The prospective area for harvest
of 11 selected fresh market vegetables during the spring quarter is
forecast at 214,100 acres, down 5 percent from last year. Acreage
decreases for snap beans, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, celery,
cucumbers, head lettuce, and tomatoes more than offset acreage increases
for carrots, sweet corn, and bell peppers. Melon acreage for spring
harvest is forecast at 79,100 acres, down 1 percent from last year.
Watermelon acreage is up 3 percent from 2004. Cantaloupe acreage is
down 4 percent from a year ago. Honeydew melon is down 13 percent.
Asparagus acreage for spring harvest is forecast at 49,500 acres,
down 6 percent from last year. Strawberry acreage for harvest is forecast
at 43,700 acres, up 2 percent for comparable States in 2004.
Processors expect to contract 1.21 million acres of the 5 major processed
vegetable crops in the U.S. this year, down 1 percent from last year.
Contracted acreage decreases are forecast for tomatoes, snap beans,
and sweet corn, while cucumbers for pickles and green peas show increases.
Freezing firms expect to contract virtually the same acreage as last
year, with 383,600 acres under contract. Acreage for both snap beans
and green peas is up 2 percent. Sweet corn acreage for freezing is
down 2 percent from last year. Canneries contracted for 829,500 acres,
down 2 percent from 2004. Acreage increased for cucumbers for pickles,
green peas, and sweet corn, up 15, 13, and less than 1 percent, respectively,
while acreage decreased for tomatoes and snap beans, down 9 and 7
percent, respectively.
Total planted onion acreage for all seasons in 2005 is forecast at
172,300 acres, down 3 percent from last year. Spring onions will be
harvested from 37,100 acres in 2005, up 4 percent from 2004. Georgia
and Texas combined production is forecast at 7.59 million cwt, 1 percent
below last year. Summer non-storage onion planted acreage, at 24,000
acres, is virtually unchanged from a year ago. Total summer onion
acreage, at 133,000 acres, is down 3 percent from the previous year.
