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Released: December 2003

Monthly

No. 973-12-03

New York production of fall potatoes for 2003 is estimated at 6.51 million hundredweight (cwt.), up 18 percent from a year ago.

U.S. production of fall potatoes for 2003 is forecast at 412 million cwt., 1 percent below last year. Area harvested, at 1.09 million acres, is down 2 percent from last year but 2 percent above two years ago. The average yield is forecast at 377 cwt. per acre, 4 cwt. above last year. Production estimates are generally higher this year in the Central and Eastern States but lower in the West.

Western States production is forecast at 273 million cwt., down 6 percent from last year but 3 percent above 2001. Acreage harvested, at 660,300 acres, decreased 4 percent from last year. The average yield of 414 cwt. per acre is down 7 cwt.. Production decreased in 4 of the 9 Western States. California's yield is down due to hot weather and problems with seed quality. Colorado's production fell 15 percent as farmers reduced planted acreage to conserve underground water supplies. Idaho's production decreased 8 percent from last year due to above normal summer temperatures. In Oregon, dry conditions during June and July reduced yield and tuber sizes. Utah has the largest percentage production increase, up 37 percent from last year. Production in Nevada and Montana increased 25 percent and 5 percent, respectively. Washington's production is 1 percent above last year, while New Mexico's production remains unchanged.

Central States production is forecast at 110 million cwt., up 13 percent from last year and 8 percent above 2001. Harvested area, estimated at 327,500 acres, is up 4 percent, while the average yield of 337 cwt. per acre is up 27 cwt. from a year ago. Production is above last year for all Central States except Indiana, where heavy rains during July caused ponding and flooding in many fields. Hot and dry weather in August contributed to a lower quality crop. Production increases range from 3 percent in South Dakota to 43 percent in Ohio. Minnesota is up 19 percent, North Dakota increased 15 percent, Wisconsin rose 9 percent, Michigan went up 8 percent, and Nebraska increased 12 percent.

Eastern States production is forecast at 28.4 million cwt., up 9 percent from last year and 7 percent above two years ago. Area for harvest totaled 104,000 acres, virtually unchanged from last year. The average yield rose to 273 cwt. per acre, 22 cwt. above last season. Production increases occurred in 4 of the 5 Eastern States. Pennsylvania holds the largest increase, 51 percent higher, due to drought conditions in 2002 which made yields lower than usual. Rhode Island production is up 27 percent and Maine increased less than 1 percent. Massachusetts shows a decrease of 6 percent from last year's production.

Dry bean production in New York for the 2003 crop totaled 446,000 hundredweight (cwt.), 34 percent above last year's production and more than double the output of the drought stressed 2001 crop. Harvested acreage, at 24,000 acres, was down 2 percent from last year but 8 percent above 2001. Yields averaged a record high 1,860 pounds per acre compared with 1,360 pounds in 2002 and the five-year average of 1,296 pounds per acre.

Light red kidney bean production in the state is estimated at 253,000 cwt. compared with 191,000 cwt. in 2002. Production came from 13,400 acres harvested. Light red kidney beans accounted for 57 percent of the total dry bean production in New York, the same percentage as last year. Dark red kidney bean production is estimated at 20,000 cwt. compared with 27,000 cwt. in 2002. Black turtle bean production is set at 142,000 cwt., up 56 percent from the 91,000 cwt. produced a year earlier. Production of all other varieties totaled 31,000 cwt. compared with 24,000 cwt. a year ago.

Nationally, dry edible bean production is estimated at 22.8 million cwt. for 2003, down 3 percent from the October forecast and 24 percent below last year. Harvested acreage is forecast at 1.36 million acres, 4 percent below the last forecast and down 21 percent from 2002. The U.S. average yield is forecast at 1,678 pounds per acre, an increase of 13 pounds from the October forecast but 58 pounds below a year ago. Production is below a year ago in 12 of the 18 producing States. Most notable is a 50 percent production decrease in Michigan where planted acres are the lowest on record. Also, Oregon's production is down 49 percent due to drought conditions. Production is down from a year ago for black, small white, navy, garbanzo, cranberry, small lima, dark red kidney, and light red kidney. Production increased from last year for great northern, blackeye, large lima, pink, and small red.

