2008 is forecast at 47,000 acres, up 1 percent from 2007. 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, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- : Harvested : For :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Snap Beans : 13,200 13,900 14,000 Broccoli 1/ : 28,500 30,000 28,500 Cabbage : 10,600 9,500 12,900 Carrots : 21,200 19,100 18,900 Cauliflower 1/ : 8,500 8,200 8,000 Celery 1/ : 7,600 7,600 7,300 Sweet Corn : 3,600 7,000 6,400 Head Lettuce : 67,600 67,400 62,000 Bell Pepper 1/ : 6,100 6,100 5,800 Spinach : 2,200 800 800 Tomatoes : 10,000 10,000 9,100 : Total Winter Crop : 179,100 179,600 173,700 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables: Area Harvested by Crop, Winter Season, Major States, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Crop :-------------------------------------------------------- : Harvested : For :-------------------------------------: Harvest : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Snap Beans : 5,340 5,630 5,670 Broccoli 1/ : 11,530 12,140 11,530 Cabbage : 4,290 3,840 5,220 Carrots : 8,580 7,730 7,650 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,440 3,320 3,240 Celery 1/ : 3,080 3,080 2,950 Sweet Corn : 1,460 2,830 2,590 Head Lettuce : 27,360 27,280 25,090 Bell Pepper 1/ : 2,470 2,470 2,350 Spinach : 890 320 320 Tomatoes : 4,050 4,050 3,680 : Total Winter Crop 2/ : 72,480 72,680 70,290 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :-------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :-------------------------: Harvest : : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ------------- Acres ------------ : Snap Beans : FL : Jan-Mar 13,200 13,900 14,000 : Broccoli 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 28,500 30,000 28,500 : Cabbage : FL : Jan-Mar 3,900 4,800 5,000 TX : Dec-Mar 6,700 4,700 7,900 : Total : 10,600 9,500 12,900 : Carrots : CA : Jan-Mar 20,000 18,200 18,000 TX : Dec-Mar 1,200 900 900 : Total : 21,200 19,100 18,900 : Cauliflower 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 8,500 8,200 8,000 : Celery 1/ : CA : Jan-Mar 7,600 7,600 7,300 : Sweet Corn : FL : Jan-Mar 3,600 7,000 6,400 : Head Lettuce : AZ - Western : Nov-Apr 47,600 45,400 42,000 CA : Jan-Mar 20,000 22,000 20,000 : Total : 67,600 67,400 62,000 : Bell Pepper 1/ : FL : Jan-Mar 6,100 6,100 5,800 : Spinach : TX : Dec-Mar 2,200 800 800 : Tomatoes : FL : Jan-Mar 10,000 10,000 9,100 ------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Onions and Strawberries for Fresh Market: Area Planted and Harvested by Crop, Season, and Total, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Crop, : Planted Area : Harvested Area Season, :--------------------------------------------------------------- and : : : : : : For Harvest State : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Onions 1/ : Spring : AZ 2/ : 1,000 1,200 1,600 1,000 1,200 CA 2/ : 8,100 7,600 7,900 7,900 7,400 GA : 14,000 12,500 12,000 10,500 12,000 11,500 TX : 17,700 12,500 10,500 15,200 10,400 9,000 : Total 2/ : 40,800 33,800 32,000 34,600 31,000 : Strawberries 3/ : CA : 35,800 35,500 35,500 35,800 35,500 35,500 FL : 7,400 8,400 8,800 7,300 8,300 8,700 OR : 3,100 2,800 2,700 2,100 1,900 1,900 : Major States : Total : 46,300 46,700 47,000 45,200 45,700 46,100 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ 2008 harvested acreage published April 3, 2008. 3/ Includes fresh market and processing. Snap Beans: Florida area for harvest is forecast at 14,000 acres, up 1 percent from last year. Warm, dry weather during October through December allowed growers to plant the snap bean crop on schedule. Broccoli: California harvested area is forecast at 28,500 acres, down 5 percent from 2007. Unseasonably cool temperatures throughout the State may affect overall plant growth. Preparatory irrigation was required in many areas due to lack of rain. Cabbage: Winter area for harvest is forecast at 12,900 acres, 36 percent above 2007. In Florida, hot and dry conditions during October through December delayed some plantings. However, most planting was finished by the end of the year. Carrots: Winter harvested area is forecast at 18,900 acres, down 1 percent from last year. In California, unseasonably cool temperatures throughout the State may affect overall plant growth. Demand for baby carrots remained strong and supply is expected to remain steady. In Texas, planting is on the decline for fresh market carrots due to excessive rainfall. Cauliflower: California harvested area is forecast at 8,000 acres, down 2 percent from last year. Cooler than normal weather has affected cauliflower growth more than other vegetables. Celery: The winter celery crop for harvest in California is forecast at 7,300 acres, down 4 percent from last year. The crop was in good condition with no pest or disease problems reported. Sweet Corn: Florida harvested area is forecast at 6,400 acres, 9 percent below last year. Favorable conditions during October, November, and December allowed planting of the sweet corn crop to proceed on schedule. Head Lettuce: Area for harvest is forecast at 62,000 acres, down 8 percent from last year. In Arizona, the crop was ahead of schedule due to above average temperatures until mid-December. However, below average and freezing temperatures since then has resulted in harvest delays In California, lettuce fields are in various stages of growth. Cool temperatures and rainfall delayed plant growth, and freezing temperatures resulted in some blistering and peeling. Onions: Growers intend to plant 32,000 acres of spring onions for 2008, down 5 percent from 2007. 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, transplanting was delayed due to dry soils and was only 12 percent complete as of the first week of December. In November and December, rainfall was well below normal. No disease problems have been reported in the plant beds. In Texas, onion planting is down due to growers planting row crops instead of onions. Bell Peppers: Winter area for harvest in Florida is forecast at 5,800 acres, down 5 percent from last year. Mostly dry and cool conditions from October through December allowed planting to progress on schedule. Spinach: Harvested area of winter spinach in Texas is forecast at 800 acres, unchanged from 2007 but 64 percent below 2006. Spinach planting has declined in recent years due to reduced demand and the introduction of strict rules for producers growing leafy green vegetables. Strawberries: Planted area for the major States (California, Florida, and Oregon) is forecast at 47,000 acres, up 1 percent from 2007. In California, transplanting and growing conditions were mostly ideal throughout the State. In Florida, producers began transplanting by early October and irrigated sets due to drought conditions. Warm temperatures during most of November and December hindered berry development. Labor issues in Oregon continue to be a concern for growers. Tomatoes: Florida winter tomato harvested area is forecast at 9,100 acres, down 9 percent from 2007. 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