=========================================================== New England Agricultural Statistics Service - - - a field office of the National Agricultural Statistics Service United States Department of Agriculture Aubrey R. Davis, Director Phone: (603) 224-9639 22 Bridge St, 3rd Floor Fax: (603) 225-1434 PO Box 1444 Internet: http://www.usda.gov/nass/ Concord, NH 03302-1444 E-Mail: nass.nh@nass.usda.gov =========================================================== New England Fruits and Vegetables 2004 Crop February 22, 2005 The following is an abbreviated version of the report. The entire document is available as a PDF file onthe Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/ =========================================================== Introduction: We are pleased to present the New England Fruits and Vegetables Report for crops produced in 2004. The New England Agricultural Statistics Service is in the third year of a five-year study of fruit and vegetable prices and yields at the request of USDA's Farm Service Agency (FSA). Funding was provided by the State Departments of Agriculture in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. This data series will be extremely valuable for growers to use in making production and marketing decisions, for State FSA offices to administer farm programs based on individual state yield and price data, for Cooperative Extension to provide needed outreach and education, and for the State Departments of Agriculture to assist growers. Over 3,000 tree fruit, berry and vegetable growers were contacted in October and November of 2004 in the six-State region. Approximately 2,100 producer responses were tabulated for this publication. The survey was designed to provide state and regional prices and yields for selected fruit and vegetable commodities which were not in the National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimating program. Producers in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont were asked to provide acreage, production, wholesale and retail price information for tree fruits, berries and 28 selected vegetable crops. The New England Fruits and Vegetables Report compiles all the 2002, 2003, and 2004 fruit and vegetable data published by the New England Agriculture Statistics Service into one report. Since total acreage data was not available for most fruit and vegetable crops, the data from the 2002 Census of Agriculture was also included. The success of this project is credited to the cooperation of the thousands of growers across New England. We sincerely appreciate their time and effort in supplying crop information. As with all NASS survey work, individual grower information is kept strictly confidential and is exempted from requests under the Freedom of Information Act. The individual reports were only used in combination with other reports to establish state and regional estimates. Estimates in this report that could disclose individual farm data were recorded as a "D". Fresh Market Vegetables: Cool, wet weather in the spring delayed planting of sweet corn and other vegetable crops, but good growing conditions throughout June and July helped to bring about good yields for most summer vegetables. Insect pressure was high in some spots, but not unmanageable. The lack of sunshine in August slowed the maturing process for many late vegetables, and wet weather caused concerns of mildew and mold on some crops, and promoted earworm and corn borer problems with sweet corn. Tomatoes were reported smaller - Page 1 of 3 Pages - and ripening later due to a lack of sunshine. Sunny days at the end of August were followed by cold nights, which slowed ripening further. Seasonable temperatures in September helped to accelerate the fall harvest before the first major frost hit the region in early October. Survey Specifics: The "All Price Per Pound" column includes fresh market vegetables only, and represents the average price received by growers at the point of first sale, including both retail and wholesale prices. New England agriculture's proximity to large populations have encouraged farmers to market directly to the public through roadside stands and "Pick Your Own" (PYO) ventures; thus, commanding the higher retail price at many farm locations. Differences in average prices between States for an individual crop are largely attributed to the amount of crop sold retail or wholesale in that state. Most vegetable growers were able to provide price data. The lack of adequate farm records hindered many producers from responding to the production questions. The yield data series was modified from providing a yield that would represent a total state average, to publishing the average yield from reports tabulated. Tree Fruits: New England utilized apple production in 2004 totaled 4.3 million bushels (42-pound units), 12 percent above the 2003 utilized output. A cool, wet spring increased the incidence of apple scab and slowed bee activity in some areas. Poor pollination and winter kill from the lack of snow cover resulted in a poor start for the 2004 crop. In northern regions, a mix of sun and rain throughout the summer promoted a high yielding crop, whereas in southern regions, wet conditions limited full crop potential. Prolonged rains through mid-August delayed the start of early apple harvest. By mid-September, harvest had reached the halfway mark and conditions were rated as good to excellent in most areas. A preliminary estimate of utilized production placed 2004 New England crop value at $60.3 million, 21 percent above the previous year. A revised estimate of value will be available July 6, 2005, after the majority of the 2004 crop has been marketed. The 2004 Connecticut pear crop had breezy and cool weather conditions at full bloom which promoted less than optimal pollination. Humid, wet weather persisted throughout the summer, resulting in average fruit set and