Vg 1-1 (10-08) Vegetables National Agricultural Statistics Service USDA Washington, D.C. Released October 3, 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 3:30 p.m. ET. Fall Season Fresh Vegetable Harvested Area Down 4 Percent Fall Season Melon Harvested Area Up 1 Percent Summer Storage Onion Production Down 10 Percent The prospective area for harvest of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the fall quarter is forecast at 151,370 acres, down 4 percent from last year. Acreage declined from last year for snap beans, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, head lettuce, and bell peppers while acreage increased for carrots, sweet corn, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Area harvested for broccoli remains unchanged. Area forecasted for fall melon harvest is 15,600 acres, up 1 percent from last year. Cantaloup harvested area is forecast at 12,100 acres, unchanged from 2007. Honeydew harvested area is forecast at 3,500 acres, up 6 percent from last fall. Summer storage onion production is forecast at 51.5 million hundredweight, down 10 percent from last year. Storage onion harvested area is forecast at 99,620 acres, down 8 percent from 2007. California production, at 12.9 million hundredweight, is 1 percent below 2007. Harvested area is expected to total 30,000 acres, down 2 percent from last year. Contents Page Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons Beans, Snap...................................................................6 Broccoli......................................................................6 Cabbage.......................................................................6 Cantaloups....................................................................6 Carrots.......................................................................6 Cauliflower...................................................................6 Celery........................................................................6 Corn, Sweet...................................................................6 Cucumbers.....................................................................7 Honeydew Melons...............................................................7 Lettuce, Head.................................................................7 Onions, Spring...............................................................10 Summer Non-storage.........................................................10 Summer Storage.............................................................10 Peppers, Bell.................................................................7 Tomatoes......................................................................7 Fresh Market Crop Comments....................................................8 Onion Crop Comments..........................................................11 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons, by Season and Crop...............4 Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Season and Crop, Major States, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 (Domestic Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Season :----------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Crop :-----------------------------------: Harvest : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Acres : Winter : 179,100 179,600 173,700 : Spring : 281,200 279,150 275,750 : Summer : 410,700 418,400 392,300 : Fall : Snap Beans : 13,100 18,500 16,200 Broccoli 1/ : 30,000 28,000 28,000 Cabbage : 6,600 6,300 5,770 Carrots : 15,200 19,100 19,300 Cauliflower 1/ : 8,500 8,300 7,900 Celery 1/ : 6,800 7,100 7,000 Sweet Corn : 5,200 8,300 8,800 Cucumbers : 6,300 5,600 5,700 Head Lettuce : 31,100 33,200 30,000 Bell Peppers 1/ : 3,000 4,400 3,700 Tomatoes : 21,000 18,400 19,000 : Total : 146,800 157,200 151,370 : Cantaloups : 12,400 12,100 12,100 Honeydew Melons : 3,600 3,300 3,500 : Total Melons : 16,000 15,400 15,600 : Total Fall Crop : 162,800 172,600 166,970 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Season and Crop, Major States, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 (Metric Units) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area Season :----------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For Crop :-----------------------------------: Harvest : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Hectares : Winter : 72,480 72,680 70,290 : Spring : 113,800 112,970 111,590 : Summer : 166,210 169,320 158,760 : Fall : Snap Beans : 5,300 7,490 6,560 Broccoli 1/ : 12,140 11,330 11,330 Cabbage : 2,670 2,550 2,340 Carrots : 6,150 7,730 7,810 Cauliflower 1/ : 3,440 3,360 3,200 Celery 1/ : 2,750 2,870 2,830 Sweet Corn : 2,100 3,360 3,560 Cucumbers : 2,550 2,270 2,310 Head Lettuce : 12,590 13,440 12,140 Bell Peppers 1/ : 1,210 1,780 1,500 Tomatoes : 8,500 7,450 7,690 : Total 2/ : 59,410 63,620 61,260 : Cantaloups : 5,020 4,900 4,900 Honeydew Melons : 1,460 1,340 1,420 : Total Melons 2/ : 6,480 6,230 6,310 : Total Fall Crop 2/ : 65,880 69,850 67,570 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Totals may not add due to rounding. Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Crop, State, and Total, Fall Season, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :----------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :---------------------------: Harvest : : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- Acres ------------- : Snap Beans : FL : Oct-Dec 4,500 10,300 8,500 GA : Oct-Dec 5,600 5,300 4,800 NJ : Sep-Oct 1,200 1,100 1,100 VA : Sep-Oct 1,800 1,800 1,800 : Total : 13,100 18,500 16,200 : Broccoli 1/ : CA : Oct-Dec 30,000 28,000 28,000 : Cabbage : FL : Oct-Dec 900 900 1,200 GA : Oct-Dec 5,100 4,700 3,600 NJ : Sep-Nov 400 500 800 TX : Sep-Nov 200 200 170 : Total : 6,600 6,300 5,770 : Cantaloups : AZ : Oct-Dec 8,400 8,200 8,100 CA : Oct-Dec 4,000 3,900 4,000 : Total : 12,400 12,100 12,100 : Carrots : CA : Oct-Dec 15,000 18,900 19,200 TX : Oct-Dec 200 200 100 : Total : 15,200 19,100 19,300 : Cauliflower 1/ : CA : Oct-Dec 8,500 8,300 7,900 : Celery 1/ : CA : Oct-Dec 6,800 7,100 7,000 : Sweet Corn : CA : Oct-Dec 3,500 4,100 3,300 FL : Sep-Dec 1,700 4,200 5,500 : Total : 5,200 8,300 8,800 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- See footnote(s) at end of table. --continued Selected Fresh Market Vegetables and Melons: Area Harvested by Crop, State, and Total, Fall Season, 2006-2007 and Forecasted Area 2008 (continued) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : : Area Crop : Usual :----------------------------------------- and : Harvest : Harvested : For State : Period :---------------------------: Harvest : : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : -------------- Acres ------------- : Cucumbers : FL : Oct-Dec 4,000 3,200 3,300 SC : Oct-Dec 700 800 600 TX : Sep-Nov 700 700 800 VA : Sep-Oct 900 900 1,000 : Total : 6,300 5,600 5,700 : Honeydews : AZ : Oct-Dec 1,300 1,200 1,500 CA : Oct-Dec 2,300 2,100 2,000 : Total : 3,600 3,300 3,500 : Head Lettuce : CA : Oct-Dec 31,000 33,000 30,000 NJ 2/ : 100 200 : Total : 31,100 33,200 30,000 : Bell Peppers 1/ : FL : Oct-Dec 2,900 4,400 3,700 TX 3/ : 100 : Total : 3,000 4,400 3,700 : Tomatoes : CA : Oct-Dec 11,000 11,000 11,500 FL : Sep-Dec 10,000 7,400 7,500 : Total : 21,000 18,400 19,000 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Estimates discontinued in 2008. 3/ Estimates discontinued in 2007. Snap Beans: Fall fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 16,200 acres, down 12 percent from last year. In Florida, during late August, rainfall from Tropical Storm Fay delayed some fieldwork. In early September, some growers delayed planting due to persistent standing water in their fields. By mid-September fields began to dry out allowing growers to proceed with planting. In New Jersey, growing conditions were favorable for the fall snap bean crop. However, severe storms in late August damaged some fields in the South Jersey area. Overall, the crop is reported to be in good condition. Broccoli: California's area for fall harvest is forecast at 28,000 acres, unchanged from 2007. Harvest of the fall crop is underway and is reported to range between very good to excellent condition. Production volume is expected to remain strong throughout the growing season. Cabbage: Fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 5,770 acres, down 8 percent from last year. Soil moisture supplies in Georgia are reported to be adequate to short. In Florida, Tropical Storm Fay delayed some planting over the central and southern Peninsulas throughout August and September. Warm temperatures after planting boosted crop growth and development. Growers expect to plant their cabbage crop through mid-December. In New Jersey, harvest of the cabbage crop started in late September. Crop quality is reported to be good. In Texas, planting was on schedule. Harvest is expected to begin by early October. Cantaloups: Fall cantaloup area for harvest is forecast at 12,100 acres, unchanged from 2007. Arizona's harvest began the third week of September. The season is