VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING

Illinois vegetable growers intend to plant 15,900 acres of sweet corn for processing under contract in 2001, down nine percent from last year. Nearly all of the Illinois sweet corn acreage for processing is grown under contract. United States sweet corn processors expect to contract 421,180 acres, down 11 percent from 2000. Canning acreage is expected to decrease 22 percent from last year, while acreage for freezing is expected to increase two percent.

Vegetable growers in Illinois intend to plant 11,100 acres of snap beans for processing under contract in 2001, down 30 percent from last year's contracted acreage. United States snap bean processors intend to contract 192,200 acres, down 13 percent from last year's contract acreage. Canning acreage is expected to decrease 22 percent from 2000, while freezing acreage is expected to increase 12 percent

VEGETABLES FOR PROCESSING, ILLINOIS & U.S., 1999-2001
Area	Planted area				Contract Change 2001/2000
	1999 Total	2000		2001 Contract Intentions
	1999 Total	Total	Contract	2001 Contract Intentions
	Acres
	SWEET CORN
Illinois	16,600	17,400	17,400	15,900	91
United States	473,900	476,100	475,900	421,180	89
Canning	259,900	274,400	274,200	214,780	78
Freezing	214,000	201,700	201,700	206,400	102
	SNAP BEANS
Illinois	14,500	15,900	15,900	11,100	70
United States	218,410	230,280	221,480	192,200	87
Canning	152,270	170,680	164,180	127,800	78
Freezing	66,140	59,600	57,300	64,400	112

MILK PRODUCTION

Milk production for March 2001 totaled 185 million pounds in Illinois. The number of milk cows on farms decreased two percent from March 2000 to 117,000 head, while milk per cow averaged 1,580 pounds, the same as March last year.

In the 20 major States, milk production during March totaled 12.4 billion pounds and production per cow averaged 1,599 pounds, both down two percent from March 2000, while the number of milk cows is slightly lower at 7.76 million head.

FLORICULTURE

GROWERS, GROWING AREA & WHOLESALE VALUE OF SALES, ILLINOIS & U.S., 1999-2000
	Illinois		United States
	1999	2000	1999	2000
Number of growers 1/	342	307	11,625	10,873
Expanded wholesale value (thousand dollars) 1/	92,950	109,731	4,096,560	4,568,094
Total covered area (thousand square feet) 1/	13,722	13,645	924,385	911,152
Open ground (acres) 1/	565	440	34,967	36,868
	Thousand dollars
Cut flowers	877	691	431,624	427,484
Potted flowering plants	23,027	22,787	758,838	780,907
African Violets	409	300	24,455	18,839
Azaleas	1,834	1,609	43,185	55,446
Chrysanthemums	2,117	3,147	70,923	73,487
Easter Lilies	1,411	1,495	35,990	35,273
Orchids	2,609	2,919	79,398	100,097
Poinsettias	9,791	10,218	226,816	237,328
Roses	2/	43	2/	27,738
Spring flowering bulbs	2/	846	2/	37,393
All other potted flowering plants	3,708	2,210	244,030	195,306
Foliage plants	3,637	1,993	511,999	573,962
Potted foliage	2/	646	2/	487,295
Foliage hanging baskets	1,617	1,347	79,467	86,667
Herbaceous perennial plants	2/	20,432	2/	426,435
Potted hardy/garden Chrysanthemums	3,435	4,891	103,564	104,775
Potted Hosta	2/	1,448	2/	37,790
Other potted herbaceous perennials	2/	14,093	2/	283,870
Annual bedding/garden plants	54,399	52,427	1,943,139	1,696,140
Begonias (flats)	2/	6,546	2/	50,296
Geraniums from vegetative cuttings (flats)	3/	25	3/	35,336
Geraniums from seed (flats)	3/	59	3/	8,073
New Guinea Impatiens (flats)	118	40	12,403	6,462
Impatiens (flats)	2,605	2,673	114,939	116,058
Marigolds (flats)	2/	450	2/	34,691
Pansy/Viola (flats)	2/	398	2/	74,527
Petunias (flats)	2,019	2,098	86,848	88,919
Other flowering and foliar type (flats) 4/	9,930	8,700	560,067	392,745
Vegetable type (flats)	1,525	1,421	97,288	89,767
Potted Geraniums from vegetative cuttings	4,456	4,674	110,291	108,033
Potted Geraniums from seed	692	1,142	37,837	40,248
Potted New Guinea Impatiens	902	1,262	33,802	38,237
Potted Impatiens	474	237	22,837	24,777
Potted Marigolds	2/	39	2/	5,542
Potted Pansy/Viola	2/	100	2/	21,292
Potted Petunias	232	322	14,072	17,461
Other potted flowering and foliar type	20,225	7,073	466,422	291,066
Potted vegetable type	1,121	1,608	31,513	28,669
Geranium (cuttings) hanging baskets	2/	988	2/	31,122
Geranium (seed) hanging baskets	2/	257	2/	3,870
Impatiens hanging baskets	727	753	21,559	20,692
Pansy/Viola hanging baskets	2/	29	2/	1,861
Other flowering hanging baskets	3,249	2,830	118,900	88,904
Total wholesale value of reported crops	81,940	101,631	3,772,275	4,271,559
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. 2/ Data series new in 2000; 1999 data not available. 3/ Data series new in 2000; 1999 and earlier published as "All Geraniums". 4/ Years are not comparable. The 2000 data includes additional individual flower data which had formerly been in this category.

