Highlights and Overviews

Horticultural crops. Agricultural land use in Texas consists of 130 to 165 million acres. Horticultural crops, on 600,000 acres provided the highest returns for growers and generated more than $860 million annually (Table 1). National summaries from the IR-4 office indicate that speciality crops provide 28% of all crop sales in Texas. Horticultural revenues come mostly from vegetables and onions, melons and fruits, and citrus and pecans, and nuts. Changes were noted in horticultural acreages compared to our 1997 report. Major reductions occurred in root and tuber crops, leafy vegetables, cole crops, and tree fruits. NAFTA, labor, and production economics now favor production in Mexico, with packing and shipping still being handled in Texas. But note that beans and peas, herbs and spices, and miscellaneous crops increased significantly – generally due to growth in consumer interests and urban markets.

Agronomic crops. Grain crops (wheat, corn, sorghum and others) and oil seed crops (cotton, peanuts, and soybeans) continue to dominate Texas’s crop-based economy (see Table 1 for general information and Table 15 for details). We included forage grasses and legumes (see Tables 16 and 17) since grazing lands and hay provide the basic feedstuffs for the beef and dairy industries.

Seed production. Seed was particularly interesting to note (see Table 21 for details). Several seedsmen and others provided key information which was cross verified. Although some seed acreage may be included in the general crop data, clearly the seed industry in Texas is a major component in Texas agriculture, generating close to $250 million for farmers and approaching three-quarters of a billion dollars (considering economic multipliers of 2.8 to 3.1) from the “value added” in processing, shipping, and sales outside the state.

Other segments. Several miscellaneous crops are shown in Table19. Horticultural food crops, such as wine grapes, aloe vera, and okra, fit niche markets. Other speciality crops, such as food-grade and pop corn, sugarcane, sesame, and sunflower, were included in the agronomic crop totals. Non-food crops (see Table 20), including the growing hemp market and wildlife food plots near hunting sites, approach $220,000 or more in value.

Table 1. Summary of horticultural and agronomic crops: acres planted, changes from 1998, and cash values.
Crop Group Acres Planted Total Value ($ in millions) Gross Value ($ per acre)
2000-03 % change from 1998
*”Acres planted” are an average between 2000 and 2003. Percentage change is based on our summary report in 1998.
Horticultural crops
Root and tuber 34,400 -51 96.3 2,800
Bulb (i.e. onions) 17,700 -13 90.2 5,100
Leafy vegetables 6,300 -52 24.6 3,900
Cole 15,600 -22 49.7 3,200
Beans and peas 121,600 +61 41.9 345
Fruiting vegs 12,400 -4 36.4 2,900
Cucurbits and melons 84,900 -5 192.1 2,200
Citrus and subtropic 28,200 -18 38.6 1,400
Tree fruits 4,800 -59 35.8 7,400
Berry crops 2,100 +17 15.9 7,700
Nuts/pecans 159,100 -6 190.9 1,200
Herbs and spices 1,100 +250 3.7 3,500
Misc. horticultural 127,700 +200 48.5 3,797
subtotal 615,900 864.6
Agronomic Crops
Grain crops 8,872,800 1,512.5 170
Cotton and oil seeds 5,273,400 2,078.6 390
Forage grasses 54,953,500 2,541.3 46
Forage legumes 1,445,500 147.6 102
Misc. agronomic 98,400 43.4 441
Seed production 542,600 216.8 400
subtotal 71,802,1000 6,540.2
Non-food crops 150,950 119.6 780
Nursery/green crops (720 producers) 341.1
Totals 71,993,050 7,865.5

Regional production. Crop production statistics for each of the five regions are summarized in Table 2. The Lower Rio Grande Valley has the most intense horticultural production, followed by the Winter Garden (south and central area – see map). The vast acreages of grain and row crops in High Plains and Rolling Plains make up most of the 10.3 million acres in this area. More than 150,000 acres of vegetable, fruit, and other horticultural crops are grown in East Texas and should not be overshadowed by the large cow/calf/forage industry in that area.

Table 2. Regional summaries of horticultural and agronomic crops
Region Crop Acreages Leading Crops
Horticultural Agronomic Total Horticulture Agronomic
Lower Rio Grande Valley 86,300 1,276,900 1,363,200 citrus, melons, onion, carrots sorghum, cotton
Winter Garden 101,600 770,200 871,800 spinach, melons, cukes, cabbage, potatoes, onions sorghum, wheat
Plains Regions 247,400 10,071,300 10,318,700 peas, beans, potatoes, melons, pumpkins, onions cotton, corn, wheat, sorghum, peanuts
Far West Texas 26,300 38,700 65,000 melons, onions, peppers, pecans cotton, alfalfa hay
East Texas 154,300 2,087,500 2,241,800 melons, sweet potatoes, peas, sweet corn, peaches, blueberries, potatoes corn, sorghum, rice, soybeans, wheat
Regional Totals 615,900 14,244,600 14,860,500
Forage crops 56,399,000 56,399,000 grasses, clovers, alfalfa
Seed production 3,200 539,400 542,600 cert. sod, peas, and flowers grains, cotton, forages
Non-food crops 55,750 95,200 150,950 sod, flowers, xmas trees oil crops and wildlife plots
Total acres 674,850 71,278,200 71,953,050

Rankings – by acres and value. Horticultural crops were ranked for relative comparisons. While pecans and food grade corn led the 11 crops in the 15,000 to 160,000 acre group, 40 additional crops are grown in 500 acres or less, including several perennial tree crops (Table 3). When ranked by cash value, pecans, watermelons, onions, food grade corn, and potatoes led list and were in the $40,000 to $200,000 million group. These five crops generate over $0.5 billion in cash receipts. However, it should be noted that 32 other horticultural crops provide $1 to 10 million in annual sales and another 40 crops generate up to $1 million for producers.

