NY Field Office Vegetable Release April 2007

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VEGETABLES

Released: April 2007
Seasonal
No. 984-2-07

STORAGE ONIONS

New York growers intend to plant 12,700 acres in 2007, 1,400 less than 2006 final acreage. U.S. storage planted area is 111,900 acres, down 1 percent from 2006. California acreage, which is primarily dehydrated or otherwise processed, is down 3 percent from 2006. Planting was behind schedule due to rain and cold temperatures, however, no major problems were reported. In Colorado, above average winter moisture left muddy fields causing delayed planting in the northern and southeastern areas. West Slope snow pack was below average, but growing areas should meet irrigation needs this spring and summer. Labor shortage is a major concern. In Idaho, snow pack supplies are expected to be below average. However, the State has adequate water stock, therefore, water availability is not a concern. In Oregon, growers are optimistic about this year's crop despite some damage that was caused by the Iris yellow spot virus last season. In Washington, planting has begun in many areas and should be in full swing in the next few weeks. Thrips remains a major concern for some producers. Irrigation supplies look promising.

ONIONS: Area Planted by Season, State, and United States, 2004-2006

Season and State	Acres Planted
	2005		2006		2007
	Acres

Spring 1/	40,700	40,800		34,000

Summer 1/
Non-storage
CA	9,700	9,800		9,400
NV	2,400	2,600		2,700
NM	6,500	6,000		6,500
TX	1,000	1,000		800
WA 2/	1,400	1,500		1,500

Total	21,000	20,900		20,900

Storage
CA 3/	31,800	33,100		32,200
CO	10,000	10,000		10,000
ID	9,700	9,700		9,400
MI	3,000	2,700		2,300
NY	13,800	14,100		12,700
OR
Malheur	11,700	12,000		12,300
Other	7,800	7,800		8,300
WA	19,500	20,000		20,500
WI	2,000	1,900		2,000

Other States 4/	2,020	2,280		2,200

Total	111,320	113,580		111,900

Total Summer	132,320	134,480		132,800

U.S.	173,020	175,280		166,800

1/ Primarily fresh market. 2/ Includes Walla Walla and other non-storage onions. 3/ Primarily dehydrated and other processing. 4/ 2005 – OH and UT. 2006 – OH and UT. 2007 – OH and UT.

SPRING ONIONS:

Producers intend to harvest 31,600 acres, down 9 percent from last year. California's planting began in most areas by early November under good conditions. Above normal temperatures stimulated early development, but a frost in January caused damage to some fields. Crop development progress is behind normal in some areas. Growers reported good stands and growth in many areas following recent rains. In Georgia, rainfall during the winter months was near normal. Heading into spring the State had adequate moisture levels. Temperatures generally were near normal to slightly above normal during winter. The crop is doing well and disease problems are minimal. Harvest will begin about the third week of April. Irrigation in Georgia has been minimal. In Texas, onion planting for the spring harvest is down significantly due to heavy rainfall in the Lower Valley. Despite the heavy rains, the crop is making excellent progress, but harvest will be delayed due to late plantings.

STRAWBERRIES:

Area intended for harvest is forecast at 45,000 acres, virtually unchanged from last year's comparable States. California's area for harvest is forecast at 35,500 acres, down 1 percent from 2006. California's strawberry season started slowly this year due to a January freeze followed by dry conditions. Sporadic damage has been reported in the southern part of the State. However, warmer weather is expected to bring shipments back within normal ranges. In Florida, growers started transplanting at the end of September with virtually all planting completed by the end of October. Cooler temperatures at the end of October through all of November increased berry quality. However, very warm temperatures for most of December adversely affected berry quality. Light harvest started in early November with a moderate amount available for the Thanksgiving Day market. Picking increased steadily as more area reached maturity in December. Warmer temperatures during most of January continued to hinder berry quality. Temperatures near freezing arrived in late January and the middle of February. Growers provided overhead irrigation to plants to prevent cold weather losses. Producers started to open fields to U-pick in late March and early April as temperatures warmed and supplies from other States increased. The Oregon crop looks good. The State experienced no hard freezes this winter. Labor shortages continue to be a major concern.

VEGETABLES FOR FRESH MARKET

Crop and State	Area			Yield per acre					Production
	Harvested		For Harv. 2007	2005	2006		2007		2005		2006		2007
	2005	2006
	Acres			Cwt.						1,000 cwt.
ONIONS
Spring ¹^/
AZ ²^/	2,000	1,000	1,200	460		490				920		490
CA ²^/	8,000	7,900	7,600	475		415				3,800		3,279
GA	10,500	10,500	12,000	210		310		240		2,205		3,255		2,880
TX	15,500	15,200	10,800	300		270		305		4,650		4,104		3,294

TOTAL	36,000	34,600	31,600	322		322				11,575		11,128

STRAWBERRIES ¹^/
CA	34,300	35,800	35,500	600		590		580		20,580		21,163		20,590
FL	7,300	7,300	7,500	245		280		300		1,789		2,044		2,250
OR ³^/	2,200	2,100	2,000	115		110				250		230

TOTAL	43,800	45,200	45,000	516		519				22,619		23,437

1/ Includes fresh market and processing. 2/ Primarily fresh market. 3/ First forecast will be published on July 10, 2007.