March prices received by Illinois farmers for all commodities was at 80 percent of the base. This is unchanged from the revised February figure and one point above March 2000. 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 70 percent of the base, is four points below the revised February number, and is three points below March 2000. Prices decreased for corn, soybeans, sorghum and wheat. The All Livestock index is at 113 percent of the base, nine points higher than the revised February figure. The price of all livestock increased in all categories; all hogs, barrows and gilts, all cattle, calves and steers and heifers. The hog-corn ratio is at 22.0.

The U.S. preliminary All Farm Products Index of Prices Received in March was 104 based on 1990-92=100, up four points from the February index. Higher prices for hogs, broilers, milk and cattle were partially offset by lower prices for apples, lettuce, strawberries and corn. Compared with March 2000, the All Farm Products Index was eight points higher. Price increases from March 2000 for milk, cattle, broilers and strawberries were partially offset by lower prices for soybeans, corn, apples, grapefruit and potatoes.

MILK PRODUCTION: ILLINOIS & 20 STATES, MARCH 2000-2001
		March
		Illinois			United States
		2000	2001	2001 as % of 2000	2000	2001	2001 as % of 2000
Milk Production:
Number of milk cows	Head (000)	120	117	98	7,776	7,758	100
Milk production per cow	Lbs.	1,580	1,580	100	1,632	1,599	98
Total milk production	Mil. lbs.	190	185	97	12,687	12,403	98

PRICES RECEIVED BY FARMERS 1/
Commodity	Unit	Illinois				United States
Commodity	Unit	Feb. 2000	Mar. 2000	Feb. 2001	Mar. 15, 2001	Feb. 2000	Mar. 2000	Feb. 2001	Mar. 15, 2001
		Dollars
Corn	Bushels	2.03	2.11	2.00*	1.95	1.98	2.03	1.96*	1.91
Soybeans	Bushels	4.87	5.00	4.51*	4.35	4.79	4.91	4.46*	4.29
Sorghum	Cwt.	3.69	3.68	3.80*	3.70	3.06	3.21	3.48*	3.42
Wheat, all	Bushels	2.36	2.26	2.64*	2.50	2.54	2.59	2.83*	2.89
Oats	Bushels	1.10	1.10	1.30*	1.40	1.27	1.28	1.27*	1.25
Hay, all baled	Tons	82.00	79.00	84.00	87.00	74.30	74.80	86.80*	87.20
Alfalfa hay, bld	Tons	87.00	84.00	89.00	92.00	77.00	77.70	94.20*	93.70
Other hay, bld	Tons	64.00	60.00	64.00	67.00	68.40	68.90	71.20*	71.30
Hogs, all	Cwt.	39.00	40.00	38.70*	42.90	39.90	41.70	39.10*	45.10
Barrows, Gilts	Cwt.	39.30	40.50	39.40*	43.60	40.10	42.00	39.50*	45.70
Sows	Cwt.	35.70	33.70	31.00*	34.80	36.00	34.30	30.70*	34.30
Beef cattle	Cwt.	67.00	69.30	77.60*	80.60	67.60	69.80	74.80*	77.00
Cows	Cwt.	35.00	36.40	40.40	44.40	37.10	39.00	42.70*	43.20
Steers, Heifers	Cwt.	67.70	70.00	78.40*	81.30	71.00	73.40	78.90*	81.10
Calves	Cwt.	117.00	120.00	112.00*	116.00	105.00	109.00	109.00*	111.00
Milk cows	Head	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/	2/
Milk, all	Cwt.	11.00	11.00	11.20*	12.50	11.80	11.90	13.00*	13.60
Milk, fluid	Cwt.	11.00	11.00	11.20	3/	11.90	12.00	13.10*	13.70
Milk, mfg.	Cwt.	10.80	10.60	12.20	3/	10.20	10.10	11.10*	11.80
Hog-corn ratio		19.2	19.0	19.4*	22.0	20.2	20.5	19.9*	23.6
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.

INDEX OF PRICES RECEIVED BY FARMERS
Commodity	Feb. 2000	Mar. 2000	Feb. 2001	Mar. 15, 2001
ILLINOIS	1994-98=100		1995-99=100
All Farm Products	77	79	80*	80
All Crops	72	73	74*	70
Food grains	65	62	79*	73
Feed grains/hay	73	73	75*	72
Soybeans	72	73	71*	68
All Livestock	93	97	104*	113
Meat animals	96	100	109*	118
Dairy products	81	81	81*	91
UNITED STATES	1990-92=100
Prices Received	93	96	100*	104
All Crops	92	95	98*	100
Food grains	85	86	91*	93
Feed grains/hay	88	90	90*	89
Oilseeds	86	88	80*	77
All Livestock	94	96	102*	107
Meat animals	91	95	98*	103
Dairy products	90	91	100*	104
Prices Paid	119	119	124*	124
Parity Ratio 1/	78	81	81*	84
1/ Prices received index divided by prices paid index. * Revised.

ILLINOIS FARM REPORT

ILLINOIS
FARM REPORT