=========================================================== 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 =========================================================== 2004 Cash Receipts September 2, 2005 The following is an abbreviated version of the report. The entire document is available as a PDF file on the Internet through: http://www.nass.usda.gov/nh/ =========================================================== A special "THANK YOU" goes to New England agricultural specialists who have contributed to this report. MILK SALES CONTRIBUTE $718 MILLION TO REGION’S TOTAL CASH RECEIPTS New England cash receipts from farm marketings totaled $2.3 billion in 2004, eight percent above 2003, and the highest on record for the region. Cash receipts from milk sales continue to be the top contributor to overall marketings, with $718 million in sales in 2004. Greenhouse and nursery sales were the next largest cash contributor. Cash receipts from these two commodities comprised 55 percent of all farm marketings in the six-state region in 2004. New England livestock sales, at $1.2 billion in 2004, were up 14 percent from 2003, driven by the 25 percent increase in milk sales. Although fewer pounds of milk were marketed, average milk prices received by New England dairy farmers increased from $13.32/cwt in 2003 to $17.20/cwt in 2004. Cattle and calf cash receipts were three percent higher in 2004 than a year earlier, with strong prices offsetting a three percent drop in marketings. Most poultry sales were off from a year ago in New England. A slight increase in egg prices failed to offset fewer eggs sold, and translated to a $7.7 million decline in cash receipts in the region in 2004. Crop sales in New England were estimated at $1.1 billion in 2004, three percent above sales generated the previous year. The greenhouse and nursery industry remains New England's top contributor to crop sales, with 2004 cash returns at $550 million, four percent above the previous year. Cranberry sales were well above a year earlier due to a 29 percent increase in production, while fall potato sales declined by 12 percent in 2004. Cash receipts generated from milk secured Vermont’s place as first in the region in 2004. The value of milk marketings totaled $434 million in 2004, a 27 percent increase over a year earlier due to improved prices. Dairy producers in Vermont received on average $16.90/cwt for milk sold in 2004, compared with $13.00/cwt for milk sales a year earlier. Vermont milk sales remain the top individual contributor to the state total and New England total cash receipts. Sales from milk comprised 75 percent of Vermont’s total cash receipts, and 19 percent of New England’s total cash receipts. Farm marketings from crops and livestock totaled $582 million in the state in 2004, 20 percent above the previous year. Cash receipts generated from fall potatoes and a 24 percent increase in milk sales secured Maine's place as second in the region in 2004. Total cash receipts generated from all agricultural commodities produced in the state totaled $554 million, fractionally above the previous year. Milk replaced fall potatoes as the top individual contributor to the state's cash receipt total, with $109 million in sales in 2004. Potato sales followed, with $92 million generated. Chicken eggs generated $61 million in sales in 2004; improved prices failed to offset a 15 percent drop in eggs produced. Connecticut ranked third in the region in 2004 with $527 million generated in the state, eight percent above a year earlier. Connecticut's greenhouse and nursery industry contributed $233 million in cash receipts for 2004, 44 percent of the state's total, and the second largest individual contributor to total New England cash receipts. Milk sales were the next largest contributor to Connecticut's cash receipts, with $67 million in total revenue generated, 20 percent above the previous year. Massachusetts followed with $417 million in total 2004 cash receipts, six percent above the previous year. Greenhouse and nursery sales remained the top contributor to Massachusetts' total cash receipts in 2004, with sales at $149 million. The next largest contributor to the state’s receipts total was cranberry sales. Increased output in 2004 placed cranberry value at $62 million, which topped 2003 value by 30 percent. Receipts from milk marketed in 2004 totaled $51 million, 15 percent above 2003 due to improved prices. New Hampshire's cash receipts totaled $169 million in 2004, with greenhouse and nursery sales and milk comprising over two-thirds of all receipts. Rhode Island's greenhouse and nursery industry was responsible for close to two-thirds of the state's $64 million in cash receipts in 2004. - Page 2 of 2 Pages - **********************end of report*******************************