New York State 2011 Fruit & Vegetable Production
NASS provides snapshot of vegetable, fruit production during 2011
by Lora Abcarian | June 27, 2012
Earlier this year, the National Agricultural Statistics Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture released annual summaries for the 2011 season for vegetables and fruits grown in New York. The Vegetable Report was issued in January, and the Fruit Report was released this past March.
NASS reported that the value of all New York vegetable production in 2011 was $355.5 million. “New York ranked fifth in the nation for area harvested and value of principal fresh market vegetables,” the report stated. The value of New York’s principal fresh market vegetables
was $329 million for 2011.
Looking at principal fresh market vegetables, NASS reported that a total of 66,100 acres were planted, a decline of six percent from 2010. Harvested acreage in 2011 was 58,500, down 14 percent from 2010. Production during 2011 was 11,258 hundredweight, a 20-percent decline from 2010. The total value of fresh principal vegetables for the fresh market was $328.5 million, down 13 percent when compared to the 2010 season.
NASS reported the approximate value of individual commodities for the fresh market for 2011 and percent of increase or decrease when compared to 2010 as follows: cauliflower, $2.4 million/down 30 percent; cucumbers, $18.5 million/up 1 percent; snap beans, $31 million/down 21 percent; sweet corn, $53.6 million/down 25 percent; tomatoes, $36.6 million/up 23 percent; pumpkins, $23.6 million/down 33 percent; squash, $42.8/up 15 percent; cabbage, $86.6 million/down 2 percent; and onions, $33 million/down 39 percent.
Figures for Bell peppers, eggplant, endive/escarole and spinach were reported as “unavailable due to budget constraints.”
The overall value of New York tree fruit and grape production for 2011, excluding apples, was set at $99.1 million, up 5 percent from 2010. Figures for apple production will be released July 6.
New York was ranked nationally as fourth in pear production and fifth in tart cherry production during 2011. The value of utilized production for pears was approximately $6.9 million, and the value of utilized production for tart cherries was approximately $1.42 million.
Acreages in production for sweet cherries, blueberries, strawberries and peaches remained constant in 2011. That year, a total of 2,000 pounds of sweet cherries were produced per acre for a value of utilized production of $2.1 million, down 7 percent from 2010. A total of 8,500 pounds of peaches were produced per acre for a value of utilized production of $8.3 million, up 16 percent from 2010. Blueberry production yielded 2,000 pounds per acre in 2011 for a value of utilized production of $3.9 million, down 13 percent. Strawberry yields were 2,600 per acre in 2011 with a value of utilized production of $8.4 million, up 19 percent when compared to 2010.
New York was the nation’s third-largest producer of grapes in 2011. The value of utilized production for grapes during 2011 was $67.8 million, down 1 percent from 2010.
