VEGETABLES

The mild winter, wet spring, cool summer and warm fall had a diverse impact on the various vegetables this season. The mild winter allowed early planting and harvesting of spring vegetables. For most of April and May, rainfall and top soil moisture were above normal, while the temperature was below average. Wet conditions delayed spring and early summer planting ten to fourteen days. Cooler temperatures during June and early July slowed the growth of summer vegetables. Harvesting of summer vegetables were ten days later than during the previous season. Fall growing conditions were favorable and produced a good fall vegetable crop. The season's totals reflected growing conditions during the year. Harvested acres of principal vegetables showed a 2 percent decrease from the previous year, while corresponding production was up 14 percent.

Harvested acres for the eleven principal fresh market vegetables during 1996 totaled 32,400 acres, down 600 acres from the previous year. Production totaled 4,735,000 hundredweight, an increase of 15 percent from the 4,118,000 hundredweight in 1995. Average yields, at 146 hundredweight, were up 17 percent from the previous year.

Among all principal fresh market vegetables for 1996, sweet corn , cabbage, and escarole/endive had an increase in harvested acres from 1995. Harvested acres of snap beans, cucumbers, head lettuce, bell peppers, spinach, and tomatoes showed a decrease ranging from 100 to 400 acres. The season average price declined $0.60 from $25 per hundredweight in 1995 to $24.40 per hundredweight in 1996. The higher production in 1996 was enough to offset the lower season average price and led to a 13 percent increase in the value of production from 1995 to 1996.

Rankings of New Jersey's principal fresh market vegetables based on value of production indicated bell peppers replaced tomatoes as the number one fresh vegetable crop with a value of $27.8 million, followed by tomatoes at $23.6 million. Rounding out the top five were sweet corn ($15.8 million), cabbage ($11.6 million) and head lettuce ($8.2 million).

Harvested acres for the seven major processing vegetables (tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, green peas, snap beans, lima beans and sweet corn) decreased 100 acres from 1995 to 11,600 acres in 1996. Total production at 80,490 tons was up from 72,880 tons in 1995. The season average price decreased from $116.10 per ton in 1995 to $113.20 in 1996. Increased production more than offset the decrease in the season average price as value of production increased from $8.5 million to $9.1 million, an increase of $0.6 million.