NEW YORK CROP AND LIVESTOCK REPORT

Released: March 2007      

Monthly           

No. 973-3-07

2006 MILK PRODUCTION

Annual milk production in the Empire State during 2006 totaled 12.1 billion pounds.  The annual average number of milk cows, at 638,000 head, was down 2 percent from a year earlier.  Output per cow increased by 240 pounds, or 1 percent, to 18,879 pounds per cow.

U.S milk production for 2006 totaled 182 billion pounds, 2.8 percent above 2005.  Output per cow, at 19,951 pounds, was 386 pounds above 2005.  The average number of milk cows during 2006 was 9.11 million head, up 0.8 percent from 2005.

California lead the U.S. in production with 38.8 billion pounds in 2006, followed by Wisconsin with 23.4 billion, New York with 12.1 billion, Idaho with 10.9 billion, and Pennsylvania with 10.7 billion.  These five states produced 53 percent of the total U.S. milk production for 2006.

NEW YORK TROUT SALES INCREASE

New York trout producers sold a total of 130,000 pounds of trout valued at $540,000 during the 12 months ending December 31, 2006.  Total production pounds, which includes food-size fish, stockers, and fingerlings, was down 2 percent from a year ago while total sales was 7 percent above last year.

The 2006 output included 72,000 pounds of food-size trout averaging $3.79 per pound in value, 50,000 pounds of stocker trout averaging $3.98 per pound, and 8,000 pounds of fingerlings averaging $339.00 per 1,000 fish.  Food-size fish averaged 1.0 pounds in weight, while stockers averaged .40 pounds. Total weight of food-size trout sold was down 13 percent from 2005. Total weight of stocker trout was up 8 percent.

Milk Cows and Production, by Months, New York, 2004-2006

HIRED WORKERS ON FARMS AND WAGE RATES

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) will not publish the quarterly Farm Labor report scheduled for release Feb. 16, 2007. Because of budget constraints, NASS did not conduct the January Agricultural Labor Survey, which provides data for the report. For more information, please see the Federal Register, Feb. 7, 2007, Vol. 72, No. 25, page 5675.

Hired Workers on Farms and Wage Rates

NEW YORK HONEY PRODUCTION DECREASES

Honey production from beekeepers with five or more hives in New York totaled 3.84 million pounds during 2006.  This total is down 12 percent from the 2005 production of 4.38 million pounds.

The 2006 production was extracted from 60,000 colonies, unchanged from the 60,000 colonies in 2005.  Honey yield per colony averaged 64 pounds, 12 percent below the 2005 yield.  Honey stocks on hand across the State as of December 15, 2006 totaled 2.46 million pounds, an increase of 6 percent from the 2.32 million pounds a year earlier.

Prices received by beekeepers in New York averaged $1.38 per pound for all methods of sale during 2006, 13 percent more than the 2005 average price.  Value of honey production for the State in 2006 totaled $5.30 million, compared with $5.34 million in 2005.

Nationally, honey production in 2006 from producers with five or more colonies totaled 155 million pounds, down 11 percent from 2005. There were 2.39 million colonies producing honey in 2006, down 1 percent from 2005. Yield per colony averaged 64.7 pounds, down 11 percent from the 72.4 pounds in 2005.

U.S. honey 2006 prices increased to $1.042 per pound, up 14 percent from 91.8 cents in 2005. Prices are based on retail sales by producers and sales to private processors and cooperatives. State level honey prices reflect the portions of honey sold through retail, co-op, and private channels. Honey prices for each color class are derived by weighting quantities sold for each marketing channel.  Honey prices for 2006 were up from the previous year for all color class totals.  Honey production from beekeepers with five or more hives in New York totaled 4.38 million pounds during 2005.

HONEY:  Production and Value, 2004-2006 1/

FEBRUARY MILK PRICES INCREASED FROM JANUARY

Prices received by New York producers for milk sold during February increased from a month earlier. The price of potatoes also increased.  The price of eggs, apples, corn, wheat, and hay decreased.  Many previous month prices were revised due to more complete sales information.

Grain  corn,  at  $3.39  per  bushel,  decreased  10  cents  from January  but  increased  $1.19  from  last  year.  Wheat  price  was $4.41,  11  cents  above  last  month  and  $1.10  above  last  year. Hay  averaged  $121.00  per  ton,  $3.00  less  than  January  but $2.00 more than February 2006.  Potatoes, at $11.00 per hundredweight,  increased  20  cents  from  January  but  decreased $1.80  from  February  last  year.  Fresh  market  apple  prices  at the  packinghouse  door  averaged  29.20  cents  per  pound  this month,  slightly  less  than  last  month  but  2.60  cents  more  than last year.

Dairy farmers in the Empire State received an average of $15.10 per hundredweight of milk sold during February, 30 cents more than January and 10 cents more than February a year ago.  Poultry producers received an average of 63 cents per dozen eggs sold, down 18 cents from January but 38 cents more than last year.

The preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in February, at 127 percent, based on 1990-92=100, increased 3 points (2.4 percent) from January. The Crop Index is up 6 points (4.6 percent) and the Livestock Index increased 3 points (2.6 percent). Producers received higher commodity prices for corn, broilers, soybeans, and hogs. Lower prices were received for broccoli, lettuce, eggs, and oranges. The overall index is also affected by the seasonal change based on a 3-year average mix of commodities producers sell. Increased average marketings of dairy, cattle, broilers, and strawberries offset decreased marketings of corn, soybeans, wheat, and cotton.

Prices Received by Farmers 1/

Commercial Livestock Slaughter, January 1/

FEBRUARY MILK PRODUCTION DOWN

New York dairy herds produced 933 million pounds of milk during February.  Milk cows declined from the previous year while milk per cow increased from the previous year resulting in a 2 percent decline in milk production compared to February 2006.  The number of milk cows averaged 628 thousand head, down 17 thousand head from February of the previous year.  Milk per cow averaged 1,485 pounds, up 10 pounds from the February 2006 rate.

Milk production in the 23 major States during February totaled 13.1 billion pounds, up 0.9 percent from February 2006. January revised production, at 14.3 million pounds, was up 1.8 percent from January 2006. The January revision represented an increase of 48 million pounds or 0.3 percent from last month’s preliminary production estimate.  Production per cow in the 23 major States averaged 1,586 pounds for February, no change from February 2006.  The number of milk cows on farms in the 23 major States was 8.28 million head, 71,000 head more than February 2006, but 3,000 head less than January 2007.

Dairy Briefs

Dairy Products Manufactured

NEW YORK EGG PRODUCTION UP 9 PERCENT IN JANUARY

Egg production on New York farms totaled 104 million eggs in January 2007, up 9 percent from last year.  The number of hens and pullets of laying age, at 4.13 million, increased 11 percent from January 2006, but the rate of lay decreased 2 percent to 24.11 eggs per layer.

U.S. egg production totaled 7.64 billion during January 2007, down 1 percent from last year. Production included 6.54 billion table eggs, and 1.10 billion hatching eggs, of which 1.03 billion were broiler-type and 67 million were egg-type. The total number of layers during January 2007 averaged 347 million, down 1 percent from last year. January egg production per 100 layers was 2,200 eggs, down slightly from January 2006.

Poultry Briefs

This report, in addition to many others, is available free of charge

at our website at www.nass.usda.gov/ny/