size. Crop conditions at harvest were extremely variable, and ranged from very poor to good across Connecticut. Utilized pear production in Connecticut totaled 36,000 bushels (50-pound units), 29 percent below last year's high yielding crop. The yield for the five remaining New England states averaged 68 bushels per bearing acre, 24 percent below last year's crop. A cool, wet spring also provided less than optimal pollinating weather for the 2004 Connecticut peach crop; however, timely rains during the growing season improved crop condition. The Massachusetts' peach crop suffered unfavorable wet, humid days during the summer months which resulted in poor growing conditions and lower yields. Harvest was underway by the last week of July, and winding down by the end of September, with overall crop condition good to fair and fruit size average. Utilized peach production in Connecticut and Massachusetts in 2004, totaled 75,000 bushels (48-pound units), 14 percent lower than the 2003 utilized output. In the four remaining states, yields averaged 102 bushels per bearing acre, 35 percent below last year's crop. Many producers reported a complete crop failure due to winterkill and cold temperatures. Survey Specifics: Yield per bearing acre for all tree fruit crops is based on total production, which includes unharvested production and fruit harvested but not sold due to market restrictions. Yield also includes reports from orchards with bearing acreage and no production in 2003. Apple estimates are based on reports from orchards with 100 or more apple trees. The apple prices published for the six New England States represent a preliminary estimated price for all sales, fresh and processed. After the apple crop is marketed, - Page 2 of 3 Pages - growers will be asked to provide final price data. Any revisions to price and production will be published in the Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Report, scheduled for publication in July, 2005. Peach data are based on reports from orchards with ten or more peach trees. Pear data are based on reports from orchards with ten or more pear trees. The price per bushel published for peaches and pears in Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont represents the fresh market average price received by growers at the point of first sale. There were insufficient sales to establish a processed price for peaches and pears for these States. The Connecticut pear price is an "All Price," and includes sales for fresh and processed markets. Fresh Market Berries: Cool, wet weather prevailed throughout April and May, hindering early berry growth. Although a mid-May hail storm and a Memorial Day frost hurt some areas, warmth and sunshine throughout June helped to eventually bring about a strong strawberry crop this spring. Highbush blueberry growers reported significant winter damage, but felt those that survived the winter did quite well. Good fruit set for highbush blueberries was reported early, but limited sunshine delayed ripening, and wet conditions brought about problems in some areas with the mummyberry fungus. Strawberry yields across most of New England were comparable to 2003. Highbush blueberry growers in most areas saw yield levels at or above last year. Survey Specifics: Price and yield data are published for cultivated blueberries, raspberries and strawberries sold for fresh market only. Fresh and processed wild blueberry prices were available for Maine. There were an insufficient number of reports received to publish a fresh wild blueberry price and yield for the other New England States. The "All Price Per Pound" published includes fresh market berries only and represents the average price received by growers at the point of first sale, which includes both retail and wholesale prices. Most berry growers were able to provide price data; however, production figures were unavailable from a large number of contacts made. The yield data series was modified from providing a yield that would represent a total state average, to publishing the average yield from reports tabulated. Berries for Fresh and Processing Markets: Maine's 2004 wild blueberry crop totaled 46 million pounds, a decrease of 43 percent from the 2003 output, 26 percent below 2002 production and the lowest output in the state since 1991. Excessively cold winter conditions and the absence of snow cover resulted in extensive winter kill to the wild blueberry stems. A wet spring followed, providing less than optimum pollinating conditions. Excessive moisture increased the incidence of infection and blight by the mummyberry fungus. Rain fall in August was above normal and helped increase fruit size on the remaining berries. Cranberry production in Massachusetts totaled 1.8 million barrels in 2004, a 28 percent increase from a year earlier. High yields offset fewer acres, resulting in the largest crop produced in the state since 2000. Yields averaged 127.9 barrels per acre, an increase of over 30 barrels per acre from the 2003 crop. Although the cold winter injured some vines, adequate heat and moisture in the late spring and early summer aided pollination and provided good to excellent growing conditions. Producers reported average to heavy bloom, above average set, and average fruit size in most bogs. Acreage harvested totaled 14,100 acres, 300 acres less than the previous year. Cranberry handlers were contacted in the fall of 2004 for their expected price paid to Massachusetts' growers for 2004 berries. The Massachusetts' 2004 preliminary price for fresh cranberries was $56.90 per barrel. The Massachusetts' 2004 preliminary price for processed cranberries was $32.70 per barrel. The next price update for the 2004 crop will be published in the Noncitrus Fruits and Nuts Summary scheduled for release on July 6, 2005. - Page 3 of 3 Pages - *******************************end of report************************************