expected to be in full swing by mid-October. In California, ideal temperatures benefitted the melon crop. No major insect or disease problems have been reported. Carrots: Area for fresh market harvest is forecast at 19,300 acres, up 1 percent from last year. In California, baby carrots are in high demand. Harvest is underway and the crop is reported to be in good condition with no unusual disease or insect problems. In Texas, planting was on schedule. Condition of the crop is reported to be excellent in the southwest area of the State. Rainfall during July and August benefitted soil moisture. Cauliflower: Area for fall harvest in California is forecast at 7,900 acres, down 5 percent from last year. Ideal growing conditions contributed to excellent sizing and crop quality. Harvest is underway with no disease or insect problems reported. Celery: California's fall area for harvest is forecast at 7,000 acres, down 1 percent from 2007. Growing conditions have been favorable for the early fall celery crop. Sweet Corn: Fresh market area for harvest is forecast at 8,800 acres, up 6 percent from last year. The California crop is in excellent condition due to favorable weather during the summer and early fall. In Florida, during late August, rainfall from Tropical Storm Fay delayed some fieldwork. In early September, some growers delayed planting due to persistent standing water in their fields. By mid-September fields began to dry out allowing growers to proceed with planting. Cucumbers: Area for fall harvest is forecast at 5,700 acres, up 2 percent from 2007. In Florida, tropical storms during August and September delayed some plantings over the central and southern Peninsula areas. However, warm temperatures after planting boosted plant growth and development. Growers in South Carolina experienced a hot and dry growing season. In Texas, planting was on schedule despite downy mildew being reported in some fields. Honeydews: Fresh market area for fall harvest is forecast at 3,500 acres, up 6 percent from last year. Arizona's harvest of fall season honeydews began the third week of September. California's fall melon crop is progressing well due to ideal temperatures. No major insect or disease problems have been reported. Head Lettuce: California's area for fall harvest is forecast at 30,000 acres, down 9 percent from last year. Early planted lettuce fields have begun to emerge. Fields were being fertilized and treated to control insects. Bell Peppers: Florida's fall area for harvest is forecast at 3,700 acres, down 16 percent from 2007. Planting was delayed in South Florida due to excessive rainfall. Tomatoes: Fresh market area for fall harvest is forecast at 19,000 acres, up 3 percent from 2007. In California, harvesting of fall tomatoes was delayed in Fresno County due to water shortages. In Florida, acreage remains historically low due to flooded fields, lack of demand during the summer season, and high input costs. Onions: Area Harvested, Yield, and Production by Season, State, and United States, 2006-2007 and Forecasted 2008 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : Area : Yield per Acre Season :----------------------------------------------------------- and : Harvested : For : : : State :-------------------: Harvest : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 : : : -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- : ---------- Acres ---------- --------- Cwt --------- : Spring : 34,600 31,000 29,000 322 330 379 Summer : Non-Storage : 19,900 20,700 19,600 531 548 529 : Storage : CA 1/ : 31,800 30,500 30,000 425 425 430 CO : 9,500 7,700 7,200 400 410 420 ID : 9,400 9,100 8,500 540 750 690 MI : 2,600 2,500 2,500 250 260 260 NY : 12,800 12,300 10,800 330 360 350 OR : Malheur : 11,700 12,000 10,600 520 780 710 Other : 8,400 8,800 8,800 550 620 620 WA : 20,000 21,000 19,000 600 610 600 WI : 2,100 1,800 840 330 370 340 : Oth Sts 2/ : 2,180 2,080 1,380 378 470 448 : Total : 110,480 107,780 99,620 466 532 517 : Summer : 130,380 128,480 119,220 476 534 519 : US : 164,980 159,480 148,220 444 495 492 :----------------------------------------------------------- : Production :----------------------------------------------------------- : 2006 : 2007 : 2008 :----------------------------------------------------------- : 1,000 Cwt : Spring : 11,128 10,230 11,000 Summer : Non-Storage : 10,562 11,347 10,378 : Storage : CA 1/ : 13,515 12,975 12,900 CO : 3,800 3,157 3,024 ID : 5,076 6,825 5,865 MI : 650 650 650 NY : 4,224 4,428 3,780 OR : Malheur : 6,084 9,360 7,526 Other : 4,620 5,456 5,456 WA : 12,000 12,810 11,400 WI : 693 666 286 : Oth Sts 2/ : 825 978 618 : Total : 51,487 57,305 51,505 : Summer : 62,049 68,652 61,883 : US : 73,177 78,882 72,883 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1/ Primarily for dehydrated and other processing. 