This article appeared in the August 2001 issue of Vegetable Production and Marketing News,
edited by Dr. Frank J. Dainello, and produced by Extension Horticulture, Texas Cooperative Extension,
The Texas A&M University System, College Station, Texas.

Vegetables Report From The National Agricultural Statistics Service, USDA, Washington, D.C.

This report was released July 10, 2001.

FRESH VEGETABLES HARVESTED ACREAGE
UP 2 PERCENT

The prospective acreage for harvest of 12 selected fresh-market vegetables during the summer quarter is forecast to be 324,800 acres, up 2 percent from last year. Acreage increased for snap beans, cabbage, cauliflower, celery, sweet corn, cucumbers, head lettuce, and bell peppers. Acreage decreased for broccoli, carrots, and tomatoes. Eggplant remained the same. Area forecast for melon harvest is 130,000 acres, up 3 percent from last year. Cantaloupe is forecast at 49,200 acres, up 4 percent from 2000. Honeydew, at 16,000 acres, is down 4 percent. Watermelon, at 64,800 acres, is up 5 percent from last year.

Spring strawberry production is forecast at 14.6 million cwt, down 7 percent from comparable States last year. Spring strawberry yield is forecast at 469 cwt, up 10 cwt from 2000. Area for harvest, at 31,000 acres, was down 6 percent from comparable States in 2000.

ONION ACREAGE UP SLIGHTLY

Onion growers expect to harvest 166,950 acres of onions in 2001. This is up less than 1 percent from last year. Spring onion growers harvested 38,100 acres, up 5 percent from last year. Summer, non-storage onion growers expect to harvest 20,600 acres, down 4 percent from last year. Storage onion growers (including California) plan to harvest 108,250 acres in 2001, virtually unchanged from last year. California plans to harvest 32,500 acres, down 10 percent from last year.

PROCESSED VEGETABLE CONTRACTED ACREAGE
DOWN 10 PERCENT

Vegetable processors have contracted 1.23 million acres to be planted to the 5 major vegetable crops (snap beans, sweet corn, cucumbers for pickles, green peas, and tomatoes). This acreage is down 10 percent from last year for comparable States. Acreage changes vary from 27 percent down for green peas to a 20 percent increase for cucumbers for pickles. Green pea production, at 374,370 tons, is down 29 percent for comparable States from 2000. Contracted tomato production is forecast at 9.78 million tons, down 8 percent from 2000 for comparable States.

RETURN TO VPM NEWS

RETURN TO AGGIE-HORTICULTURE