VOL. 21, NO. 6

Highlights
Vegetables
Milk Production
Floriculture
Agricultural Prices

Vegetables For Processing

Illinois vegetable growers intend to plant 18,700 acres of sweet corn for processing under contract in 2000, up 14 percent from last year and up 28 percent from 1998. Nearly all of the Illinois sweet corn acreage for processing is grown under contract. United States sweet corn processors expect to contract 476,500 acres, up one percent from 1999. Canning acreage is expected to increase seven percent from last year, while acreage for freezing is expected to decrease seven percent.

Vegetable growers in Illinois intend to plant 13,700 acres of snap beans for processing under contract in 2000, down four percent from last year's contracted acreage. United States snap bean processors intend to contract 204,460 acres, down two percent from last year's contract acreage. Canning acreage is expected to increase slightly from 1999, while freezing acreage is expected to decrease about eight percent.

VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING, ILLINOIS & U.S., 1998-2000
Area	Planted area				Contract change 2000/1999
	1998 Total	1999		2000 Contract intentions
	1998 Total	Total	Contract	2000 Contract intentions
	Acres
	SWEET CORN
Illinois	14,600	16,600	16,400	18,700	114
United States	486,400	473,400	473,100	476,500	101
Canning	267,400	259,900	259,700	278,600	107
Freezing	219,000	213,500	213,400	197,900	93
	SNAP BEANS
Illinois	14,700	14,500	14,200	13,700	96
United States	208,600	218,410	209,210	204,460	98
Canning	136,400	152,270	146,070	146,460	100
Freezing	72,200	66,140	63,140	58,000	92

Milk Production

Milk production for March 2000 totaled 190 million pounds in Illinois. The number of milk cows on farms decreased four percent from March 1999 to 120,000 head. Because of the unseasonably warm temperatures during the month, milk per cow averaged 1,580 pounds, 100 pounds higher than March last year.

In the 20 major States, milk production during March totaled 12.7 billion pounds, up four percent from 1999. Production per cow averaged 1,634 pounds, up three percent from March 1999, while the number of milk cows is up just under one percent, at 7.77 million head.

MILK PRODUCTION: ILLINOIS & 20 STATES, MARCH 1999-2000
		March
		Illinois			United States
		1999	2000	2000 as % of 1999	1999	2000	2000 as % of 1999
Milk Production:
Number of milk cows	Head (000)	125	120	96	7,713	7,770	101
Milk production per cow	Lbs.	1,480	1,580	107	1,585	1,634	103
Total milk production	Mil. lbs.	185	190	103	12,228	12,694	104

Floriculture

The total value of all floriculture crops in Illinois was $93.6 million for 1999, up six percent from 1998. Covered area in Illinois was down one percent in 1999 to 13.7 million square feet and total open ground was down 34 percent from 1998 to 565 acres. The total number of floriculture growers with values of sales of $10,000 or more was down from 1998 to 342.

The value of U.S. floriculture crops continued to increase in 1999. The total value of all crops at wholesale for all growers with $10,000 or more in sales is estimated at $4.09 billion for 1999, compared to $3.95 billion in 1998. Covered area in floriculture crop production was down two percent in 1999 at slightly over 925 million square feet. Open ground usage decreased to 35,394 acres, eight percent below 1998's total. The number of growers continued to fall as the count in 1999 was 11,480, down 779 from the number in 1998.

GROWERS, GROWING AREA & WHOLESALE VALUE OF SALES, ILLINOIS & U.S., 1998-99
	Illinois		United States
	1998	1999	1998	1999

Number of growers 1/	346	342	12,259	11,480
Expanded wholesale value (thousand dollars) 1/	88,583	93,562	3,947,517	4,092,411
Total covered area (thousand square feet) 1/	13,860	13,717	947,102	925,397
Open ground (acres) 1/	855	565	38,507	35,394
	Thousand dollars
Cut flowers	2,810	877	411,595	425,958

Potted flowering plants	19,073	23,282	736,837	764,983
African Violets	320	409	22,672	24,639
Chrysanthemums	2,880	2,117	73,408	71,669
Cyclamens	505	557	16,259	17,761
Azaleas	1,629	2,085	39,635	43,984
Kalanchoes	394	591	16,907	16,554
Easter Lilies	1,475	1,411	37,273	36,742
Orchids	2,317	2,609	64,885	79,017
Poinsettias	7,554	9,791	224,441	228,192
All other potted flowering plants	1,999	3,712	241,357	246,425

Foliage plants	1,486	3,637	502,501	509,243
Potted foliage	690	2,020	436,243	428,311
Foliage hanging baskets	796	1,617	66,258	80,932

Bedding/garden plants	56,814	54,831	1,872,610	1,946,652
Geraniums (flats)	347	335	28,189	31,255
Impatiens (flats)	2,636	2,613	112,105	114,974
New Guinea Impatiens (flats)	57	128	6,277	13,276
Petunias (flats)	2,131	2,026	85,189	87,177
Other flowering and foliar type (flats)	11,257	9,985	478,431	557,701
Vegetable type (flats)	1,489	1,532	92,723	96,708
Potted hardy/garden Chrysanthemums	3,789	3,517	93,787	103,692
Potted Geraniums (cuttings)	4,850	4,456	110,425	109,240
Potted Geraniums (seed)	896	692	37,889	38,752
Potted Impatiens	201	475	20,078	23,451
Potted New Guinea Impatiens	1,270	903	29,789	34,360
Potted Petunias	124	234	12,042	14,411
Other potted flowering and foliar type	18,269	20,237	520,239	467,638
Potted vegetable type	1,218	1,121	37,926	32,601
Geraniums hanging baskets	1,194	1,154	31,058	33,555
Impatiens hanging baskets	881	732	20,536	21,756
New Guinea Impatiens hanging baskets	1,306	1,028	28,668	31,031
Petunias hanging baskets	649	403	11,822	15,792
Other flowering hanging baskets	4,250	3,260	115,437	119,282

Total wholesale value of reported crops	80,183	82,627	3,641,232	3,774,096
1/ Includes all growers with gross value of sales of $10,000 or more. Expanded wholesale value includes sales reported by growers with $100,000 or more in sales plus a calculated value for growers with sales below $100,000. All other estimates represent growers with value of sales of $100,000 or more.