SNAP BEANS:

U.S. processors contracted to plant 204,540 acres of snap beans, down 1 percent from last year. Contracted area for freezing, at 64,880 acres, is down 3 percent from 2006. Contracted area for canning, at 139,660 acres, is virtually unchanged from 2006. Wisconsin's contracted area, at 81,800 acres, is up 11 percent from the previous year. The winter months in Indiana provided plenty of precipitation which benefited crop development. In Oregon, producers are preparing for the upcoming planting season. Farmers are struggling with wet fields in Western Oregon. As of March 1, the snow pack in the Willamette basin was 102 percent of normal.

GREEN PEAS:

U.S. contract intentions are forecast at 205,200 acres in 2007, down 4 percent from 2006. Contract intentions for freezing, at 128,500 acres, are 5 percent above last year. Contracted area for canning, at 76,700 acres, is 15 percent below 2006. In Wisconsin, growers intend to contract 21,500 acres of green peas, down 33 percent from last year. In Minnesota, rapid snow melt was reported across the State, however, remaining frost layer prevented melting snow from soaking into the subsoil.

VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING: Area Planted and Utilization
by State and United States, 2005-2007

State and Utilization	Area Planted
	2005 Total	2006				2007 Contract Intentions
		Total		Contract
	Acres
SNAP BEANS:
Fl	2,100		3,300		2,800		2,500
IL	18,000		15,800		14,200		15,200
IN	5,700		5,600		5,600		5,200
MI	17,000		19,000		19,000		22,000
NY	21,400		22,200		20,600
OR	18,600		18,900		18,900		18,000
PA	9,900		10,900		9,800		9,900
WI	77,100		73,500		73,500		81,800

Other States	40,430		42,720		42,151		49,940

U.S.	210,230		211,920		206,551		204,540

Canning	147,330		142,580		139,741		139,660
Freezing	62,900		69,340		66,810		64,880

GREEN PEAS:
DE	6,000		5,800		3,500		5,800
MN	77,200		86,700		86,700		75,900
NY	20,600		19,500		19,500
OR	16,200		17,600		17,600		20,600
WA	37,100		34,300		34,300		38,800
WI	40,200		31,900		31,900		21,500

Other States	21,300		19,300		19,300		42,600

U.S.	218,600		215,100		212,800		205,200

Canning	93,500		90,600		90,600		76,700
Freezing	125,100		124,500		122,200		128,500

1/   Includes acreage from major brokers
2/ 2007 data not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations.
3/ 2005 - AR, CA, DE, GA, MD, MN, MO, NJ, NC, TX, and VA.
      2006 - CA, DE, GA, MD, MN, NJ, NC, TX, and VA.
      2007 – CA, DE, GA, MD, MN, NJ, NY, NC, TX, and VA.
4/   Seasonal forecasts for AR and MO are not available. Estimates to be published in the Vegetables 2007 Summary released in January 2008.
5/   2005 - CA, ID, IL, MD, and NJ.
      2006 - CA, ID, IL, MD, and NJ.
      2007 - CA, ID, IL, MD, NJ, and NY.

SWEET CORN:

Contract intentions call for 372,900 acres of sweet corn in 2007, down 5 percent from last year. Contracted area for freezing, at 187,400 acres, is down 5 percent from last year's total. Contracted area for canning, at 185,500 acres, is down 6 percent from 2006. Rapid snow melt in Minnesota was reported across the State during mid-March.

VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING: Area Planted and Utilization
by State and United States, 2005-2007

State and Utilization	Area Planted
	2005 Total	2006				2007 Contract Intentions ¹^/
		Total		Contract ¹^/
	Acres
SWEET CORN
DE	7,300		4,700		4,700		5,000
MD	6,700		6,300		6,300		5,700
MN	143,500		135,200		135,200		124,400
NY ²^/	19,400		18,400		18,400
OR	23,200		26,100		26,100		22,200
PA ²^/	1,300		1,200		1,200
WA	81,900		80,200		80,200		79,800
WI	97,400		86,200		86,200		84,000

Other States ³^/	40,810		36,100		36,100		51,800

U.S.	421,510		394,400		394,400		372,900

Canning	227,000		197,600		197,600		185,500
Freezing	194,510		196,800		196,800		187,400

1/ Includes acreage from major brokers. 2/ 2007 data not published to avoid disclosure of individual operations. 3/ 2005 - ID, IL, IA, NJ, TN, and VA. 2006 - ID, IL, IA, NJ, PA and TN. 2007 - ID, IL, IA, NJ, NY, PA, TN, and VA.

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