2/ OH and UT. Summer Storage Onion Production Down 10 Percent Summer storage onion production is forecast at 51.5 million hundredweight (cwt), down 10 percent from last year. Harvested area is forecast at 99,620 acres, down 8 percent from 2007. The yield, at 517 cwt per acre, is down 15 cwt from last year. Planting of California=s storage onion crop was on schedule. However, cool temperatures during the growing season delayed harvest. No major disease problems were reported. In Colorado, harvest was a week behind schedule. In Idaho, harvest was delayed due to excessive moisture and a cool summer during the growing season. In Michigan, early- planted onions emerged by the beginning of May. Prospects for the onion crop is reported to be good to excellent. In New York, severe hailstorms in central New York resulted in some loss of acreage due to abandonment. Malheur and Other Oregon producers expect lighter yields this season due to a cold spring. Wisconsin experienced very wet conditions during the early part of the year, then unseasonable dry conditions later in the season. ACCESS TO REPORTS!! For your convenience, there are several ways to obtain NASS reports, data products, and services: INTERNET ACCESS All NASS reports are available free of charge on the worldwide Internet. For access, connect to the Internet and go to the NASS Home Page at: www.nass.usda.gov. E-MAIL SUBSCRIPTION All NASS reports are available by subscription free of charge direct to your e-mail address. Starting with the NASS Home Page at www.nass.usda.gov, under the right navigation, Receive reports by Email, click on National or State. Follow the instructions on the screen. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - PRINTED REPORTS OR DATA PRODUCTS CALL OUR TOLL-FREE ORDER DESK: 800-999-6779 (U.S. and Canada) Other areas, please call 703-605-6220 FAX: 703-605-6900 (Visa, MasterCard, check, or money order acceptable for payment.) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - ASSISTANCE For assistance with general agricultural statistics or further information about NASS or its products or services, contact the Agricultural Statistics Hotline at 800-727-9540, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. ET, or e-mail: nass@nass.usda.gov. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability, and where applicable, sex, marital status, familial status, parental status, religion, sexual orientation, genetic information, political beliefs, reprisal, or because all or a part of an individual's income is derived from any public assistance program. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA's TARGET Center at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD). To file a complaint of discrimination, write to USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20250-9410, or call (800) 795-3272 (voice) or (202) 720-6382 (TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer. USDA Data Users' Meeting October 20, 2008 Doubletree Hotel Chicago O'Hare Airport-Rosemont Rosemont, Illinois (847) 292-9100 The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service will be organizing an open forum for data users. The purpose will be to provide updates on pending changes in the various statistical and information programs and seek comments and input from data users. Other USDA agencies to be represented will include the Agricultural Marketing Service, the Economic Research Service, the Foreign Agricultural Service, and World Agricultural Outlook Board. The Foreign Trade Division from the Census Bureau will also be included in the meeting. For registration details or additional information for the Data Users' Meeting, see the NASS homepage at www.nass.usda.gov/forum/ or contact Marjorie Taylor (NASS) at (202) 690-8141 or at marjorie_taylor@nass.usda.gov. This Data Users' Meeting precedes an Industry Outlook meeting that will be held at the same location on October 21, 2008. The Outlook meeting brings together analysts from various commodity sectors to discuss the outlook situation. For registration details or additional information for the Industry Outlook Meeting see the Livestock and Marketing Information Center (LMIC) homepage at www.lmic.info or contact Jim Robb at (720) 544-2941 or at robb@lmic.info.