AGRICULTURAL PRICES

March prices received by Illinois farmers for all commodities increased one point from February, and was at 78 percent of the base. The current year's base is computed by multiplying the average production for the five-year period by the average price for each year. These five years are summed and then divided by five to arrive at an average (base) for the period. The current five-year average production is then multiplied by the current price and divided by the average for the five years to arrive at the current index. The March all crops index, at 72 percent of the base, was unchanged from the revised February figure and two points less than March 1999. Prices increased for corn, soybeans, sorghum and oats. The all livestock index was at 97 percent of the base, four points higher than the revised February figure. The price of hogs, cattle, calves and milk increased. The hog-corn ratio was at 19.3.

The preliminary U.S. All Farm Products Index of Prices Received in March was 96 based on 1990-92=100, up four points from the February index. Higher prices for lettuce, cattle, broilers and broccoli more than offset price decreases for eggs, strawberries, celery and apples. The seasonal change in the mix of commodities farmers sell affects the overall index. Higher seasonal marketings of strawberries, milk, broilers and tomatoes more than offset the relatively lower marketings of cattle, cotton, corn and oranges. These marketing changes accounted for one point of the March index increase. Compared with March 1999, the All Farm Products Index was unchanged. Price decreases from March 1999 for milk, oranges, eggs and rice offset price increases for hogs, cattle, lettuce and calves.

INDEX OF PRICES RECEIVED BY FARMERS
Commodity	Feb. 1999	Mar. 1999	Feb. 2000	Mar. 15, 2000
ILLINOIS	1993-97=100		1994-98=100
All Farm Products	77	74	77*	78
All Crops	77	74	72*	72
Food grains	50	60	65*	63
Feed grains/hay	80	77	73*	73
Soybeans	76	70	72*	72
All Livestock	77	76	93*	97
Meat animals	70	68	96*	100
Dairy products	115	115	81*	82
UNITED STATES	1990-92=100
Prices Received	96	96	92*	96
All Crops	98	98	90*	96
Food grains	101	99	85*	86
Feed grains/hay	91	92	88*	90
Oilseeds	88	83	86*	87
All Livestock	94	95	94*	95
Meat animals	77	79	92*	94
Dairy products	119	115	90*	90
Prices Paid	115	115	119*	120
Parity Ratio 1/	83	83	77*	80
1/ Prices received index divided by prices paid index. * Revised.

PRICES RECEIVED BY FARMERS 1/
Commodity	Unit	Illinois				United States
Commodity	Unit	Feb. 1999	Mar. 1999	Feb. 2000	Mar. 15, 2000	Feb. 1999	Mar. 1999	Feb. 2000	Mar. 15, 2000
		DOLLARS
Corn	Bushels	2.13	2.14	2.03*	2.10	2.05	2.06	1.98*	2.03
Soybeans	Bushels	4.95	4.71	4.87*	4.95	4.80	4.61	4.79*	4.87
Sorghum	Cwt.	3.61	3.58	3.69*	3.75	3.09	3.16	3.08*	3.28
Wheat, all	Bushels	1.88	2.26	2.36*	2.30	2.73	2.65	2.54*	2.57
Oats	Bushels	1.63	1.66	1.10*	1.15	1.20	1.20	1.27*	1.28
Hay, all baled	Tons	87.00	78.00	82.00	79.00	79.90	79.00	72.60*	74.80
Alfalfa hay, bld	Tons	92.00	82.00	87.00	84.00	83.70	83.20	77.40*	78.00
Other hay, bld	Tons	65.00	60.00	64.00	60.00	70.10	67.40	66.70*	66.70
Hogs, all	Cwt.	25.70	23.70	39.00*	40.60	27.70	28.00	39.90*	41.30
Barrows, Gilts	Cwt.	26.50	23.90	39.30*	41.20	28.20	28.30	40.10*	41.70
Sows	Cwt.	17.50	21.30	35.70*	33.60	18.80	21.00	36.50*	34.50
Beef cattle	Cwt.	60.60	62.90	67.00*	68.00	60.60	62.40	67.60*	69.30
Cows	Cwt.	34.10	34.50	35.00*	35.50	34.70	35.20	37.10*	38.60
Steers, Heifers	Cwt.	61.10	63.50	67.70*	68.70	63.60	65.50	71.20*	72.80
Calves	Cwt.	105.00	107.00	117.00*	120.00	86.90	87.30	105.00*	107.00
Milk cows	Head	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/
Milk, all	Cwt.	15.00	15.00	11.00*	11.10	15.50	15.00	11.80*	11.80
Milk, fluid	Cwt.	15.20	15.10	11.00	3/	15.60	15.10	11.90*	11.90
Milk, mfg.	Cwt.	12.50	13.50	10.80	3/	12.30	12.30	10.20*	10.20
Hog-corn ratio		12.1	11.1	19.2*	19.3	13.5	13.6	20.2*	20.3
1/ Prices received represents the average of all grades or classes at point of first sale and should not be confused with market quotations. 2/ Estimated in January, April, July and October. 3/ State prices not published. * Revised.

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