Table 3a. Crops ranked by acres
Crop Acres
15,000 to 160,000
Pecans 159,000
Corn food grade 110,000
Dry beans 50,500
Watermelons 55,200
Sugarcane 44,000
Sunflower 42,600
Guar 40,000
Potatoes 22,000
Grapefruit 22,000
Southern peas 19,000
Onion – dry bulb 16,700
5,000 to 15,000
Cucumber 11,300
Cantaloupe/Muskmelons 11,100
Green/snap beans 10,900
Sesame 10,000
Cabbage 8,330
Popcorn 7,200
Pepper – non bell 6,000
Oranges 6,000
Carrot 5,750
Pumpkin 5,420
1,000 to 5,000
Spinach 4,420
Peaches 4,020
Pepper – bell 3,900
Corn sweet 3,700
Sweet potato 3,100
Grapes wine 3,000
Mustard greens 2,700
Tomato 2,000
Squash 1,700
Aloe vera 1,500
Blueberry 1,300
Beets – roots 1,300
Okra 1,200
Hemp 1,200
Collards 1,200
Kale 1,100
Herbs – all 1,000
Safflower 1,000
500 to 1,000
Turnip greens 800
Blackberry/Dew 720
Parsley 700
Lima beans 700
Broccoli 670
Chinese cabbage 630
Turnip roots 600
Table 3b. Crops ranked by acres (continued)
Crop Acres
500 to 1,000 (cont.)
Sweet sorghum 600
Radish 550
Garlic and leeks 500
Onion – green 500
Eggplant 500
200 to 500
Cilantro 430
Kohlrabi 400
Cauliflower 350
Lettuce 350
Swiss chard 300
Bok choy 280
Apples 250
Dill 220
Mint 220
Strawberry 210
Beet – tops 210
Celery 200
Dandelion 200
100 to 200
Gourds 170
Endive 150
Tangerines 130
Pears 120
Plums 120
Mayhaw 120
Figs 100
Prickly pear cactus 100
Nectarine 100
English peas 100
Mung beans 100
Amaranth grain 100
Rosemary 100
Less than 100
Asparagus 80
Persimmon 80
Grapes – fresh 70
Parsnip 70
Lemons and limes 60
Canola 50
Avocado 40
Pistachio 40
Raspberry 40
Walnuts 30
Apricot 10
Canola 5
 
Table 4a. Crops ranked by cash value
Crop Value ($)
$40 to 200 million
Pecans 190,800,000
Watermelons 126,900,000
Onion – dry bulb 86,800,000
Corn – food grade 75,100,000
Potatoes 61,600,000
$10 to $40 million
Cantaloupe/Muskmelons 38,800,000
Sugarcane 34,300,000
Cabbage 34,100,000
Grapefruit 33,000,000
Peaches 32,900,000
Carrot 19,500,000
Dry beans 19,500,000
Pepper – non bell 18,600,000
Cucumber 18,000,000
Spinach 17,200,000
Pepper – bell 13,200,000
Green/snap peas 11,900,000
Grapes – wine 11,400,000
Blueberries 11,000,000
$2 to $10 million
Sweet potato 9,600,000
Southern peas 7,600,000
Aloe vera 6,400,000
Sunflower 6,300,000
Oranges 5,400,000
Guar 5,000,000
Blackberry/Dew 4,600,000
Pumpkin 4,300,000
Herbs – all 3,700,000
Squash 3,700,000
Corn – sweet 3,500,000
Kale 3,500,000
Popcorn 3,400,000
Mustard greens 3,200,000
Parsley 2,900,000
Tomato 2,800,000
Broccoli 2,500,000
Chinese cabbage 2,200,000
Okra 2,200,000
Garlic and leeks 2,100,000
$1 to $2 million
Celery 1,900,000
Onion- green 1,900,000
Sesame 1,800,000
Cilantro 1,800,000
Eggplant 1,700,000
Beets – roots 1,500,000
Apples 1,400,000
Hemp 1,400,000
Turnip greens 1,300,000
Collards 1,200,000
Kohlrabi 1,200,000
Turnip roots 1,000,000
Table 4b. Crops ranked by cash value (cont)
Crop Value ($)
$600,000 to $1 million
Radish 990,000
Cauliflower 980,000
Swiss chard 960,000
Lima beans 840,000
Lettuce 770,000
Strawberry 750,000
Mint 748,000
Dill 660,000
Bok choy 640,000
$200,000 to $600,000
Dandelion 560,000
Pears 540,000
Plums 510,000
Beets – tops 440,000
Asparagus 336,000
Figs 320,000
Grapes – fresh 290,000
Rosemary 280,000
Mayhaw 264,000
Endive 240,000
$100,000 to $200,000
Raspberry 180,000
Safflower 180,000
Parsnip 126,000
Tangerines 104,000
Gourds 102,000
$50,000 to $100,000
Sweet sorghum 96,000
Persimmon 80,000
Prickly pear cactus 80,000
Nectarine 70,000
English peas 60,000
Less than $50,000
Avocado 48,000
Lemons and limes 48,000
Parsley 42,000
Pistachio 25,000
Mung beans 23,000
Guava 18,000
Apricot 15,000
Walnuts 15,000
Amaranth grain 12,000
Canola 6,000
Olives 2,000

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