E-mail: nass-ny@nass.usda.gov
(518) 457-5570

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:  Greg Lemmons
Thursday, December 11, 2008

www.nass.usda.gov/ny

            NEW YORK DRY BEAN AND POTATO PRODUCTION UP

Dry bean production in New York for the 2008 crop totaled 316,000 hundredweight (cwt), up 41 percent from last year’s production, according to Stephen Ropel, Director of USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, New York office.  Harvested acreage, at 16,800 acres was up 2 percent from last year.  Yields averaged 1,880 pounds per acre, a new record replacing the 1,860 yield set in 2003, compared with 1,360 pounds per acre in 2007.

Light red kidney bean production in the state is estimated at 137,000 cwt. compared with 86,000 cwt. in 2007.  Production came from 7,000 acres harvested.  Light red kidney beans accounted for 43 percent of the total dry bean production in New York.  Dark red kidney bean production is estimated at 38,000 cwt. compared with 20,000 cwt. in 2007.  Black turtle bean production is set at 130,000 cwt., up 29 percent from the 101,000 cwt. produced a year earlier.  Production of all other varieties totaled 11,000 cwt, down 35 percent from a year ago.

U.S. dry edible bean production is forecast at 25.7 million cwt. for 2008, up 2 percent from the October forecast and up 1 percent from 2007.  Planted area is forecast at 1.50 million acres, up slightly from the October forecast but down 2 percent from 2007.  Harvested area is forecast at 1.45 million acres, 2 percent above the October forecast but 2 percent below the previous year's harvested acreage.  The average U.S. yield is forecast at 1,775 pounds per acre, an increase of 1 pound from October's forecast and 59 pounds above the 2007 yield. 

New York production of fall potatoes for 2008 is estimated at 5.70 million hundredweight (cwt.), up 9 percent from a year ago.  Harvested acreage at 17,800 was down 3 percent from last year.  Yields averaged 320 cwt. per acre, breaking the previous record of 300 cwt. in 2006 and 2003, up 35 cwt. from 2007.

U.S. production of fall potatoes for 2008 is forecast at 374 million cwt., up slightly from the November forecast but down 8 percent from 2007.  Area harvested, at 921,200 acres, is virtually unchanged from the November forecast but 8 percent lower than last year.  The average yield, forecast at 406 cwt. per acre, is down 1 cwt. from November's forecast and down 3 cwt. from last year's record high yield.

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12-11-08