There were 1,197,000 hired workers on the Nation's farms and ranches during the week of October 12-18, 2003, down 1 percent from a year ago. Of these hired workers, 891,000 workers were hired directly by farm operators. Agricultural service employees on farms and ranches made up the remaining 306,000 workers.

Farm operators paid their hired workers an average wage of $9.05 per hour during the October 2003 reference week, up 10 cents from a year earlier. Field workers received an average of $8.42 per hour, up 8 cents from last October, while livestock workers earned $8.64 per hour compared with $8.42 a year earlier. The field and livestock worker combined wage rate, at $8.47 per hour, was up 11 cents from last year.

Prices received by New York farmers during November 2003 for selected commodities were mostly lower compared with a month earlier. Prices for corn, wheat, barley, hay, potatoes, and apples decreased while prices for oats, soybeans, milk, and eggs increased.

Grain corn prices averaged $2.56 per bushel, down 25 cents from October and 28 cents below November 2002. Oats, at $1.83 per bushel, were up 2 cents from the previous month but 1 cent below a year ago. Wheat averaged $1.95 per bushel, down 15 cents from October and $1.86 below last November. Barley, at $2.04 per bushel, was down 36 cents from a month earlier but 12 cents more than November 2002. Soybeans returned $7.30 per bushel, up 30 cents from last month and $1.79 more than November a year ago. Hay, at $106.00 per ton baled, was down $20.00 from October but $9.00 more than November 2002. Potato prices declined 80 cents from October to $9.00 per hundredweight (cwt.), $1.80 less than a year ago. Prices for fresh market apples at the packinghouse door averaged $23.40 per cwt., down $2.50 from October and $5.10 less than a year earlier.

Dairy farmers in New York received an average of $15.60 per cwt. of milk sold during November, up 20 cents from the previous month and $3.00 above last November. Poultry producers received an average of 93.0 cents per dozen eggs sold, up 17.0 cents from October and 31.0 cents above November 2002.

At the National level, the preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received by Farmers in November is 117, based on 1990-92=100, 4 points above the October Index. Both the Livestock and Products Index and the All Crops Index were higher in November. Producers received higher commodity prices for cattle, corn, soybeans, and wheat. Lower prices were received for cotton, hogs, and milk. The seasonal change in the mix of commodities farmers sell, based on the past 3-year average, also affects the overall index. Increased average marketings of all milk, cotton, cattle, and cottonseed offset decreased marketings of peanuts, sunflowers, and potatoes. This preliminary All Farm Products Index is up 20 points from November 2002.

New York dairy herds produced 924 million pounds of milk during November, down 3 percent from the November 2002 level. The decrease was the result of fewer cows and a lower rate per cow. The number of milk cows totaled 658,000 head, down 20,000 head from November of the previous year. Milk per cow averaged 1,405 pounds, 5 pounds less than November 2002.

Milk production in the 20 major states during November totaled 11.6 billion pounds, down slightly from production in these same states during November 2002. Production per cow averaged 1,509 pounds for November, up 13 pounds from November 2002. The number of cows on farms in the 20 major states was 7.71 million head, 82,000 head less than November 2002.

Egg production on New York farms, totaled 90 million eggs in October 2003, down 5 percent from last year. The decrease in the number of layers more than offset the increase in the rate of lay. The number of hens and pullets of laying age, at 3.73 million, was down 7 percent from October 2002, while the rate of lay was up 2 percent to 24.14 eggs per layer.

Laying flocks in the United States produced 7.39 billion eggs during October 2003, up slightly from the previous October. An indication of future egg supply, chicks hatched in the U.S. during October for the purpose of egg production totaled 35.0 million, up 9 percent from October 2002. Eggs in incubators on October 1, 2003 totaled 29.5 million, down 1 percent from previous year.

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